Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The Toolbox Killers” Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris Pt. 2

Episode Date: July 16, 2020

In 1979, Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris sexually assaulted and murdered five teenage girls. For months, authorities were at a loss to explain the disappearances of their victims, but eventually, Norris and Bittaker got reckless, and the crimes of the Toolbox Killers were revealed to the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of these killers' crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of violence, sexual assault, and murder that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. Lawrence Bittaker slowly opened his eyes and stretched. His back was killing him.

He was pushing 40 now, too old to be sleeping on the floor of his van. He pushed himself up and slid open the, the door. The sun was just rising over the San Gabriel Mountains, bathing the trees in golden light. He lit a cigarette and strolled into the woods. As he walked through the trees, he couldn't help but smile. Back notwithstanding, he hadn't felt this good in years. He was finally at peace among nature. Now he understood why people liked camping so much. He laughed to himself as he made his way back to the van. He'd have to ask the girls if they were enjoying the trip as much as he was. He knocked hard on the passenger side door to wake up 13-year-old Leah Lamp and 15-year-old Jackie Gilliam.

At the sound, the girl's eyes snapped open, darting from side to side. They looked like they wanted to say something. Bidiker couldn't wait to rip off the tape covering their mouths and see what it was. Hey, I'm Greg Polson. This is serial killers, a podcast original. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today we're exploring the sickening crimes of the toolbox killers, Lawrence Biddecker and Roy Norris. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson.

Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Parcast Originals for free on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. To stream serial killers for free on Spotify, just open the app and type serial killers in the search bar. This is our second episode on Lawrence Bidiker and Roy Norris, who raped and murdered five teenage girls in 1979. Last week, we discussed their chance meeting in prison and saw how their friendship developed into a twisted partnership, leading to their first victim, Cindy Schaefer. This week, we'll follow Bidiker and Norris as their killing spree kicks into high. gear, as well as the police investigation, which finally brought them down.

We've got all that and more coming up. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Bonnie and Clyde, the lonely hearts killers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. These are infamous criminal duels. But you don't need to break any laws to find your perfect business partner because you have Shopify. It's the commerce platform that can help you with literally everything, website design, marketing, shipping, and more. So start your business today with the best partner, Shopify, and get that. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash killers.

That's Shopify.com slash killers. This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter. Whether you're hiring for a role or searching for a killer, the hunt can be exhausting. When detectives looked and searched to find any kind of evidence to find the person they were looking for, like Jack the Ripper, the Golden State Killer, the Unit Bomber. It's tedious work to find what you're looking for. So, if you're hiring, I've got news for you. You can skip the lengthy investigation and the tiresome process of sorting through hundreds

of resumes. Just use ZipRecruiter. Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash killers. Because not only does ZipRecruiter have the technology to match you with potential candidates quickly, it also just added a new feature that pushes candidates who are qualified and interested in your role to the top of the list. They can even tell you why they're interested, making it easier for you to get a sense of who they are. Cut through the standard and get to the standouts with ZipRecruiter. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate

within the first day. And now you can try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash Killers. That's ZipRecruiter.com slash killers. Meet your match on ZipRecruiter. Transport your senses with Solte Janado's limited edition perfume mist collection at Sephora. Sprits on lush notes of rainforest orchid and crisp sea breeze with hafresco paraizo. Embrace a floral and fruity scent inspired by Rio's nude beach with cheeky bikini or caps your sun-kissed bliss with limonada gelada, where zesty Brazilian lemonade accord meets coconut milk and golden brown sugar. Don't miss Sol de Janeiro's limited edition perfume mist collection, only at Sephora. On June 24, 1979, Lawrence Biddecker and Roy Norris raped and murdered 16-year-old

Cindy Schaefer in the woods of Southern California. As 38-year-old Bidickehr said away from the scene of the crime, he and 31-year-old Norris smiled and cracked open a beer. After more than a year of planning, it had all gone according to plan. They were confident that no one would find Cindy's body dumped in a ditch off the side of an abandoned fire road. Now, Biddecker and Norris were bound for life. They knew each other's darkest fantasies and shared a deadly secret. As he dropped Norris off at his mother's trailer, Bidiker patted his friend on the shoulder. They'd see each other soon.

