History of Samuel Little in Timeline

"Samuel Little, an American serial killer, confessed to killing 93 people, mostly women, from 1970 to 2005. The FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) has verified his involvement in at least 60 of these cases, making him the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history in terms of confirmed victims."

June 7, 1940: Birth of Samuel Little

Samuel Little (né McDowell) was born on June 7, 1940.

1956: First Conviction and Institutionalization

In 1956, Samuel Little was convicted of breaking and entering in Omaha, Nebraska, and sent to a juvenile detention center.

1961: Imprisonment for Breaking and Entering

Samuel Little was sentenced to three years in prison for breaking into a furniture store in Lorain in 1961.

1964: Release from Prison

Samuel Little was released from prison in 1964 after serving three years for breaking and entering.

1970: Confessions and Potential for More Murders

Authorities announced that Samuel Little had confessed to dozens of murders committed between 1970 and 2005.

1970: Beginning of Murder Spree

Samuel Little's alleged murder spree began, with his first known victim in 1970.

1970: Start of Known Murders

Samuel Little's earliest known murders began in 1970.

May 28, 1971: Arrest for Robbery

On May 28, 1971, Samuel Little was arrested in Cleveland along with his girlfriend at the time, Lucy Madero, on charges of robbing a gas station.

1971: Confession to Murder in Miami

Samuel Little confessed to strangling an 18 or 19-year-old black transgender woman in Miami, Florida, in either 1971 or 1972. He left her body in the Everglades near Highway 27.

1972: Trial for Robbery and Acquittal

In 1972, Samuel Little stood trial for the gas station robbery he was arrested for in 1971. His girlfriend, Lucy Madero, testified against him. However, information provided by Little's long-term girlfriend, Orelia "Jean" Dorsey, helped his defense team secure an acquittal.

1972: Confession to Murder in Miami

Samuel Little confessed to strangling an 18 or 19-year-old black transgender woman in Miami, Florida, in either 1971 or 1972. He left her body in the Everglades near Highway 27.

1975: Extensive Criminal Record

By 1975, Samuel Little had accumulated 26 arrests across 11 states for various crimes, including assault and attempted rape.

1975: Murder of Martha Cunningham

Martha Cunningham, 34, was murdered in Knox County, Tennessee in 1975.

1977: Murder of Unidentified Woman in Georgia

An unidentified woman was murdered in Macon, Georgia in 1977.

1977: Confession to Cleveland Murder

Samuel Little confessed to killing a woman in Cleveland in either 1977 or 1978. The details are unclear but her body was found on March 18, 1983 according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

1978: Murders of Julia Critchfield and Evelyn Weston

Julia Critchfield was murdered in Gulfport, Mississippi, and Evelyn Weston was murdered in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, both in 1978.

1978: Confession to Cleveland Murder

1979: Murder of Brenda Alexander

Brenda Alexander was murdered in 1979.

1980: Murder of Unidentified Woman in Cincinnati

Samuel Little confessed to killing a woman he met in Cincinnati sometime between 1980 and 1999. He left her beside a cigarette billboard in Ohio. Not much else is know about this murder as the details of her age and the date of her murder are unclear.

May 15, 1981: Discovery of Linda Sue Boards' Body

The body of 23-year-old Linda Sue Boards was found near U.S. Route 68 in Warren County, Kentucky on May 15, 1981.

May 1981: Murder of Linda Sue Boards

Samuel Little strangled 23-year-old Linda Sue Boards to death in Warren County, Kentucky in May 1981.

October 6, 1981: Anna Stewart Last Seen

On October 6, 1981, Anna Stewart, 33, was last seen getting out of a cab at General Hospital (now University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center) to visit her sister.

September 1982: Arrest for Murder and Subsequent Trial

Samuel Little was arrested in Mississippi for the murder of Melinda Rose LáPree, and was also tried for the murder of Patricia Ann Mount in Florida in September 1982.

1982: Murder of Fredonia Smith

18-year-old Fredonia Smith was murdered in Macon, Georgia, in 1982.

1982: Confession to Rosie Hill Murder

Samuel Little confessed to killing 20-year-old Rosie Hill in Marion County, Florida, in 1982.

