An 80-year-old man, Samuel, was arrested and linked to over 90 unsolved cases across various U.S. cities and states, spanning over 30 years. Initially detained for narcotics, his DNA matched three brutal murders from the '80s. Despite his denial, evidence led to his life imprisonment without parole in 2014. Samuel later confessed to being the biggest serial killer of the last century in the U.S., with crimes dating back 45 years. His victims were often vulnerable women, and he evaded detection due to his nomadic lifestyle and the nature of his victims' backgrounds. Samuel died in prison in 2020, linked to 50 of the crimes he confessed to.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Samuel Little, also known as Samuel McDowell, was born on June 7, 1940, in Reynolds, Georgia.
2. Little's mother abandoned him at a young age, and he was raised by his maternal grandmother in Ohio.
3. Little had a troubled childhood and was sent to a reform school in Ohio at the age of 13 for stealing a bicycle.
4. Little was arrested multiple times for various crimes, including armed robbery, assault, and sodomy.
5. In 1961, Little was sentenced to three years in prison for breaking into a furniture store.
6. Little began practicing boxing while in prison and became known for his speed and fury in the ring.
7. After his release from prison, Little continued to commit crimes, including robberies and assaults.
8. In 1976, Little was arrested for kidnapping and abusing a woman in suburban Missouri.
9. Little was convicted of assault and sentenced to three months in county jail.
10. In the 1980s, Little was accused of attacking two women in Missouri, but was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
11. In 1984, Little was arrested in San Diego for physically abusing a 22-year-old woman.
12. Little was arrested in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 5, 2012, for a narcotics charge.
13. While in custody, Little's DNA was collected, which led to a match with DNA evidence from multiple unsolved murder cases.
14. Little was subsequently linked to the murders of three women in Los Angeles, which he was convicted of in 2014.
15. Little was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
16. In 2018, Little began confessing to numerous other murders, which he committed over a period of 35 years.
17. Little's confessions led to the identification of 93 victims, with 50 of the crimes being linked to him through DNA evidence.
18. Little's victims were mostly women, many of whom were vulnerable, marginalized, and struggling with addiction.
19. Little's modus operandi was to target women who were physically weak and unable to resist, often using his boxing skills to subdue them.
20. Little died in a California hospital on December 30, 2020, at the age of 80, while serving three life sentences without parole.
21. Little's case is considered one of the most significant in US history, with his confessions leading to the closure of numerous unsolved cases.