In 1979, Sadistic Criminals Roy Norris and Lawrence Bittaker Shocked Southern California and Became Known as the “Toolbox Killers”
In the summer of 1979, Southern California was Gripped by Fear. Several Young Women were being Targeted by a Pair of Violent and Depraved Killers in a Torture Van
Published in
9 min readFeb 17, 2024
This article originally appeared on the true crime newsletter Tales From the Underworld. Subscribe for new and exclusive historical true crime content.
Guest Post by Kates Lara
Background
The sun dipped low on a balmy Southern California evening in the summer of 1979, casting long shadows across the coastal town of Redondo Beach. While the serene beauty of the coastline seemed unblemished, a dark and malevolent presence lurked beneath the surface. It was a presence embodied by two men, Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris, whose sinister exploits would forever stain the pages of history. This is the chilling story of Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris, two men whose names would forever be etched in infamy as the Toolbox Killers.