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The District Attorney began his opening statement with, "If you don''t know what hell is like, you''re about to find out." In 1979, Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris went on a rape and killing rampage. The pliers, screwdrivers, hammers, sledgehammers, and ice picks they used on their victims became their calling card and moniker: The Toolbox Killers. They were soon apprehended and convicted for their atrocities, but for decades, refused to reveal the location of their victims'' bodies. More than two decades later, criminologist Laura Brand had the opportunity to interview this sadistic pair as they sat behind bars, probing the depths of their depravity right up to the days of their deaths. Over this relentless six-year period, Bittaker finally gave Brand what he had withheld from law enforcement and families alike: the precise locations of two victims'' remains. Brand''s investigation tore open sealed police reports, court transcripts, and witness accounts, and unearthed brutal and shocking new findings: undisclosed victims, forgotten evidence, and chilling new insights that resurrected this nightmare in unimaginable ways. God''s Not Here, Only Devils is told through a powerful blend of narratives: the voices of Bittaker himself, his victims, traumatized witnesses, the tenacious lead detective, and the hardened District Attorney. This book pulls the reader into a visceral retelling of the horrors that unfolded and the legacy of terror the Toolbox Killers left behind.
List of contents
Foreword by Lawrence BittakerIntroduction: What the World Deserves
Chapter 1: We're All Mad Here
Chapter 2: Folie à Deux
Chapter 3: Nancy Drew
Chapter 4: Birds of a Feather
Chapter 5: Why?
Chapter 6: No Witnesses, No Worries
Chapter 7: Built For It
Chapter 8: The Making of Murder Mac
Chapter 9: A Serial Killer's Sanctuary
Chapter 10: Homicide Hits Home
Chapter 11: Grab the Toolbox
Chapter 12: Killer Keychains
Chapter 13: The Gift You Never Wanted
Chapter 14: Model Behavior
Chapter 15: Universal Love
Chapter 16: The Angel Who Pleaded to Pray
Chapter 17: Always Here for You
Chapter 18: Fireworks
Chapter 19: When You Wish Upon A Star
Chapter 20: Wildfire
Chapter 21: Pretty Please, Can I Go to Prison?
Chapter 22: Tell God I'm Hanging out with Satan in the Parking Lot
Chapter 23: The Devil's Den: San Quentin's Death Row
Chapter 24: I Died so a Siren Could Rise
Chapter 25: Reign of Terror
About the AuthorIndex
About the author
Laura Brand is a criminologist leading the largest collective study of serial offenders ever conducted, having interviewed over 50 serial killers as part of her groundbreaking work. She has recently teamed up with licensed forensic psychologist Dr. John White to analyze and publish these findings. Laura holds a degree in forensic psychology from Curry College. Over the past decade, she has spent significant time inside San Quentin's notorious death row, interviewing some of the most dangerous criminals in the nation. Her investigation was the basis of the true crime documentary, The Toolbox Killer, now streaming on Peacock and Oxygen.
Laura's unparalleled skills have garnered the attention of law enforcement agencies across the country. She has assisted the San Francisco Cold Case Unit on the Charles Ng & Leonard Lake, David Carpenter, and Joseph Naso cases. Currently, she is working with the Dennis Rader BTK Task Force.
Laura's work has been featured in major outlets such as NBC, Fox News, Newsweek, The Independent, Daily Mail, LAPD Bible, Our Culture Magazine, E! News, and The Hollywood Reporter. She is in the final stages of her first book, which chronicles her tireless re-examination of the Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris case. In collaboration with Strong Island Films, she is also working on another true crime series, hoping to secure funding for victim recovery and identification efforts.
In addition, Laura co-hosts the podcast Partners in True Crime: Serial Killer Whisperer alongside Cindy and Rob Dorfman, the CEOs of Strong Island Films. The series delves into her experiences and explores the extractions she has obtained from other serial offenders on San Quentin's death row.