March 18, 1983: Discovery of Unidentified Body in Willoughby Hills

On March 18, 1983, the skeletal remains of a woman were found in Willoughby Hills, Ohio. This discovery is potentially linked to Samuel Little's confession of killing a woman in Cleveland in 1977 or 1978.

January 1984: Acquittal of Patricia Ann Mount Murder

Despite witness testimonies, Samuel Little was acquitted of Patricia Ann Mount's murder due to lack of reliable evidence in January 1984.

October 1984: Arrest for Kidnapping and Assault

Samuel Little was arrested for the kidnapping, beating, and strangulation of Laurie Barros in October 1984.

1984: Confession to Murder in Los Angeles

Samuel Little confessed to strangling a short, thick, black woman in Los Angeles, California in 1984. After killing her, he had sex with her body on a service road off of the I-10 before dragging her halfway up a hill and leaving her there.

1984: Murder of Mary Jo Peyton

Samuel Little killed Mary Jo Peyton in 1984. He picked her up at a bar near East 105th and Euclid avenues. Little described her as a short, plump woman in her 20s with brown hair.

February 1987: Release from Prison and Relocation

Samuel Little was released from prison in February 1987 after serving time for assault and kidnapping, after which he moved to Los Angeles.

July 13, 1987: Murder of Linda Alford

Linda Alford was murdered on July 13, 1987.

September 3, 1987: Murder of Guadalupe Duarte Apodaca

Guadalupe Duarte Apodaca was murdered on September 3, 1987.

1988: Death of Orelia Dorsey

Orelia "Jean" Dorsey, Samuel Little's long-term girlfriend, passed away from natural causes, a brain hemorrhage, in Los Angeles.

August 14, 1989: Murder of Audrey Nelson Everett

Audrey Nelson Everett was murdered on August 14, 1989.

1990: Murder of Zena Marie Jones

Samuel Little murdered 30-year-old Zena Marie Jones in Memphis, Tennessee. Her body was found on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River.

August 24, 1991: Discovery of Rose Evans' Body

On August 24, 1991, the body of 32-year-old Rose Evans was discovered in a vacant lot in Cleveland. She had been strangled.

1992: Identification of Mary Jo Peyton

In 1992, Mary Jo Peyton, a victim of Samuel Little, was identified through an FBI fingerprint database. An anthropologist had to create a model of what she looked like as her body remained unidentified until this year.

1992: Confession to Murder in Little Rock

Samuel Little confessed to strangling a 24-year-old black woman in Little Rock, Arkansas in either 1992 or 1994. He said that after killing her he placed her body on a pile of branches near a cornfield.

1993: Confession to Murder in Las Vegas

Samuel Little confessed to strangling a thin, black woman around 40 years old in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1993. After killing her in a hotel room, he drove her body to the outskirts of Las Vegas and rolled her body down a steep slope.

April 20, 1994: Arrest for Shoplifting

Samuel Little was arrested for shoplifting from a Kroger grocery store by the Little Rock police.

1994: Murder of Denise Christie Brothers

Denise Christie Brothers was murdered in 1994.

1996: Murder of Melissa Thomas

Melissa Thomas was murdered in 1996.

1996: Confession to Murder in Los Angeles

Samuel Little confessed to strangling a thin, white female in Los Angeles, California in 1996. After killing her in the bathroom of a vacant house, he undressed her below the waist and unsuccessfully attempted to perform postmortem anal sex before sitting her body up in the bathtub and leaving.

1996: Murders of Dorothy Richards and Daisy McGuire

Samuel Little confessed to the murders of Dorothy Richards, 55, in 1982 and Daisy McGuire, 40, in 1996 in Houma, Louisiana.

1999: Murder of Unidentified Woman in Cincinnati

2005: End of Confession Timeline

Authorities announced that Samuel Little had confessed to dozens of murders committed between 1970 and 2005.

2005: Murder of Nancy Carol Stevens

Nancy Carol Stevens was murdered in Tupelo, Mississippi in 2005.

2005: End of Murder Spree

Samuel Little's decades-long murder spree seemingly ended in 2005. He was eventually apprehended and confessed to his crimes.

September 5, 2012: Arrest and DNA Evidence Connection

Samuel Little was arrested in Kentucky and extradited to California on a narcotics charge on September 5, 2012. DNA evidence linked him to the murders of Linda Alford, Guadalupe Duarte Apodaca, and Audrey Nelson Everett.

