Cold case solved: 1986 killing of woman in L.A. County linked to prolific serial killer

The brutal killing of a 19-year-old Riverside County woman in Los Angeles County nearly 40 years ago has been linked to a condemned serial killer with 13 prior murder convictions, authorities announced Tuesday.

The 1986 cold case killing of 19-year-old Cathy Small was solved thanks to advances in DNA technology and dogged investigation by homicide detectives over the years, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

Authorities identified her killer as William Lester Suff, 73, who is also known as the Riverside Prostitute Killer or the Lake Elsinore Killer, LASD Homicide Lt. Patricia Thomas said. He was sentenced to death in 1995 for the murders of 12 women and the attempted murder of another in Riverside County between 1989 and 1991. He is imprisoned on death row at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.

In solving the case, "We believe we're bringing a long overdue sense of justice and closure to the victim and her family," Luna said.

Charges were not expected to be filed since the suspect is already sentenced to death, officials said.

Small, a mother of two, was found dead on the morning of Feb. 22, 1986, on the road in the 800 block of Bank Street in South Pasadena, Thomas said. An autopsy determined she died from multiple stab wounds and strangulation.

Thirty-three years passed without a break in the case until a chance discovery led to clues that would ultimately identify the killer.

The investigation that lead to Small's killer

Detectives and coroner's officials responded to the scene of the natural death of a 63-year-old man at a home in the 800 block of Bank Street on Oct. 11, 2019, Thomas said. They noticed "disturbing items" that included photographs of women being assaulted and seemingly held against their will, as well as a newspaper article describing the 1986 killing that took place in front of the home.

Investigators didn't find any connection between the dead 63-year-old man and Suff.

Homicide investigators regathered the original case evidence with the advantage of decades of advancements in DNA technology, she said. The collected DNA evidence did not match that of the dead man, who was not linked to any crimes.

But DNA from Small's clothing, which had never before been tested, was linked to Suff, who was already awaiting execution on death row for the Riverside County serial murders.

The killing of Cathy Small

Suff confessed and discussed, in detail, the murder of Cathy Small during interviews held in San Quentin.

Suff told detectives he had met Small at a Lake Elsinore computer repair shop where he worked. He picked her up from her home and drove her to South Pasadena, where they got into an argument, Thomas said.

"He became enraged because she knocked his glasses off his face," according to the lieutenant. "He retrieved a knife he kept in the vehicle and stabbed her multiple times in the chest as she sat in the front passenger seat."

Suff then pushed the victim out of the car and drove away, she said.

Before the serial killings, Suff was convicted in 1974 of murdering his 2-month-old daughter in Texas, Thomas said.

"He was sentenced to 70 years for the murder but was paroled to California in 1984," Thomas said.

Thomas read a letter from Small's younger sister, Deanna Larson.

"My sister, Cathy Small, was not a statistic. She was a protective big sister, a loving mother and a good daughter. Cathy was funny, smart, and caring. She had a big heart and would do anything for anyone," the letter read.

"Cathy was talented, but her life was cut short before she could even begin to make her dreams come true," the sister said.

Larson thanked the detectives who ensured her sister was not forgotten and ultimately provided answers about what happened to her.

"I have spent almost my entire life trying to figure out who murdered my sweet sister. I think of her every day," she wrote. "Bill Suff is where he is supposed to be, and he can no longer hurt anyone. Thank you for remembering my sister, Cathy."

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Cold case solved: 1986 killing of woman in L.A. County linked to prolific serial killer