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A MAN WHO confessed to the murders of 93 women in the US has been labelled the most prolific serial killer in the country’s history, but how did he get away with it for so long?
Samuel Little claims to have murdered 93 people, mostly women, between 1970 and 2005.
In 2014, the 79-year-old was jailed for life for the murder of three women with no possibility of parole. He has been in jail in Texas ever since.
Why did it take more than 40 years for him to be caught and prosecuted?
What did he do?
In November 2018, Little confessed to the murders of 90 people across the US, which has since increased to 93 people over a 35 year period.
Federal crime analysts believe all of his confessions are credible and officials have been able to verify 50 of the confessions so far. Little says he strangled all of his victims.
Many of his victims were originally deemed as having overdosed, died accidentally or died of undetermined causes. Some bodies have not yet been found.
What is his history?
Little moved around a lot during his life and had his first run-in with the law in 1956.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said there are “clear signs of a dark, violent streak” among his charges for shoplifting, fraud, drugs, solicitation and breaking and entering.
Little had been charged with killing women in Mississippi and Florida in the 1980s, but escaped indictment in Mississippi and conviction in Florida.
He had previously served sentences for assaulting a woman in Missouri and assaulting and falsely imprisoning a woman in San Diego.
How did he not get caught sooner?
Little confessed to 90 murders in 2018 after already spending four years in prison for the murder of three women.
The main reasons to explain the 44-year-gap between his first murder and his first murder prosecution are the fact that his victims were mainly marginalised black women, his killing methods were often undetectable and he travelled around the country a lot, never staying too long in one place.
Little more often than not chose to kill marginalised and vulnerable black women, many of whom were involved in prostitution or were drug addicts. Some of his victims were male and some were white.
His method of killing didn’t always leave obvious signs of homicide. He was a former competitive boxer, and as a result he was able to stun or knock out his victims with a powerful punch before strangling them, a method he used frequently.
As this doesn’t leave any stab marks or bullet wounds, many of these deaths were attributed to other causes.
DNA profiling wasn’t used as part of law enforcement in the 1970s and early 1980s. DNA analysis developed over time, but the FBI say that because many victims were prostitutes, this complicated the ability of police to gather telling physical evidence.
“For many years, Samuel Little believed he would not be caught because he thought no one was accounting for his victims,” FBI crime analyst Christie Palazzolo said on the FBI website.
“Even though he is already in prison, the FBI believes it is important to seek justice for each victim – to close every case possible.”
The bodies of some of his alleged victims have not yet been found. Some victims have not yet been identified and a few of his confessions have not been corroborated by law enforcement yet.
How was he caught?
Little was arrested at a homeless shelter in Kentucky in 2012 before he was extradited to California facing drug charges.
Once there, DNA evidence linked him to three cold cases which eventually lead to his murder conviction. All three women had been beaten and strangled and their bodies had been left in an alley, a skip and a garage.
When a background check was run on Little, the FBI found an “alarming” pattern and many links to other murders around the country.
The man asserted his innocence throughout the murder trial, even as many women testified about narrowly surviving similarly violent encounters over the years.
The FBI said Little is now in poor health and will likely remain in the prison in Texas until his death. The organisation posted an extensive piece on their website on 6 October seeking assistance connecting victims to Little’s confessions.
The FBI also said Little’s recollection of dates and the exact clothing worn by victims is not always accurate, but potential links should not be dismissed by these factors. He has drawn pictures of many victims which may help with their identification.
With reporting by Press Association and - © AFP 2019
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How many people are using the train from Howth versus coming from all the way down the East Coast from Drogheda? I can’t see Howth residents winning this. Nor should they really……
They’re not being cut off, they’re just being asked to join the main line. And if it increases the number of trains surely that’s a good thing overall?
