Watch CBS News

"60 Minutes" reports on Samuel Little, serial killer who confessed to murdering 93 people

Serial killer sketches dozens of his victims
The sketches serial killer Samuel Little drew depicting his victims 00:51

James Holland has heard confessions from many, many murderers. But now one is telling the Texas Ranger he's committed 93 murders himself, making him perhaps the most prolific serial killer in American history. The race is on to identify all of the 93 people Samuel Little says he murdered, while the 79-year-old remains alive and continues to cooperate.
 
Holland tells Sharyn Alfonsi in his first television interview how he got Little to open up about his victims for a story to be broadcast on "60 Minutes" Sunday, October 6, at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
 
Information Holland has gathered from Little has led to 50 cold case murders being solved. There are more Little says he committed that if resolved would give victims' relatives answers and exonerate any innocent people who may have been wrongly convicted for the murders.
 
Holland says he broke through to Little by agreeing with him that he was not a rapist, but truly a killer. This tack seemed to unlock the place where he kept detailed, almost photographic memories of every woman he killed. Holland describes Little's process, "There's indications of visualization, of when he's thinking about a crime scene. He'll start stroking his face. And as he's starting to picture a victim, you'll see him look out and up." 
 
"And you can tell he has this revolving carousel of victims, and it's just spinning, and he's waiting for it to stop at the one that he wants to talk about," Holland says.

littlessketches.jpg
Little's sketches of some of his victims CBS News

 Little can count all of his victims, even still hear them, says Holland. A big aid in identifying victims has been Little's ability to sketch very close likenesses of the people. Holland shows Alfonsi a collection of Little's drawings, a collection he hopes will grow.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.