The Tool Box Killers
Lawrence Sigmund Bittaker and Roy Lewis Norris were known as the Tool Box Killers, they were American serial killers who raped, tortured and killed at least 5 teenaged victims in Southern California in 1979. The gained their nickname, the Tool Box Killers, due to torturing their victims with tools like ice picks and sledgehammers.
Both criminals were known by law enforcement for a series of crimes. They became acquainted in 1977 while incarcerated, discovering shared interests in sexual violence and misogyny. The pair regularly discussed their plans to murder and rape teenage girls when free, making an elaborate plan to murder one girl of each teenage year from 13 through to 19. They began to put this plan into action purchasing a van with sliding doors nicknamed the ‘Murder Mac,’ to make abduction easier.
From February-June 1979 the pair picked up over 20 female hitchikers, they did not assault them but used them as practice runs of how to lure girls into their van and discover secluded locations. In late April the pair discovered a secluded fire road. In June 1979 they killed their first victim, Lucinda Lynn Schaefer, 16 years old, they dragged her into the van, bound and gagged her and drove to the fire road. The pair then took turns to rape the young girl before strangled her with a wire coat hanger. They abducted their second victim 2 weeks later, they raped her, challenged her to give them reasons as to why they should let her live and then killed her with an ice pick. On 3rd September the killers took two teenage girls, one 13 years old and one 15, they held the two girls captive for almost two days repeatedly sexually and physically abusing them, they taped their rapes and forced them to pose for pictures naked. The girls were also tortured repeatedly before they were murdered. Their final victim was a 16 year old, while beating her they mocked her and told her to ‘scream louder,’ they tape recorded the abuse and torture.
In November 1979, Norris bragged to a friend about the graphic details of the final murder and confided that there had been 5 others and 3 attempts. The friend contacted his attorney and the pair were arrested. A search of Norris’ and Bittaker’s home found almost 500 Polaroid pictures of teenage girls taken at the beach and a high school without the girls consent.
Bittaker was sentenced to death for 5 murders but died of natural causes while on death row. Norris accepted a plea bargain and testified against Bittaker for life imprisonment, he died of natural causes in 2020.