January 7, 2013: Charges Filed for Murders

Formal charges were filed against Samuel Little for the murders of Linda Alford, Guadalupe Duarte Apodaca, and Audrey Nelson Everett on January 7, 2013, in Los Angeles.

September 2014: Trial for Three Murders

Samuel Little's trial for the murders of Alford, Nelson, and Apodaca took place in September 2014.

September 25, 2014: Conviction and Life Sentence

Samuel Little was found guilty of the murders of Alford, Nelson, and Apodaca and sentenced to life in prison without parole on September 25, 2014.

May 2018: Confession to Denise Christie Brothers Murder

Samuel Little confessed to the 1994 murder of Denise Christie Brothers to a Texas Ranger in May 2018.

November 9, 2018: Confession to Melissa Thomas Murder

Samuel Little confessed to the 1996 murder of Melissa Thomas on November 9, 2018.

November 13, 2018: Charges for Denise Christie Brothers Murder

Charges were filed against Samuel Little for the 1994 murder of Denise Christie Brothers on November 13, 2018, following his confession to a Texas Ranger.

November 15, 2018: Confession to Brenda Alexander Murder

Samuel Little confessed to the 1979 murder of Brenda Alexander in Russell County, Alabama on November 15, 2018.

November 16, 2018: Confessions to Two Murders in Georgia

Samuel Little confessed to the murders of an unidentified woman in 1977 and 18-year-old Fredonia Smith in 1982 in Macon, Georgia, on November 16, 2018.

November 19, 2018: Confession to Julia Critchfield Murder

Samuel Little confessed to the 1978 strangulation and disposal of Julia Critchfield's body in Gulfport, Mississippi on November 19, 2018.

November 20, 2018: Confession to Nancy Carol Stevens Murder

Law enforcement officials in Lee County, Mississippi, revealed Samuel Little's confession to the 2005 murder of Nancy Carol Stevens in Tupelo, Mississippi on November 20, 2018.

November 21, 2018: Confession to Evelyn Weston Murder

Authorities in Richland County, South Carolina, announced Samuel Little's confession to the 1978 murder of 19-year-old Evelyn Weston on November 21, 2018.

November 27, 2018: FBI Confirms Confessions and Investigates

The FBI announced that they had confirmed 34 of Samuel Little's confessions and were working to corroborate the rest on November 27, 2018.

December 2018: Indictment for Linda Sue Boards Murder and Identification of Martha Cunningham

Samuel Little was indicted for the May 1981 murder of Linda Sue Boards in Kentucky in December 2018, and one of his victims was identified as Martha Cunningham of Tennessee, murdered in 1975.

January 2019: Scheduled Grand Jury Presentation

The case of Nancy Carol Stevens' murder was scheduled to be presented to a grand jury in January 2019.

May 31, 2019: Cuyahoga County Indictments

On May 31, 2019, Cuyahoga County, Ohio prosecutors announced indictments against Samuel Little, including charges of aggravated murder and kidnapping. These charges stemmed from the deaths of Mary Jo Peyton in 1984 and Rose Evans in 1991.

June 7, 2019: Hamilton County Indictments

On June 7, 2019, Samuel Little was indicted in Hamilton County, Ohio, for the murders of two women in Cincinnati, including Anna Stewart.

2019: Confession and Sketch of Little Rock Victim

During one of his confessions in 2019, Samuel Little sketched a portrait of the 24-year-old black woman he murdered in Little Rock, Arkansas, in either 1992 or 1994.

November 2020: Confession to Florida Murders

In November 2020, Samuel Little confessed to two murders in Florida. Notably, another man had been wrongfully convicted for one of these murders.

December 30, 2020: Death of Samuel Little

Samuel Little died on December 30, 2020.

April 18, 2021: Premiere of "Confronting a Serial Killer"

"Confronting a Serial Killer," a documentary miniseries directed by Joe Berlinger, premiered on Starz. The series follows Jillian Lauren as she investigates Samuel Little's crimes.

April 22, 2022: Identification of Zena Marie Jones

On April 22, 2022, a woman Samuel Little killed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1990, was identified as 30-year-old Zena Marie Jones. Her body had been found on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River.