Suff Enters Not Guilty Plea in Two Killings

RIVERSIDE —  William Lester Suff, the convicted baby killer and former Riverside County stock clerk accused in two of a series of 19 murders of women, formally denied his involvement for the first time Friday.

The 41-year-old suspected serial killer, arraigned over a video linkup between a court and Riverside’s County Jail, entered not guilty pleas to charges that he murdered Elenor Ojeda Casares, 39, and Catherine McDonald, 30.

Suff, wearing a dress shirt and tie and appearing interested but emotionless, also denied a pending charge that he violated the terms of his parole from Texas, where he served 10 years of a 70-year sentence for the beating death of his 2-month-old daughter, Dijianet.

Suff, accompanied by his court-appointed attorney, Floyd Zagorsky, a Riverside County public defender, was silent during the 30-minute proceeding, except for saying an occasional “Yes, ma’am” to questions from Municipal Court Commissioner Becky L. Dugan.

The body of Casares, the most recent in the series of murder victims, was found in a Riverside orange grove Dec. 23. McDonald’s body was discovered east of Lake Elsinore on Sept. 13.

Although prosecutors have charged Suff in only two of the deaths, authorities call him the prime suspect in the serial killings and say privately they are confident of linking him to 12 to 15 killings. The murders occurred between 1986 and 1991.

Charges are unlikely to be filed in a few of the 19 cases because there is a lack of evidence and because of the advanced stage of decomposition of at least one body, a law enforcement source said.

All of the dead women were prostitutes or drug users, authorities say, many of them onetime habitues of sex strips along Main Street in Lake Elsinore and University Avenue in Riverside. Most were also mothers.

Suff was arrested in Riverside Jan. 9 on a traffic stop after contacting a prostitute.

All 19 victims were strangled or beaten or both, prosecutors say. Three of the victims were mutilated, police have confirmed.

Prosecutors are leaning toward requesting the death penalty, but a final decision has not been made, said Paul E. Zellerbach, the Riverside County deputy district attorney handling the case.

The prosecutor would not say when, or if, additional cases would be filed against Suff, a Southern California native who lived most of his life in the Lake Elsinore-Perris area.

Victims’ relatives were among those viewing Friday’s court proceedings. “I want to be here every day until justice is done,” said Ida Simmons, 36, McDonald’s sister.