The Toolbox Killer

Laura Brand was able to break through the mind of one of the most sadistic serial killers to date. Her ability to gain his trust blew my mind and it will blow yours.

I love crime documentaries and this one was outstanding. Laura Brand was able to get information that Bittaker refused to give to the authorities. She didn't try to rush him but built up trust and that made him willing to share information with her. Way to go.

In order to understand the mind of anyone, one must cultivate a relationship in order to step into their mind. In this particular case, it wasn't the most popular or well liked person on the block. However, this kind of psychology and work is necessary and critical. To physically step into the cell of death row at San Quentin and successfully cultivate a relationship with Bittaker and Norris along with stepping into their mind is exactly what Laura Brand did. She started building this relationship over the phone and even after being shunned at first, Laura simply wasn't going to take no for an answer. I give her ten stars for being able to get the location of the victims remains that even the FBI wasn't able to successfully do. This wasn't an easy task, but she did it and she did it well. I look forward to reading her book because the show barely touches the surface of all the work she's done on this case. The families of the victims are lucky she is giving them a voice, a voice these sadistic serial killers thought would be silenced until they met Laura Brand. Expect to see more of her amazing work in the future.

This was unsettling due to the subject matter but what made it so compelling was Laura Brand. This woman made one of the most sadistic serial killers of all time give all kinds of information uo for the first time, including the mapped locations of two victims never found. Laura Brand is that rare blend of intelligence, heart and humanity that compels even the most evil monsters to spill their guts. She is a revelation and I hope to see her do the same thing over and over until we can predict and stop these killing machines before they wreak havoc. This show is worth watching to see a fresh and effective approach to unraveling the sick minds of these evil doers. I am giving it 10 stars for this reason.

The crimes of Bittaker and Norris were brutal and there are plenty of details and images in this doc that will be upsetting for some viewers. It's a well-made doc and certainly shows compassion for the victims and family/friends of victims too. One interesting aspect is how the criminologist was able to get Bittaker to talk when he had refused to do that before. Her approach was successful.