Very soon. Only two weeks later, the men went out to search for their next victim. They'd been watching TV for news about Cindy, eager to hear the frightened reactions of the press. But even though the girl's grandmother had filed a report, authorities had no leads, and the attack wasn't widely covered in the news. Bidickeur and Norris had chosen Cindy at random, so with no eyewitnesses to her abduction, there was no way to connect them to her disappearance. Getting away with their crime gave the men the rush of a lifetime. In some ways, Cindy had been a true. trial run. Now that they were more confident, both Bidiker and Norris planned to make their second attack even more brutal. They had big plans for their next victim. On July 8, 1979, the men climbed

into their specially outfitted gray cargo van and headed to Manhattan Beach, about 20 miles south of Los Angeles. After spending time searching, they spotted 18-year-old Andrea Hall hitchhiking on the side of the road. Andrea was a tall blonde who'd moved to California from Ohio. To make money, she resorted to selling blood. And that afternoon, she was trying to catch a ride back to her apartment. Seeing her traveling alone, Bidicor and Norris agreed she'd make a perfect target. Biddecker started to pull over, but a white convertible ahead of them stopped first. They watched with disappointment as Andrea jumped in the convertible and it sped off.

But they weren't going to give up so easily. They figured that the convertible wouldn't drive Andrea all the way to her destination. She'd have to get out eventually. They tailed the vehicle for miles, waiting for Andrea to get out. When she finally did, Bidiker and Norris were delighted to see her hold out her thumb once more, just as they'd hoped. As the van approached Andrea, Norris scrambled under the plywood bed. installed in the back. Biddecker thought Andrea would be more likely to accept a ride if she thought there was only one man inside. Norris grinned under the bed as the sliding door opened and

Andrea stepped inside. Hiding from the girl made the whole thing even more thrilling. Vanessa's going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist, but she has done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. According to former FBI profiler, Mary Ellen O'Toole, the lead-up to Bidiker and Norris' crime, wherein they pretended to be Good Samaritans offering a ride, was likely part of the excitement for them both. It offered them another way to dominate their victims. By luring a girl in under a false impression, the men may have felt as if they were controlling her very thoughts.

It made them feel powerful and primed them for the violent domination. to come. With these feelings in mind, Norris laid in weight under the bed inside the van, muscles twitching in anticipation. Biddicker started driving, telling Andrea she could grab a drink from the cooler in the back. She happily accepted the offer. Once she had her drink, Bidiker cranked up the radio. That was the signal.

The sound of the music would drown out Andrea's screams. Norris burst out from under the bed and wrapped his arms around Andrea in seconds. She yelled and kicked backwards, almost managing to free herself from Norris' grasp. But Norris was a big man, and he had served in the Navy. After a heated struggle, he managed to wrench Andrea's arm behind her head. He could feel the girl's joint tense on the verge of snapping out of place. The pain was too much for Andrea to take, and she said, stopped fighting. Norris covered her mouth and bound her limbs with construction tape.

Norris threw her on the plywood bed, not saying another word as the van neared the killer's secret spot in the San Gabriel Mountains. Biddecker turned onto the familiar dirt road. It was the same place where they'd murdered Cindy Schaefer two weeks earlier. As soon as the van was stopped, Biddecker and Norris dragged her into the woods and raped her. afterward Norris went to a nearby store while Biddecker continued to torture the girl alone. He verbally abused her, demanding that she beg for her life. Watching the look of horror in her eyes was part of the thrill.

It was all a game to him, and the more she suffered, the more he enjoyed it. Biddecker felt completely dominant as he stood over, Andrea, watching her squirm and fear. He wanted to remember the day forever. her. That's when he pulled out his Polaroid camera. He took pictures of a sobbing Andrea while telling her he was going to kill her. When Norris returned from the store, Biddecker shared the photos with him. The two took souvenirs as if they were on some macabre vacation together.

