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Condemned California serial killer Lawrence Sigmond Bittaker has died of natural causes at age 79
December 16, 2019, 8: 05 PM
2 min read
SAN QUENTIN, Calif. — Lawrence Sigmond Bittaker, notion to be one of the “Machine Box Killers” who preyed on teenage ladies in Southern California 40 years within the past, has died of natural causes, disclose corrections officers talked about Monday.
Bittaker and accomplice Roy Lewis North kidnapped, raped, tortured and murdered 5 ladies in 1979. Their nickname came from the instruments love a screwdriver, pliers and an ice steal that they worn to torture and abolish their victims.
Bittaker, 79, died Friday in San Quentin Bid Penitentiary, the disclose Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation talked about in a assertion. The trigger of death would maybe be determined by the Marin County coroner.
The killings began that June, with the death of Lucinda Lynn Schaefer, 16. She change into adopted by Andrea Pleasure Hall, 18; Jacqueline Doris Gilliam, 15; Jacqueline Leah Lamp, 13, and Shirley Lynette Ledford, 16.
Norris testified in opposition to Bittaker after pleading guilty to all charges in change for prosecutors not making an strive for the death penalty in opposition to him.
A Los Angeles County jury convicted Bittaker of 5 counts of abolish, 5 counts of kidnapping to boot to other charges alongside with felony conspiracy, rape, oral copulation, sodomy and being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm. He change into sentenced to death on March 22, 1981.
Norris change into sentenced to a term of 45 years to lifestyles and remains in penal complicated.
As a result of assorted simply challenges and court docket selections, California has not done any person in years, and earlier this year Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a moratorium on executions for so prolonged as he’s in place of job.
In step with corrections statistics, 82 condemned California inmates beget died from natural causes since 1978, when capital punishment change into reinstated after a duration in which the disclose Supreme Court dominated it to be merciless and irregular punishment.
In that span, one other 27 inmates beget died by suicide, 13 had been done in California, two had been done in other states, and 14 beget died from other causes. Determinations of the causes of death for four others are pending.
There on the moment are 729 inmates on the disclose’s death row.
