Release of Jury Transcripts in Serial Slayings to Be Reviewed

A man accused in a series of prostitute killings is entitled to a review of whether grand jury transcripts in his case should be unsealed and made public, a state appellate court has ruled.

The court found that Riverside Superior Court Judge J. Thompson Hanks failed to give William Suff’s defense lawyer a chance to show why the transcripts should remain sealed.

The three-justice panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal also ruled that Hanks erred Sept. 14 in not reviewing the transcripts.

Deputy Public Defender Floyd Zagorsky said public disclosure of the transcripts would be prejudicial to Suff. The transcripts contain much of the prosecution’s evidence in the case.

Hanks ordered the transcripts unsealed, although he delayed the action to give Zagorsky an opportunity to appeal.

Suff, 42, formerly of Colton, is accused of killing 14 women, mostly prostitutes and drug users, whose bodies were found in western Riverside County between late 1986 and 1991. He was indicted by a grand jury in July.