But as much as Norris was enjoying watching the torture, he was also nervous about being caught. For the most part, he had been waiting for Bidiker to finish having fun. When he thought he saw headlights coming down the nearby highway, he urged Biddecker to get it over with. Biddecker told Andrea that she hadn't begged for her life enough. He wanted concrete reasons why he shouldn't kill her. But there was nothing she could say that would stop him. After listening to her plead for mercy once more, Bidiker killed her. The men took her body to the side of the road and dropped her over a shallow cliff.

She landed in a tangle of brush where the men were sure she would never be found. As they drove home, Biddecker flipped through the Polaroids he'd taken. The photos were exactly the mementos he'd hoped for, but he knew that photos alone wouldn't keep him off the streets for long. By now, he and Norris had developed a taste for blood, and they were ravenous. Up next, Biddickr and Norris commit their most distra. disturbing murders yet. This episode is brought to you by Prime.

Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book-to-screen favorites you've already read twice. Off-campus, L, every year after, The Love Hypothesis, Sterling Point, and more. Slow burns, second chances,

chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. only on Prime. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th.

The powerful vocals of Demi Lovato on May 17th and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th. Tickets on sale now at Yamavah Theater.com. Only at Yamava Resort and Casino celebrating its 40th anniversary. UN must be 21 to enter.

Now back to the start. On July 8, 1979, 38-year-old Lawrence Bidicker and 31-year-old Roy Norris raped and murdered their second victim, an 18-year-old girl named Andrea Hall. With each kill, the men grew more comfortable with violence and more desperate to fulfill their darkest, most revolting fantasies. Lawrence Bidickeur was the more intelligent and sadistic of the two. He was the one with the greatest drive to torture their victims, but he also recognized the dangers of being reckless.

He insisted that the two of them wait a while after killing Andrew Hall. You wanted to be sure the police weren't onto them. They weren't. Neither investigators nor the media paid much attention to the two missing girls. There wasn't much to go off of, and police had a tendency to assume that missing teenagers were runaways before considering something more sinister. Their ignorance pleased Biddecker.

He knew he was smart and enjoyed feeling like he had the upper hand over the police. It gave him satisfaction similar to the thrill of the murders themselves. He abducted young girls because they were easy to dominate. He wanted to feel in control of the situation. Now he felt like he was in control of the police. But his urges made the weight between kills difficult for him. The pictures he took of Andrea helped somewhat. They helped him remember the horrified look in the girl's eyes,

how she had looked just before he ended her life. But the longer he waited, the stronger his violent urges became. After two months, he was dangerously close to losing control. He needed to kill again. He called up Roy Norris, and the two of them set off to hunt. On Labor Day weekend, September 3rd, 1979. Biddecker and Norris drove down the Pacific Coast Highway. As they neared Hermosa Beach, they spotted two girls, 13-year-old Leah Lamp and 15-year-old Jackie Gilliam,

sitting at a bus stop. Biddeker pulled up to the curb and lowered the window. The girls were looking for a ride to the beach a couple of miles away. It was easy to convince them to climb inside the van. As Biddeker pulled back onto the road, Norris was looking for a ride. Norris was looking for a ride. offered the girls a joint, and they all started smoking. A few minutes later, Leah and Jackie noticed that the van was headed towards the mountains, away from the beach. Biddecker hastily explained that he was just looking for a quiet place to stop while they finished the joint. But the girls got afraid and demanded that Biddecker let them out. As they grew frantic,

Bidicke turned up the radio to drown out their shouts. At the sound, Norse reached for a weapon and he'd hidden in the van, a sock full of metal beaies. He raised the sock over his head and swung it wildly at 13-year-old Leah. He clocked her on the side of the head, knocking her out cold. Jackie screamed even louder and tried to open the side door. Bidiker could tell the situation was getting out of hand, so he hurriedly parked at a tennis court and got out of the vehicle. He opened the sliding door to help Norris subdue Jackie,

as they held Jackie down and taped her mouth shut. Biddicker noticed a tennis player on the nearby court watching them. Biddeker put on his most convincing smile and yelled to the man that Jackie was just having a bad trip on LSD. Whether the tennis player believed Biddecker or simply didn't want to get involved, he turned away as Norris shut the door and finished binding Jackie with tape. Panting and sweating like an animal, Biddecker climbed back into the driver's seat. He cursed Norris for losing control of the girl. and sped away back to the mountains.