@Tricia G: yeah it’s probably the sensible change.It won’t be without issues though. Irish rail/gardai will probably have to address howth junction station. It’s like a ghetto at the best of times. And the howth train is brimming with tourists daily (1000s on the weekends) who will need changover here. It’s also a busy enough commute but I dont know the numbers exactly.Then there will be the knock on effect of traffic on the Dublin road with people deciding not to take train. And also parking in howth (which is currently free) if people find it more hassle too get train. There is also a massive apartment complex being built beside howth station. Bound to increase demand.
I can understand why they are complaining. Most people don’t want to be inconvenienced but it happens I guess.
@Tricia G: it’s looks like that the entire area from Lusk to Drogheda will become a huge Dublin suburb. There’s a lot of housing developments in Lusk, Rush, Skerries, Balbriggan, Laytown, Bettystown and Morington. The DART will encourage even more developments.
@Tricia G: many people may have bought a house in Howth because of the DART line. Why not just do both, there are already separate DARTS to Howth and Malahide. Start building a proper public network around the city and into the suburbs not along the coast.
@Tipper Irie: because we haven’t built any new rail since the Brits were here as far as I know and wont have any for a long time. DART+ will just be using the existing lines which are already congested, it’s not as simple as just putting more direct trains from Howth.
@Tipper Irie: Only so many trains can operate at a time. MAYBE yes, one “express” train an hour perhaps with all others requiring a change but implementation and timing is challenging.
@Paul Furey: I’d argue they’re already part of the “Dublin suburb” and a better public transport system is required to reduce the numbers currently forced to drive.
@Tipper Irie: more efficient logistically doing it with the shuttle train…… Inconvenient for the people from Howth line who won’t be virtually guaranteed a seat
@Colm Kane: As someone who used to commute on a train from the first stop so I always got a seat, this is the bit I’d be raging about.
That would suck, to go from always getting a seat to having to stand because you’re joining halfway down the line.
@Paul Furey: They have all been surburbs for years!
@Colm Kane: Everyone is changing trains the shuttles run from Howth Junction to the city!
@Tricia G: as someone from Howth who depends on the dart daily I think it’s a disgrace! Why should we have to change over? There just needs to be an increased frequency and capacity over all!
And to answer your comment about how many people use the service, it’s a hell of a lot and would have a much greater impact on our local economy than drogheda
@James Moore: you should have to change because in doing this it makes the dart a better service for way more people than live in howth while only inconveniencing you a little
@eoin fitzpatrick: it’s not just inconveniencing me it’s 100s of local passengers per day not to mention the amount of tourists who come out to Howth. Also there is only one road in and out of Howth and the traffic is already bad and making people change darts will only encourage the people affected by this proposed change to drive therefore making the traffic worse! The people who live on the train line have much more options in terms of different routes they can take if forced to drive than those of us on the proposed affected side
@James Moore: it’s not just about Drogheda though, is it? It’s about a population more than 5 times bigger, possibly 10, actually getting a service that works. So a hell of a lot more. Howth will still have a service, and a far better one than up the coast at the moment. So cut the selfish moaning, and look at the bigger picture.
Honestly we need to do whatever works best for the greater amount of people. If people from Howth have to change big deal. We can’t have a few moaners bring the quality of services down overall. This kind of stuff is what holds this country’s infrastructure back.
@eoin fitzpatrick: it won’t bring the quality of the service down to keep both tracks running to the city directly if they increase the capacity and frequency of trains! Everywhere is experiencing development and issues with public transport so it is madness to suggest to ask a sizeable amount of commuters to change and make their commute even longer! The train is packed from bayside onwards
@James Moore: they can’t do this as the line is already too congested
@eoin fitzpatrick: exactly this. “sacrificed for Drogheda” – such hysterical hyperbole.
If you are a resident in Howth, Sutton, Baldoyle, or surrounding areas, or even travelling that general direction, there are 3 level crossings in very close proximity. Unless trains can fly, the extra capacity and frequency will cause massive traffic jams at level crossings, which will have a severe impact on school runs or shopping. It will also kill a struggling tourist market in Howth. Myopic planning proposal, in my opinion.
@B2dL Me/You: true. Fair point.
