Lawrence Sigmund Bittaker was born September 27, 1940 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Roy Norris was born on February 5, 1948 in Greeley, Colorado, United States. Both were serial killers who specialized in kidnapping and raping women. Both were nicknamed the Toolbox Killers.
Lawrence Bittaker was adopted shortly after birth by Mr. and Mrs. Bittaker, a hard-working and fairly normal couple. From an early age, Lawerence proved to be a rebel. He hated school and dropped out at the age of 17, despite having an IQ of 138. He devoted his days to a life of thuggery: stealing, reckless driving and bucking the system. Soon after, he experienced his first arrest, which landed him in prison for two years. The punishment did not stop him, on the contrary, he continued on the criminal path. The crimes got worse and worse, as did the punishments. He was arrested and imprisoned several times, toured several prisons all over North America. Due to his uncontrollable attitude, he was sent to a mental clinic in Missouri. There he was analyzed and diagnosed; he suffered from paranoia and psychotic disorders. Despite the results, he was released. The crimes continued, becoming more serious. He was in and out of prison. He was locked up for three years in a row, but nothing and no one was able to stop him. In 1974, his psychotic disorders became more violent than ever before. Bittaker stabbed a supermarket clerk, was arrested for attempted murder and sentenced to prison in California. There he met Norris.
Roy Norris, born in February 1948. At seventeen, like his compadre, he dropped out of school. Instead of dedicating himself to a life of crime, he decided to enlist in the Navy and served four years in Vietnam, although he never saw combat. Upon returning to San Diego, the "innocent soldier" brought out his dark side. He was arrested in 1969 for attempted rape and later for assaulting a woman. The Navy expelled him for psychotic behavior that same year. After being released on bail several times, he continued to stalk, assault and attempt to rape several women, mostly students. It was in his 27th year that he succeeded in satisfying his sick needs by raping a woman. He was apprehended and imprisoned in California, where he met Bittaker.
The two psychopaths hit it off, they had a lot of (diseases) in common. Bittaker saved Norris' life in prison a couple of times and that strengthened the friendship even more. When the two managed to get out, they contacted each other and the psychotic duo began their plan of attack. It was simple: kidnap, rape and kill young women using their GMC pickup truck as a means of transportation (they called it "Murder Mack"). They began by kidnapping and photographing their victims. In 1979 things took a darker turn when Cindy Schaeffer, only 16 years old, was kidnapped, raped and suffocated using common tools. Her body was thrown into a ravine wrapped in a shower curtain. This became their modus operandi. Occasionally they raved about torturing their victims with the same tools that anyone would find in their garage. That's where they got their nickname ("The Tool Box Killers"). For several months, the two would roam the streets of California, looking for victims. They killed 5 and only 1 managed to escape
Apparently Bittaker's IQ decreased when he was with Norris, as they both liked to talk about their crimes to an old prison friend, Jimmy Dalton. When Jimmy found out it was all true, he went to his lawyer and told the LAPD the whole story in hopes of getting his sentence shortened. They were both indicted for all their crimes. Bittaker is still awaiting lethal injection, for the time being he spends his time answering fan letters and the occasional morbid one. Norris was spared the death penalty because he gave valuable information about Lawerence.
••Roy Lewis Norris dies at age 72 of natural causes died at a California Medical Facility on February 24, 2020.