Biddecker and Norris again stayed mostly silent during the drive, but once they reached the dirt road, the men began a campaign of ruthless, dehumanizing torture. Initially, they focused on 15-year-old Jackie. They tied 13-year-old Leah up and told her that she was too overweight to be attractive. Biddaker raped Jackie in the back of the van, while Norris sat in the driver's seat and tapered. recorded the sessions. He forced Jackie to play along with his sadistic games for the tape.

Afterward, Norris sexually assaulted Jackie while making her pretend to be his cousin. Apparently, he had a relative who he would fantasize about when he was younger. He wanted Jackie to impersonate her. When it was over, Bidiker and Norris tied up their victims again in the back of the van and went to sleep. The girls passed the night in unfathomable fear, as their abusers dozed just inches away. According to forensic psychologist Dr. Ronald Markman, who has examined many serial killers, the way Bidiker and Norris treated their victims

was one of the worst cases he'd ever experienced. The reason for their wanton cruelty can likely be traced back to the way Bidiker and Norris viewed others, particularly women. According to doctors Devin Polishek and Teresa Gannon, male sexual offenders have a distorted worldview that distinguishes them from the average person. Polischek and Gannon's implicit theory model argues that these offenders don't view women as people in the same way they view men. To them, women are objects made to satisfy their sexual urges.

Crucially, these offenders also believe their own desires are uncontrollable. By thinking this way, they absolve themselves of their own actions and see them, themselves as blameless, even when they carry out brutal sexual violence. This meant that Bidiccar and Norris had no qualms about beginning the torture all over again when the sun came up. This time, Bidickeh took 13-year-old Leah into the woods and took pictures of her naked, forcing her to pose in a suggestive manner. He left her tied up in the dirt and then went back to the van to torment Jackie again. By then neither Bidicke or Norris were interested in role play any longer.

Now they wanted to hear Jackie scream for her life. Together, they made Jackie suffer for hours before finally deciding they'd had enough. Bidicor strangled the 15-year-old to death. He then turned to Leah. The 13-year-old tried to get away, but was quickly stopped by Biddecker, who hit her with a sledgehammer. Afterward, the men dragged the bloody bodies to the side of a cliff and tossed them over. On the drive home, both agreed that they would wait another couple of months before they went out again. They were sure the police would suspect a serial killer was active in Southern California.

They worried they would spark a manhunt unless they were careful. Unfortunately, their caution wasn't necessary. Leah and Jackie were reported missing. But like before, the police assumed they were just another couple of people. of teenage runaways. Though the girls never had discipline problems in the past, detectives refused to take the case seriously. By October, none of the investigations into the missing girls had progressed, and the disappearances were still not officially linked. The toolbox killers were free to strike again. Biddecker and Norris talked in depth about their next attacks.

For so long, they tried to avoid arousing suspicion. But Bidiker was now becoming aggravated that the press wasn't covering their crimes. Ever since childhood, he'd admired outlaws and notorious criminals. He wanted stories to be written about him. He later said that he aimed to be bigger than Manson. The men decided that to make an impression they should claim their next victim on Halloween night, 1979. They changed their hunting location as well, straying from the beaches and heading into the San Fernando Valley. The valley was nearby where Biddecker lived, so he knew the streets well. He was no longer concerned about hunting so close to home.

He considered the authorities to be incompetent and decided that he could do whatever he wanted without risking arrest. As 39-year-old Bidickehroud prowled the streets with 31-year-old Norris, the two men kept an eye out for anyone walking alone. Because it was Halloween night, there were plenty of people to choose from, but most were walking in groups. Then, Biddecker spotted the perfect target hitchhiking on the sidewalk. By coincidence, it was a girl he recognized, 16-year-old Shirley Ledford. On the weekends, Shirley was a waitress at a restaurant Biddecker frequented.

