This episode of the podcast **Spooky Coop** explores the disturbing history of **Samuel Little**, officially recognized by the FBI as the **most prolific serial killer** in American history. Hosts Paul and Michelle detail how Little evaded capture for decades by targeting **marginalized women** across multiple states before his eventual arrest and conviction through **DNA evidence**. The discussion highlights Little’s chilling lack of remorse and his unique ability to provide **detailed sketches** of his victims from memory while in prison. Transitioning from true crime to the paranormal, the hosts also share a listener’s story regarding a **haunted encounter** during a group's inaugural ghost hunt. This firsthand account describes **unexplained phenomena**, such as slamming doors and toys moving to impossible heights, which ultimately terrified the amateur investigators. Together, these stories emphasize the **darker corners of history** and the lingering mysteries that haunt society.
Episode Summary
In Episode 58 of Spooky Coupe, hosts Paul and Michelle dive back into true crime to examine the chilling case of Samuel Little, officially recognized by the FBI as the most prolific serial killer in United States history. From his decades of eluding authorities across state lines to his detailed prison confessions and victim portraits, we unpack how he operated unnoticed for so long. Later in the episode, we share an unsettling listener story submitted by Jodie, chronicling her ghost hunting group's very first investigation of an abandoned house and the bizarre phenomena they encountered inside [1, 35–37].
1. Podcast Catch-Up & The "Spooky Coupe" Name
2. True Crime Case: Samuel Little
3. Listener Paranormal Story: "Jodie's Ghost Club"
"Be good to each other, love one another, take care of each other, be safe." — Paul & Michelle
### **Dialogue Script**
#### **Section 1: Introduction & Podcast Catch-Up**
**Speaker 1 : Paul**
**Speaker 2 : Michelle**
* **Speaker 1 :** This week on *Spooky Coop*, episode number 58, Paul and Michelle talk to you about the most prolific serial killer ever recorded, Samuel Little, followed by a ghost hunting group's first haunted encounter[1]. Hi everyone, I'm Paul[1].
* **Speaker 2 :** And I'm Michelle[1].
* **Speaker 1 :** And you're in the spooky coop. Welcome to the spooky[1].
* **Speaker 2 :** Hope you're not one. Hello, Michelle[1].
* **Speaker 1 :** Hello, Paul[1]. How are we doing today?[1]
* **Speaker 2 :** Oh, I'm feeling a lot better. I guess people have noticed I've been sniffling for the last two years. Turns out I've had a sinus infection all this time[1]. I've been on antibiotics for a while and now I'm feeling much better[2].
* **Speaker 1 :** You think. Yeah. Welcome back to the spooky coop everybody. Welcome to all of those in America and around the world. We are very grateful that you have joined us podcast where we unpack the creepiest darkest corners of history, true crime and the weird unknown. All while trying not to lose our minds[2]
* **Speaker 2 :** or our sense of humor[2].
* **Speaker 1 :** We have failed consistently so far. Hi, I'm Paul[2].
* **Speaker 2 :** And I'm Michelle. And you're in the spooky coop[2].
* **Speaker 1 :** And you're in the spooky coop. And we've decided to add some true crime to the podcast because what else is more spooky?[3]
* **Speaker 2 :** Well, actually, we have done true crime before[3].
* **Speaker 1 :** That's true[3].
* **Speaker 2 :** But we just haven't done it in a while[3].
* **Speaker 1 :** Right. Right. So, that's why tonight we're going to for the second time because our last episode had some true crime in it as well[3].
* **Speaker 2 :** And they're going to see a lot more of that because you cannot beat chicken[3].
* **Speaker 1 :** It has nothing to do with wanting to grow our viewership. I can promise you that right now. It's simply because we really enjoy the subject[3].
* **Speaker 2 :** Yeah, we do. As a matter of fact, Oh, stop laughing. As a matter of fact, I watch all the true crime shows on TV. You have to admit that[4].
* **Speaker 1 :** I do. I do admit that you do all and listen to trials and[4]
* **Speaker 2 :** I listen to the podcast. I have three of the true crime TV shows that[4]
* **Speaker 1 :** crime fanatic[4].
* **Speaker 2 :** Yeah. That I I actually pay their Patreons for[4]. And and maybe I could even do one of those things where I see if they'll, you know, they won't[4].
* **Speaker 1 :** They'll make promises you can't keep[4].
* **Speaker 2 :** Yeah[5].
* **Speaker 1 :** Why don't you say something to me like, "So, Paul, tell me why our podcast is called Spooky Coop."[5]
* **Speaker 2 :** Why don't you?[5]
* **Speaker 1 :** And I'll tell you, I don't know. We looked for that name for a good two and a half, three weeks. And I know why. Would you tell me?[5]
* **Speaker 2 :** Yeah. Because our chickens were going every night around midnight and it freaked us out and cheering. Yes[5].
* **Speaker 1 :** Until we found out it was a bear trying to break in, but it was spooky[5].
* **Speaker 2 :** Yeah. So, where else would you find people who are not afraid of anything?[5]
* **Speaker 1 :** Here[6].
* **Speaker 2 :** Here[6].
