FBI Verifies 50 Murders Connected to Samuel Little

Samuel Little is now considered the “most prolific serial killer” in American history after the FBI confirmed his connection to at least 50 murders. 

Last year, the 79-year-old inmate confessed to strangling 93 women between the years of 1970 and 2005. Little was sentenced in 2014 to three consecutive life sentences for murdering three Los Angeles area women and a Texas woman in 2014. Initially, the FBI tried to connect him to murders in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Texas, but he refused to cooperate during his trial.

Now, Ector County, Texas District Attorney Bobby Bland claims that Little’s failing health combined with his conviction led him to concede to the authorities. Little is working with the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program to help them solve cold cases. “At this point in his life I think he’s determined to make sure that his victims are found,” Bland said.

After a series of interrogations and combing through evidence, the FBI was able to verify that Little had murdered at least 50 women and they are working on confirming others. This would give him more bodies than Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Gary Ridgway.

“For many years, Samuel Little believed he would not be caught because he thought no one was accounting for his victims,” FBI analyst Christie Palazzolo said. “Even though he is already in prison, the FBI believes it is important to seek justice for each victim—to close every case possible.”

Little was able to evade justice for 35 years due to his “nomadic lifestyle.” The former boxer would travel across the country targeting vulnerable women in various cities. Because his victims were often sex workers or drug addicts with no identification, their murders were not thoroughly investigated. As of this year, Little has been moved from California to Texas where he’s expected to live out his remaining years in prison.