Norris pulled the van over, and Bidickeh greeted Shirley from the passenger seat. As she climbed inside, Biddecker could find her. feel his muscles tense. He couldn't wait to attack. He didn't even want to make the drive out to the mountains. After a few moments, he decided that he didn't have to. He and Norris were predators, and they could strike whenever they liked. He patted his friend on the shoulder and told him to keep driving, no matter what. He then climbed over the front seats and pounced on Shirley in the back. Biddecker overpowered Shirley and bound her with tape. He told Norris he wanted to assault Shirley while they were driving. Norris found the prospect exciting and agreed. As Shirley lay paralyzed

with fear on the plywood bed, Biddicker began rooting around for the tape recorder. He wanted to remember every detail. To put on a show for the tape, he told Shirley to talk. He slapped her repeatedly, demanding she say something. Shirley whimpered. She tried to comply, but had no idea what Biddicker wanted her to say. Bidiker didn't know either. Still, he continued to slap her, ordering her to speak into the recorder. Soon enough, Shirley got the message. He didn't really want her to say anything.

He wanted her to scream. Shirley yelped in pain and fear, but it wasn't enough. Bidickeh continued to abuse her, insisting she yelled louder and louder. Then he began to rape her, all the while forcing her to discrime. what was happening for the tape. Norris drove through the Valley streets, looking back as often as he could to watch what was happening. Biddecker was frustrated that Shirley still wasn't screaming enough,

and he reached down and grabbed a pair of pliers from the toolbox. He waved them in the girl's face, promising to hurt her if she didn't do what he asked. The 16-year-old girl beneath him shouted in ear-splitting agony, but there was nothing she could do to appease Bidiker. He clamped the pliers down on her chest, pinching with all his might. Her wails were shocking, even to Norris in the driver's seat. He later said,

If you ever heard that tape, there is just no possible way that you'd not begin crying and trembling. I doubt you could listen to more than a full 60 seconds of it. The brutality was enough to make anyone sick, but the howls of pain only incurred, Norris. He pulled to the side of the road and switched places with Biddecker. He wanted to torture the girl, too. He grabbed a hammer from the toolbox and smashed it into Shirley's elbow again and again, 25 times in total. By the time he was done, her bone had been completely pulverized.

Shirley clung to consciousness, hardly able to whisper any longer, much less scream. As she tried to through the pain, she whimpered incoherently, prompting Norris to hit her one more time. At that point, Biddecker volunteered Norris to kill her. He maneuvered to the backseat and found a wire coat hanger. Just as he'd done with their first victim, Cindy Schaefer, Bidiker wrapped the hanger around Shirley's neck. He twisted it tight with the pliers until she suffocated. The men knelt over the girl's corpse with twisted smiles on their faces. They'd killed again. But Biddecker wasn't satisfied yet.

He wanted to make sure the world knew what they'd done to Shirley. He didn't just want to strike fear into the hearts of his victims. He wanted to be notorious. After some discussion, the men decided to dump Shirley's body in a public place to make sure it would be discovered. They drove up to a dark house and parked near a bed of ivy. Once they were sure no one was watching, Biddaker slid open the door of the van and tossed Shirley's body into the yard. Then they sped off into the night. In a matter of hours, the entire nation would wake to the horror of the toolbox killer's crimes.

Up next, a slip of the tongue undoes the murderous pair. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice.

Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right. Kayak, got that right. Now back to the story. On Halloween night, 1979, 39-year-old Lawrence Biddecker and 31-year-old Roy Norris murdered their fifth victim. 16-year-old Shirley Ledford's body was discovered by a jogger in the front yard of a Los Angeles home the following morning. Investigators were horrified by the find.

An autopsy revealed the unimaginable torture Shirley was subjected to before her death. Her face, chest, and elbow had all been beaten. and she'd suffered severe internal injuries. The press swarmed the quiet neighborhood where the body was discovered. The brutal nature of the murder was heavily publicized, and the city was plunged into fear overnight. But despite the attention now turned to the murder, they weren't able to make much headway in the case.

Like the earlier missing girls, there wasn't much information to work with. Biddicker had known Shirley, but the two weren't really connected, so there was no way for detectives to link him to the crime. As officers struggled to make progress, Bidicor and Norris privately enjoyed the press attention. They read the papers with glee, savoring the terrified reactions of reporters and the helplessness of the police. Though they felt confident the authorities would never find them, they still decided to lay low until the heat died down.

