Alphabet Killer May Have Honored Red Light Bandit, Investigator Says, in New Docu-Series

A retired FBI task force investigator says Joseph Naso, the man known as the Alphabet Killer, may have paid a twisted homage to the late Death Row inmate often called the Red Light Bandit. The assertion comes as the Oxygen true-crime docuseries Death Row Confidential: Secrets of a Serial Killer examines Naso’s motives, methods and the files that investigators say connect his case to others unsolved decades later. Naso, a California man, was convicted in 2013 of killing four women and remains on death row.

Naso earned the Alphabet Killer nickname for targeting women whose first and last names began with the same letter, with victims identified as Roxene Roggasch, 18; Carmen Colon, 22; Pamela Parsons, 38; and Tracy Tafoya, 31. The killings occurred over a span from 1977 to 1994, and investigators have long searched for a larger pattern linking the murders. In the documentary, the focus expands beyond the letters to a broader profile of a man who lived a dual life as a photographer and Little League coach while allegedly committing violent crimes at night.

The program presents new assertions about Naso’s links to other criminals and his possible admiration for Caryl Chessman, the so-called Red Light Bandit who was executed in 1960 in California. According to the documentary, Naso was a pen pal of Chessman and, as observed by retired FBI investigator Ken Mains, may have invited Chessman’s execution into his own cycle of killings. Mains told Fox News Digital that Naso “had an idol, a role model” and that the relationship may have influenced his choice to kill in a pattern of initials, a symbolic homage to Chessman’s notoriety. “He invited Joe Naso, who was a pen pal of Chessman’s, to his execution,” Mains said, describing what he says is a deliberate alignment with Chessman’s legacy.

In the film, Mains explains that the connection is not proven in court records, but the claim is framed as a hypothesis built on Naso’s writings, behavior and documented correspondence that a former neighbor and investigators reviewed. The documentary notes Chessman was convicted not of murder but of kidnapping with bodily harm and other charges, and he was executed under California’s Little Lindbergh Law. The context suggests Naso’s alleged homage was less about the specifics of Chessman’s crimes and more about emulating a certain notoriety that Chessman embodied in popular memory.

The documentary also delves into Naso’s prison years and a related figure, fellow death row inmate William Noguera, who befriended Naso and helped carry out a long-running information-sharing effort from behind bars. Noguera, assigned to assist elderly prisoners as part of a disability program, reportedly built trust with Naso and became a conduit through which Naso’s confession and notes reached investigators. The film portrays Noguera as a catalyst who compiled a 300-page dossier filled with locations, cryptic clues and what Naso allegedly confessed during their conversations. The two men’s exchanges provided a structured trail for investigators who pursued cold cases that might be tied to Naso’s life.

As the investigation progressed, Mains said he received Naso’s materials from Noguera and began cross-referencing them with hundreds of unsolved cases, hoping to identify victims beyond the four Naso was convicted of harming. Mains described how the notes included precise dates, locations and partial confessions that aligned with known cold cases. He said the volume of information suggested a behavioral pattern and a belief that the killer was leaving a map for investigators to follow if they had the time to decode it. “He had my attention at that point,” Mains recalled, emphasizing that while some material was only verifiable by those who worked the case, others appeared to align with documented evidence.

The film notes that Naso kept extensive documentation, including what investigators described as a “hit list” of ten cryptic descriptions of women, as well as multiple mannequins displayed in his garage and a lighter labeled Reno, which researchers say could be a trophy or a reminder of a particular location or incident. Mains said the extent of Naso’s diaries, scrapbooks and other materials made it possible for investigators to piece together a narrative beyond the four confirmed victims. While the public record confirms Naso’s 2013 convictions for the murders of four women, the documentary posits that the notes and the alleged admiration for Chessman point to a broader, unresolved web of potential cases that investigators continue to explore.

The documentary follows families who have spent decades seeking answers for their loved ones and juxtaposes their search with Mains’ and Noguera’s efforts to parse the information. Mains said the goal of the series is not to proclaim new convictions but to raise awareness of the cold cases and to illustrate the kinds of connections that can surface when investigators apply patient, methodical scrutiny to archival material. He stressed that redemption is possible for some participants in the process, including Noguera and, in a broader sense, for families who still await closure.

Death Row Confidential: Secrets of a Serial Killer is available for streaming on Peacock. The Fox True Crime team has noted that the project seeks to illuminate both a prolific offender’s hidden life and the work of investigators who try to solve murders long after the sentences have been handed down. The reporting for the feature included contributions from Fox News Digital and details drawn from the Oxygen docuseries, which explores Naso’s life, alleged confessions and the ongoing investigation into connected cases. Families affected by these crimes have described a mix of relief and renewed grief as new elements come to light.

Joseph Naso has since been moved from San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, Calif., and remains in custody on death row. While the Oxygen series documents claims about possible additional victims and the alleged homage to Chessman, officials have not publicly corroborated every detail presented in the documentary. The ongoing examination of cold cases linked to Naso continues, with investigators emphasizing the importance of corroboration and careful analysis of archival materials as part of the broader pursuit of justice for the victims and their families.