* **Speaker 1 :** Here. Cuz our chicken coop is filled with people who aren't chicken[6].
* **Speaker 2 :** Chicken. That's right. But our are spooky[6].
---
#### **Section 2: Discussion on Serial Killer Samuel Little**
* **Speaker 1 :** Yep, they are spooky. And we're talking about a man today who was recognized by the FBI as probably the most prolific serial killer to date named Samuel Little[6].
* **Speaker 2 :** That's right. When you think of massive body counts, names like Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Gary Ridgway usually pop up. But Samuel Little blew past all of them[6]. He claimed to have murdered 93 people over four decades and the FBI has verified at least 60 of his confessions[6].
* **Speaker 1 :** Yeah, 60 sounds like wow that's a lot but seriously his own count is close to 100 if not more and that's like anyway um authorities believe that the real number could be a lot higher and like I said he self proclaimed at least 93\. Um, and he, by the way, he's not going to do anymore because he died in prison in 2020\. So, we don't have to worry about that[7].
* **Speaker 2 :** As I've mentioned before, you know, with serial killers, their moniker is everyone needs a hobby[7].
* **Speaker 1 :** Yeah. But Captain Crunch is really in trouble now[7].
* **Speaker 2 :** Mhm. Okay. So, to understand how someone becomes a monster on this scale, we have to go back to the beginning. Samuel Little was born in June 7th, 1940 in Reynolds, Georgia. But he didn't grow up in the South. As a baby, he moved to Lorain, Ohio, where he was raised by his grandmother[8].
* **Speaker 1 :** Yeah. And right out of the gate, right from his childhood, he was in his crib and he started killing his stuffed animals. Anyway, when he was a child, his life was already bad Teddy[8]. By his own accounts, though, he was a well-learned man. He did well in school. Um, but Little says, and take this with a grain of salt, cuz this guy, you know, liked to brag about himself, that he felt abandoned by his mother and he claimed that she was a sex worker and that she left him behind. But other accounts from her family said that that wasn't so, but he swore she was. He grew up in Ohio in the 1940s and 50s. Uh, he described his peers said that he was restless. Um other people who knew him said he was very aggressive and he constantly got into fights[9]. So even from a small age, right? Yeah. So and then he dropped out of high school and by his late teens he was already drifting into petty crime, breaking and entering armed robbery and fraud. In 1956 when he was just 16, he was sent to a juvenile institution in Ohio[10].
* **Speaker 2 :** Yeah. And his pattern was in and out of juvie for a long time. Uh by the early 1960s, uh he had sort of migrated out of Ohio trying to get away from his past and he started moving across the country like a nomad, you know, just living on the road until he ended up in going through Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Ohio, California[10].
* **Speaker 1 :** And as he drifted, he discovered something horrific. America in 1970s and 80s was an absolute playground for a predator especially if you knew how to target the right people and he did[11].
* **Speaker 2 :** He sure did. Let's talk about some of that Paul you know when he flew under the radar for so long because for the most part his aspects of the first you do you know I should just talk about it. Okay. He didn't get caught. He just didn't get caught. You know, how do you kill dozens of people and not get caught?[11]
* **Speaker 1 :** Two words, mobility and indifference[12].
* **Speaker 2 :** Yeah, he was moving all the time[12].
* **Speaker 1 :** Little was a transient and he didn't stick around long enough for people or police departments to connect the dots across state lines. If he killed a woman in Miami and another in Los Angeles, the police departments didn't have a unified instantaneous database to link them together[12].
* **Speaker 2 :** Yeah. And he killed women like a lot of serial killers. He killed women that society thought were marginal or they didn't especially in those day and age. They just didn't care about these women unfortunately. He cared about women who were in deep poverty, women who were addicted to drugs, women who were in the sex trade. Um and in the 70s and 80s these women were just considered throwaways. If they disappeared the police either thought that they had killed themselves with an overdose or that they took off to another place. They just didn't care[12].
* **Speaker 1 :** Right. Little's actual method was chillingly consistent. He was a former boxer. He'd actually boxed professionally in the Midwest under the name the Bosco. And he used that physical skill to take down his prey[13].
* **Speaker 2 :** You know what's creepy about that? There used to be a drink at that time called Bosco[13].
* **Speaker 1 :** Really?[13]
* **Speaker 2 :** Yeah. Here in America. And also my dad used to call my brother Raymond Bosco. He'd say, "Come on, Bosco. Let's box."[13]
* **Speaker 1 :** I guess it was a common nickname or something for a boxer. He must have been reasonably popular, at least over in this end of the country[13]. Anyway, hearing it, yes I know it's kind of chilling, isn't it? A serial killer, it is kind of creepy. I'm going to move my mic back a little. I sound a little loud, I think. A little distorted. Um, anyway, he never had to use a knife or gun or garrote or anything because he was such a good boxer. He just knocked them out[14].
* **Speaker 2 :** And once they were knocked out, if he wanted to tie them up, but he could do whatever he wanted. If they started waking up, he'd just knock them out again. Um his first kill he grabbed from a bus stop and brought her into the woods. And after that, it was kind of what he did[14].