Weeks passed as investigators hunted desperately for a lead. The murders likely would have remained unsolved if it hadn't been for the recklessness of Roy Norris. Three weeks after Shirley's murder, in late November of 1979, the 31-year-old slipped up. Norris couldn't keep the news to himself any longer. He and Biddecker had committed the perfect crimes. They'd even delivered their latest victim to police on a silver platter, and still they hadn't been caught. In his mind, there was nothing anyone for. could do to stop them. After thinking of himself as an outcast for so long, getting away with

murder made Norris feel powerful. Dominating his victims was a way for him to take control over his own life. He felt invincible and grew arrogant. He bragged to a friend who he and Bidiker knew from prison, Joe Jackson, about what they had done. Jackson listened in horror as Norris described the murders in detail. Norris lived for that Look, he wanted Jackson to be impressed by him, but also to be afraid. Aside from sheer egotism, there may have been another reason that Norris confessed to Jackson. It was likely the same drive that caused him to take photos and trophies from the crime scenes. He had nothing else to be proud of.

Criminology professor, Dr. James Allen Fox, and therapist Jack Levin, speculate that serial murderers collect trophies and boast about their crimes, to boost their own self-esteem. They write, For a man who has otherwise led an unremarkable life, his treasures make him feel proud. They represent the one and only way in which he may have ever distinguished himself.

The pathetic urge to brag about his disgusting murders blinded Norris to his own hubris. Since Jackson had done time himself, Norris believed he would keep the secret. But there was no way Jackson could stay quiet. it. He had two young daughters himself and had seen the way Lawrence Biddecker looked at them. For months, he'd suspected that Biddecker had an unhealthy interest in his children. On a few occasions, Biddickr asked Jackson probing questions about them. Now Jackson was petrified,

worried about what might happen to his girls if Bidickear had the opportunity to strike. After listening to Norris' confession, Jackson excused himself and called his lawyer. Taking the lawyer's advice, he then went to the LAPD to give them the tip. Detectives listened to Jackson's story. They didn't doubt his claims, but his account wasn't enough for an arrest, let alone a conviction. They advised him to contact the Hermosa Beach Police instead, since the crimes he described technically fell under that department's jurisdiction. They thought that officers there might be able to do more.

Jackson did as they asked and found a more receptive audit. in San Hermosa. Detectives there cross-referenced the details in his story with existing cases on file. They stumbled upon a report filed by a woman named Robin Robeck, who had called the police a few months earlier. Sometime after Bidiker and Norris's fourth attack in September of 1979, Robeck was sexually assaulted by two men in a gray van. She hadn't been tortured or murdered, but her description of the attackers matched that of Bidicorah Norris. A Hermosa Beach officer got in touch with Robin to show her a series of mugshots, including

Bidicura Norris's. Robin immediately picked their photos out of the album, stating that she was reasonably sure they had been the men who raped her. That gave police their first shred of solid evidence they could use to act. But they still faced a tough balancing act. They would need more incriminating material to convict the toolbox killers. If they acted too rashly, Bidiker and Norris might be able to wriggle free from any charges brought against them. On the other hand, it was clear that detectives had limited time to take action.

Any day now, Bidiker and Norris might suddenly decide to go hunting again. Authorities did some searching, but they were unable to immediately locate Bidicor, who was staying in a motel in the San Fernando Valley. Instead, they focused on Norris, placing his mother's home under surveillance. in hopes they could catch him doing something suspicious. They didn't have to wait long. Almost as soon as they pulled up to the trailer park where Norris was staying, they spotted him through the window using a scale to weigh out marijuana.

They nabbed him for a parole violation right then and there. Not long after Norris was picked up, the phone in his trailer rang. It was Bidicor. A policeman picked up the phone, pretending to be another of Norris's friends. Biddicker played it coy on the phone, but could tell that he'd been made. The detective on the other end of the line was far too unsure of himself, and Biddecker had been on high alert ever since Shirley's murder. He made an excuse, hung up the phone, and leapt into action.