@B2dL Me/You: They are closing the level crossings!
@B2dL Me/You: well said. Traffic is already really bad when the gates are down at the moment, so their proposal will mean gates will be down for 30 mins of every hour. Can you imagine the tailbacks which will affect those trying to get to Sutton and Howth and those trying to get to the Airport/ M50. Not alone that but extra capacity will be needed due to the hundreds of apartments they’re building. There has to be a better alternative (perhaps reduce the number of darts from Howth / to Howth, but make them express). They are trying to make public transport attractive to all, this proposal certainly defeats that. It’s so Irish, keep on building out in the suburbs but don’t build any new infrastructure to support it.
After moving from Bayside to Rush last year I can honestly say that I don’t believe this is a great idea. The Dart is rammed at rush hour from Bayside onwards. I have yet to get on a busier train from Rush. And absolutely nobody lives near the Rush & Lusk station, it’s bizarre.
@Jen Mc: pretty sure there will be a lot more trains running so that might help congestion
@eoin fitzpatrick: would you want to have change trains? I wouldn’t, especially in winter. Considering they don’t even match up the bus and train out in Rush, I can’t see this being a case where you step off the train at Howth Junction and catch a train to town straight away.
@Jen Mc: if only there was a solution to having crowded trains….I dunno maybe increase frequency and capacity …oh wait that’s what being proposed ?? And some people don’t think it’s a good idea to add more trains double capacity and more frequent services ……because the existing services are too full ?
Hmmm…
@Jen Mc: Rush&Lusk is hardly typical of the entire line. Nor is linking train/bus timetables particularly relevant to coordinating trains with each other. It’s desperately needed further north, and cocooned Howth-dwellers need to wake up and smell the coffee.
Howth Junction/ kilbarrack was always a hub of anti social behaviour. Now add thousands of visitors/ normal travellers to Baldoyle, Bayside, Sutton and Howth. The beach at Sutton and Howth are literally packed when the sun comes out. From May to September, burrow Road is like a pedestrian area and cars are backed up from Clontarf up to Howth on the coast road. Guards have trouble keeping peace in Sutton and Howth and now all these 1000′s of additional passengers will have to stand at Howth Junction together. Initially they proposed a bus from Howth Junction and now a feeder train.
Massive immigration is fueling the need for more trains, schools, hospitals etc.. Population in Ireland went up by 90,000 last year alone. Metro Boston, MA has added about 1M more people in the past 30 years. Cramming people into small spaces is not a great strategy.
@Paulco: cramming people into small spaces actually is a great strategy compared to spreading people out in urban sprawl
@Paulco: 90,000 is an anomaly, if you look at Ireland’s 30 year pattern. And really it’s an underpopulated country. People have just got very used to space for increased urban sprawl, without proper increase in infrastructure. So now both issues need to be tackled.
Eamonn Ryan keeps going on about using public transport yet the Dart does not operate before 0900 on a Sunday.
If the new proposals to change at Howth Junction dont guarantee a seat maybe its time to start driving instead. Also the journey time is longer and more inconvenient
And yet still no Dart to Balbriggan! Only the south side gets it all the way to Greystones!!
Why not keep the current system, add a track, do direct Dublin to Drogheda and back peak hours and a slow one with more stops including one to change onto the Howth Dublin line.
@Colm Molloy: because that bypasses all the other places that need a proper service, perhaps?
I see Eoin Fitzpatrick wants to live in a glorified Ballymun tower where kids have no green space and live 14 stories up in the air. No wonder couples aren’t having as many kids anymore.
@Paulco: much of the world live in apartment towers not everyone is afraid of having neighbours. if you’re concerned with lack of green spaces, dense living in 14 stories is what you should be promoting. If everyone in dense cities were to move into sprawled out suburbs and one offs it would take up far more space and leave less areas green. pretty straightforward.
@Paulco: not all high-rise is the same as Ballymun, which seems to be thrown out as a hysterical buzzword whenever such plans are suggested. The error there was building a ready-made ghetto.
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