Suff Reportedly Linked to 13 Killings

The head of the Riverside County serial killings task force Thursday refused to confirm a report that physical evidence has linked prime suspect William Suff to 13 of the 19 murders of prostitutes and drug users.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Lt. Al Hearn, while not confirming the report published in the Riverside Press-Enterprise, said any more charges against Suff would be filed as a group.

“We’re not going to do it in a piecemeal-type situation,” said Hearn, supervisor of the multi-agency force formed last year to investigate the string of killings that began in 1986.

Investigators have been processing evidence found in Suff’s van and Colton home in an effort to tie him to more of the murders. Authorities so far have filed charges in only two cases.

Suff, 41, is being held without bail on charges that he killed Catherine McDonald, 30, and Elenor O. Casares, 39, the 17th and 19th victims in the series of slayings.

Prosecutors have filed so-called “special circumstances” against Suff, meaning the Riverside County stock clerk could be subject to the death penalty if convicted.

Suff was arrested Jan. 9 after being stopped for an illegal turn in the heart of Riverside’s red light district. Officers have said they spotted something in his van that immediately triggered suspicion, but they have not publicly discussed their evidence.

As part of the investigation, authorities are examining fibers and other material found in Suff’s van and residence to determine if the samples match anything discovered at the crime scenes. Such tests may take several weeks.

In Thursday’s editions, the Press-Enterprise cited unnamed sources who said that Suff has been connected to at least 13 of the deaths.

Meanwhile, officials said Thursday they have renewed an investigation into the October injuries suffered by Suff’s 3-month-old daughter, Bridgit Anne. The girl had severe brain damage and other injuries from an apparent beating.

No charges were filed against Suff and his second wife, 20-year-old Cheryl Lewis Suff. The child was placed in protective custody.

At the time authorities did not know that William Suff was on parole after serving 10 years in a Texas prison for murdering his 2-month-old daughter by another wife in 1973.