Lawrence Sigmund Bittaker: The Toolbox Killer
Background
Lawrence Sigmund Bittaker, born on September 27, 1940, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was adopted shortly after birth. Despite possessing a high IQ of 138, he dropped out of high school in 1957 following multiple encounters with law enforcement. His early offenses included car theft, hit-and-run incidents, and evading arrest, leading to his imprisonment in the California Youth Authority until he was 19. Over the years, Bittaker's criminal activities escalated, resulting in numerous incarcerations. During one of these stints at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo, he met Roy Lewis Norris, a fellow inmate with whom he would later form a deadly partnership.
The Crimes
In 1979, Bittaker and Norris embarked on a horrifying crime spree in Southern California, earning the moniker "The Toolbox Killers" due to their use of household tools to torture and murder their victims. Over a span of five months, they kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered five teenage girls. Their method involved luring victims into their van, restraining them, and driving them to secluded locations in the San Gabriel Mountains, where they would carry out their heinous acts.
Victims
- Lucinda Lynn Schaefer: On June 24, 1979, 16-year-old Lucinda was abducted while walking home from a church meeting in Redondo Beach. She was raped and strangled before her body was thrown over a cliff in the San Gabriel Mountains. Her remains were never recovered.
- Andrea Joy Hall: On July 8, 1979, 18-year-old Andrea was hitchhiking along the Pacific Coast Highway when she was lured into the killers' van. After being sexually assaulted, an ice pick was thrust into her ear, and she was strangled. Her body was disposed of in the mountains and was never found.
- Jackie Doris Gilliam and Jacqueline Leah Lamp: On September 3, 1979, 15-year-old Jackie and 13-year-old Jacqueline were sitting at a bus stop near Hermosa Beach when they were offered a ride. They were held captive for nearly two days, during which they were repeatedly raped and tortured. Jackie was killed by an ice pick driven into her ear, while Jacqueline was bludgeoned with a sledgehammer. Their bodies were discovered in the San Gabriel Mountains.
- Shirley Lynette Ledford: On October 31, 1979, 16-year-old Shirley was hitchhiking in Sunland-Tujunga when she accepted a ride from Bittaker and Norris. She endured hours of torture, which were audio-recorded by the killers. After being sexually assaulted and brutalized with pliers and a sledgehammer, she was strangled with a wire coat hanger. Her body was left on a suburban lawn in Sunland, where it was discovered the next morning.
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