William Lester Suff (born Bill Lee Suff; 20 August 1950) is an American serial killer who tortured and killed at least thirteen women in Riverside County, California, from 1986 to 1991, earning nicknames such as the Riverside Prostitute Killer and the Lake Elsinore Killer, as some of his victims were dumped in Lake Elsinore. Years earlier, in 1973, he murdered his two-month-old daughter in Texas, a crime for which he had only served ten years of a seventy-year sentence.
Background[]
Suff's parents had five children, of which he was the eldest. Nothing special happened during his childhood, but Suff proved gifted at playing music. Although not popular, Suff made friends easily. Suff's mother was very domineering and had a strong influence over her husband. This is how Suff understood that he could get what he wanted by coercing others.
In 1960, at the age of 10, his parents separated after accusing each other of infidelity. Suff's mother even went so far as to become a prostitute, thus giving Suff a distaste for prostitution. Soon, Suff's mother got back together with another man. This man turned out to be very strict and very unhealthy towards children.
In 1968, at the age of 18, Suff met Terryl, 15, in a marching band, while he was playing. The couple dated before marrying in 1969. Suff soon became verbally abusive to Terryl. He forced her to carry out his orders under threat of death. The couple gave birth to a son, William Lester Suff Jr., in November 1970. A daughter, Dijiania, was born in July 1973. From the moment of her birth, Suff could not stop hitting the newborn.
On 25 September 1973, Terryl was forced to leave the family home and entrusted Suff with her care. The custody arrangement went awry, and Suff hit her two-month-old daughter. Noticing that she was no longer breathing, Suff called Terryl to report the problem. Terryl rushed to the marital home and found her unconscious. Emergency services confirmed the child's death. An autopsy showed that the first abuse against the child had occurred at birth. Suff and Terryl were charged with mistreatment resulting in death and remanded in custody.
Though Suff was sentenced to 70 years in a Texas prison, he served only ten years before his release on parole on6 March 1984.
Arrest[]
Suff raped, tortured, stabbed, strangled, and sometimes mutilated 12 or more women in Riverside County between June 28, 1989, and December 23, 1991. On January 9, 1992, Suff was arrested after a routine traffic stop when a police officer found a bloody knife and objects believed to be related to the killings.
Suff was working as a warehouse clerk for Riverside County when he was arrested, having been hired while still on parole from Texas. During his time in this job, Suff delivered office furniture to the officers on the task force who were investigating his killing spree.