* **Speaker 1 :** So, you believe the bodies were decomposition and animal activity, I guess, would quickly destroy[15]
* **Speaker 2 :** Yeah, he would strangle, he had such big strong hands he could strangle them after he knocked them out. He strangled them with his own hands[15]. Um he never used a sharp weapon. There was never really anything they could get prints off of or anything like that. Forensics was minimal[15]. He would just leave the bodies there to decompose and let animals eat them[15].
* **Speaker 1 :** Right. So, he was arrested a few times over the decades for assaults and robberies, but he managed to beat the rap or serve relatively short prison sentences. For instance, in 1982, he was arrested in Mississippi for the murder of a woman named Melinda LaRee, but a grand jury refused to indict him. Shortly after that, he was arrested in Florida for the murder of Patricia Mount, but he was acquitted due to lack of physical evidence. Back to what you were saying, the system kept letting him walk right back out onto the street[16].
* **Speaker 2 :** Could you imagine how entitled that would make him feel?[17]
* **Speaker 1 :** Yeah. He'd start to build that overconfidence pretty darn quick[17]. It wasn't until 2012 that the walls finally closed in on Samuel Little for good. At this point, he was 72 years old and living in a homeless shelter in Louisville, Kentucky[17].
* **Speaker 2 :** The police arrested him on an outstanding warrant, but when they fingerprinted him through the system, by then they had a system of fingerprints[17].
* **Speaker 1 :** Uh something massive popped up. His DNA was pulled and cross referenced across the country and involved him in a case in California[18].
* **Speaker 2 :** Bingo. DNA tied Little to three brutal unsolved murders in Los Angeles County from the late 1980s: Carol Alford, Guadalupe Apodaca, and Ernestine Jones[18].
* **Speaker 1 :** He was extradited to California, tried, and in 2014, he was convicted on all three counts of first-degree murder. The judge sentenced him to three consecutive life sentences without parole[18]. For all intents and purposes, an aging, broken down Sam Little was going to spend his remaining days dying quietly in a maximum security prison cell[18].
* **Speaker 2 :** Yeah. And he had nothing to lose, right? So when they questioned him, he began to talk about the murders[19].
* **Speaker 1 :** And here enters Texas Ranger James Holland. In 2018, Ranger Holland was investigating cold cases and traveled to California to interview Little[19].
* **Speaker 2 :** And oh boy, did he ever talk. A 100 hours of interviews, Samuel just kept talking and confessing not just to one or two murders, but he went on and on[19].
* **Speaker 1 :** Some of them they couldn't prove because the body was no longer there, dragged away by animals over 20 years[20]. What's really eerie about these interviews is Little's demeanor. He doesn't look panicked or remorseful. He looks like an old grandfather reminiscing about his favorite fishing trips[20].
* **Speaker 2 :** He remembered dates, locations, what the women were wearing, how they looked, and where he left them. To help investigators, Little actually started drawing portraits from memory[21].
* **Speaker 1 :** The FBI started to release the portraits to help identify them. Some portraits solved cases, while others remained unidentified[22].
* **Speaker 2 :** The FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) credited Little with 93 total confessions, verifying at least 60, making him statistically the most prolific serial killer in US history up to that time[22].
* **Speaker 1 :** All those people—mothers, daughters, sisters, friends—were erased by a drifter who went unnoticed by society[23]. By late 2020, his health caught up to him with diabetes and heart trouble. On December 30, 2020, he died at a hospital outside Los Angeles at age 80[24][25].
* **Speaker 2 :** When he was older, he kept saying that God had created him to do this, feeling absolutely no guilt[25].
* **Speaker 1 :** His exact words were, "God put me here to do this." He refused last rites, claiming God made him that way[26].
* **Speaker 2 :** That is the haunting legacy of Samuel Little[27].
---
#### **Section 3: Listener Ghost Story from Jodie**
* **Speaker 1 :** On to our next segment! We have a story from a listener named Jodie[28].
* **Speaker 2 :** She called it Jodie's Ghost Club[28].
* **Speaker 1 :** Jodie and her friends Alexa, Louisa, and Maryanne formed a ghost club, watching paranormal shows every Friday night[29][30]. In spring, they decided to investigate an abandoned house a few miles from town[30][31].
* **Speaker 2 :** They scoped it out during the day to make sure the floors were safe[31]. Then next Friday night, they drove out with their equipment[32].
* **Speaker 1 :** Upon arriving, they were greeted by a strong smell of old wet rot[33]. Inside, cabinet doors they thought were broken off were back on their hinges[33].
* **Speaker 2 :** They set up EVP recorders and walked around[34]. Suddenly, a door upstairs slammed hard[35].
* **Speaker 1 :** Then the door creaked open and slammed again[35]. They went upstairs to investigate[36].
* **Speaker 2 :** When Jodie pushed open a cold room, two flashing cat-toy balls that had been left on the floor were now hanging illuminated on the curtain rod[37].
* **Speaker 1 :** Freaked out, they packed up and left[40][41]. They captured one clear EVP from that room and decided never to return[42][43].
* **Speaker 2 :** Thank you all for joining us on *Spooky Coop*! Be good to each other, love one another, and stay safe[44].