If authorities were on their way, he didn't have a lot of time. He had troves of photos and incriminating tapes of the murders, and he had to act fast. Biddaker gathered up everything he could find in the motel room and sped off into the Hollywood Hills to get rid of it. He managed to bury it in the woods without being spotted. With the immediate danger behind him, now he figured he just had to worry about Norris giving him away.

But when he returned from burying the evidence, he learned his situation was worse than he thought. Officers were waiting outside his motel room to arrest him. Bidiker didn't resist the police. He may have hoped that being cooperative would lull detectives into a false sense of security, or maybe he was just confident that he couldn't be convicted. Either way, he was wrong. Though he managed to stay composed during the interrogation,

which primarily focused on the rape of Robin Robeck, his partner was another story. Investigators could tell Norris was the weak link in the partnership and hounded him until he turned on Biddecker. In exchange for a plea bargain, Norris gave a detailed confession of their murders, though he insisted he had never seen Robin Robeck before. With his help, detectives were able to get a warrant to search Norris's cargo van. Inside, they found over 500 photos of young women.

They also found a tape containing disturbing audio of the torture and murder of Shirley Ledford. The audio was sickening. Authorities never located the other evidence Biddecker buried, but just listening to a single tape was too much. Veteran criminal psychologist and police officers never heard anything like it. Most couldn't listen to more than a few minutes of the recording, and it haunted them all for years afterward. In fact, the tape was so disturbing that it's still used today at the FBI Academy in Virginia. agents play it to train new recruits and expose them to the harsh realities of the torture and murder they will investigate. The vile recording made detectives all the more eager to put Biddecker and Norris away.

They pressured Norris until he agreed to lead officers into the San Gabriel Mountains to search for the bodies of the young girls. In February of 1980, he showed authorities the spot where he and Biddecker had murdered four of their victims. They were able to retrieve the bodies of Leah Lamp and Jackie Gilliam, but never found the remains of Cindy Schaefer or Andrea Hall. Either Norris had forgotten where he left them, or else they were fully decomposed by that time. But even without the bodies, investigators had plenty of evidence for the trial. Both Norris and Bidicor were convicted for the murder of the five young girls.

Thanks to his plea deal, 32-year-old Roy Norris was sentenced to life in prison. Bidicor was sentenced to death. In the years afterward, Norris was described as a model prisoner and worked to portray himself as remorseful. Bidickeur, on the other hand, embraced his infamy. He frequently answered letters from people outside of prison, occasionally signing them pliers after the tool he most used to torture his victims. But ultimately, Bidiker's bluster never earned him much beyond shock and condemnation.

While waiting on death row, he died of natural causes in December of 2019 at the age of 79. Norris, then 72 years old, died three months later. Celebrating death can be distasteful, but there's no doubt, Many raised a glass when they learned of the deaths. Happy to hear these evil men breathed their last. Thanks again for tuning into serial killers. We'll be back soon with a new episode. For more information on Lawrence Bidiger and Roy Norris.

Amongst the many sources we used, we found the book, Alone with the Devil, famous cases of a courtroom psychiatrist by Ronald Markman, extremely helpful to our research. You can find more episodes of serial killer. and all other Parcast originals for free on Spotify. Not only does Spotify already have all of your favorite music, but now Spotify's making it easy for you to enjoy all of your favorite podcast originals, like Serial Killers for free from your phone, desktop, or smart speaker.

To stream Serial Killers on Spotify, just open the app and type Serial Killers in the search bar. We'll see you next time. Have a Killer Week. Serial Killers was created by Max Cutler and is a podcast studios original. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound design by Anthony Valsick, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Carly Madden, and Joshua Kern. This episode of serial killers was written by Terrell Wells, with writing assistance by

Abigail Cannon, and stars Greg Polson and Vanessa Richardson. Want to hear something spooky. Some monster, it reminded me of Bigfoot. Monsters Among Us is a weekly podcast featuring True Story. of the paranormal. One of the boys started to exhibit demonic possession.

Stories straight from the witnesses' mouths themselves. Something very snake-light lifted its head out of the water. Hosted by me, your guide, Derek Hayes. Somehow I lost eight whole hours.

Listen now on Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. A beloved 75-year-old man washing up, getting ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exalienable, of investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again.

I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hicks. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.