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By Robert Alexander
Senior Crime & Court Reporter
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Joseph Naso, the convicted murderer known as the "Alphabet Serial Killer," is once again at the center of scrutiny following new claims that he is responsible for far more killings than previously established.
Naso, 91, was sentenced to death in California in 2013 for the murders of four women with matching initials: Roxene Roggasch "R.R.", 18, found near Fairfax in 1977; Carmen Colon "C.C.", 22, discovered in Port Costa in 1978; Pamela Parsons "P.P.", 38, in Yuba County in 1993; and Tracy Tafoya "T.T.", 31, in Yuba County in 1994. The unusual pattern led to him getting the moniker.
Why It Matters
Though already on death row, the new claims carry weight beyond Naso's fate. For investigators, they raise questions about whether other killers were wrongly blamed for unsolved cases. For families, they offer the possibility of long-awaited answers. And for historians of crime, if Naso's boasts prove accurate, they could redefine him as one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history.
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What To Know
Who Is Joseph Naso?
A former photographer from Rochester, New York, Naso was arrested in 2010 after police found a diary listing unnamed women, disturbing photos, and other incriminating evidence.
Convicted of four murders, he has always denied responsibility for others.
However, according to fellow inmate William "Bill" Noguera, Naso privately claimed responsibility for 26 murders in total—22 more than those for which he was convicted.
Noguera, who spent more than a decade near Naso on San Quentin's death row, said the killer kept a "Greatest Hits" list and described in detail how he lured and posed some victims. "He gave me a lot of little details that matched," Noguera said, adding that Naso admitted to killing Pamela Lambson, a 19-year-old whose 1977 murder on Mount Tamalpais was long attributed to Rodney Alcala, known as "The Dating Game Killer."
According to Noguera, Naso tricked Lambson by posing as a photographer for the Oakland A's, arranging to meet her at Fisherman's Wharf before driving her to Mount Tam, where her body was later discovered.
These claims are central to an upcoming Oxygen documentary, Death Row Confidential: Secrets of a Serial Killer, which revisits Naso's case and its unresolved questions. The series premieres on September 13.
Competing Claims About Victims
But the allegation that Naso killed Lambson directly conflicts with prior findings.
In 2011, Marin County authorities announced they were confident Alcala was responsible for her death. Alcala, who died in prison in 2021, denied the killing even as he admitted to others. Investigators at the time pointed to his history of posing as a professional photographer to lure women.
Yet Noguera's testimony has raised doubts.
Cold-case detective Ken Mains, who has collaborated with Noguera, said Lambson's family always questioned whether Alcala was the true killer. Lambson's brother Michael recalled that she reassured him before meeting the photographer by saying, "He could be my dad." Mains noted that Naso, then in his 40s, would have appeared closer in age to her father, unlike the younger Alcala.
In addition to Lambson, Naso allegedly spoke about another victim left on Mount Tamalpais in 1975, described as a young woman with red hair and blue eyes.
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Expanding the Scope
Vanity Fair recently reported that Noguera has compiled more than 300 pages of notes on his conversations with Naso.
Working with Mains, he has linked Naso to at least four additional unsolved murders, including Charlotte Cook, a 19-year-old Oakland woman killed in 1974, and Lynn Ruth Connes, a 20-year-old who disappeared in Berkeley in 1976 after arranging to meet a photographer.
A handwritten "List of 10" discovered in Naso's home during the 2010 search described unnamed women, including "Girl on Mt. Tam" and "Girl from Berkeley." Prosecutors used the list to connect him to four of his known victims, but the identities of several women remain unresolved.
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A Serial Killer's Place in History
The FBI and multiple local police departments, including those in Berkeley, Marin County, and Daly City, have confirmed they are reviewing new information related to Naso, though none have announced formal charges.
If Naso's boasts are accurate, his total number of victims could place him among the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history. For comparison, Ted Bundy is believed to have killed at least 20 women, Jeffrey Dahmer 17, and Richard Ramirez 13.
Newsweek contacted the Marin County Sheriff's Office for comment via email outside of normal office hours on Monday.
What People Are Saying
William "Bill" Noguera, quoting Joseph Naso about one victim, Pamela Lambson, whom he allegedly lured and posed before killing her, said: "She just drove me crazy about being an entertainer, and the photographs were because she was going to be a star, and she was dating one of the players from the A's. So, I posed her, now she's getting all the entertainment and... exposure she needs.
"He's an extremely twisted, narcissistic, rapist, serial killer that has no qualities of redemption," Noguera told ABC7. "This man was built to kill, and that's what he did for a very long time."
Lee Connes, younger brother of alleged victim Lynn Ruth Connes, told Vanity Fair: "It's amazing that after so long there was anybody that had an interest in trying to solve it. We are lucky that [Noguera] tried to get the ball rolling and was concerned enough to find out what happened."
What Happens Next
Authorities in California and beyond are weighing whether to reopen cold cases in light of Naso's alleged confessions. Naso, 91, remains on death row at a prison medical facility in Stockton and has made no official statements, leaving investigators to determine whether his claims can be corroborated with evidence strong enough to correct the historical record or support new charges.
Families await answers, while the upcoming documentary is expected to intensify scrutiny and pressure law enforcement to clarify Naso's role in unsolved murders.
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