🔍 A Groundbreaking Investigation, Years in the Making
Laura Brand is a criminologist leading the largest collective study of serial offenders ever conducted, having interviewed more than 50 serial killers as part of her research. She holds a degree in forensic psychology from Curry College and has spent over a decade conducting interviews inside San Quentin State Prison’s notorious death row.
Her work on the infamous Toolbox Killers case, Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris, became the foundation for God’s Not Here, Only Devils.
Originally convicted in 1979 for a brutal spree of rape and murder, the Toolbox Killers refused for decades to reveal the locations of their victims’ bodies. During an intensive six-year investigative period, Laura conducted interviews that ultimately led Bittaker to disclose the precise locations of two victims’ remains, information he had withheld from law enforcement and families for more than forty years.
📚 About the Book: God’s Not Here, Only Devils
“If you don’t know what hell is like, you’re about to find out.”
— Opening statement from the District AttorneyOn May 14, 2026, criminologist and investigative researcher Laura Brand releases her long-awaited book, God’s Not Here, Only Devils: Revelations from the Toolbox Killers, just two days before she takes the stage as the closing speaker of the summit.
God’s Not Here, Only Devils is a harrowing, deeply researched account of the Toolbox Killers and the legacy of violence they left behind. Told through a powerful blend of perspectives — including the voices of Bittaker himself, victims, traumatized witnesses, the lead detective, and the District Attorney — the book pulls readers into a visceral retelling of one of the most disturbing criminal cases in American history.
Laura Brand’s investigation reopened sealed police reports, court transcripts, and witness accounts, uncovering undisclosed victims, forgotten evidence, and chilling new findings that fundamentally reshape the case. The book does not sensationalize violence, it exposes the long-term impact of unchecked cruelty, institutional silence, and the relentless pursuit of truth.
The investigation also formed the basis of the documentary The Toolbox Killer, now streaming on Peacock and Oxygen.
⚖️ Justice, Advocacy, and the Work That Continues
Laura’s work has drawn national attention from law enforcement agencies across the country. She has assisted the San Francisco Cold Case Unit on cases involving Charles Ng, Leonard Lake, David Carpenter, and Joseph Naso, and is currently working with the Dennis Rader BTK Task Force.
Her advocacy work became deeply personal after the murder of her best friend, a loss that cemented her commitment to recovering missing victims, identifying John and Jane Does, and supporting survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.
She also co-hosts the podcast Partners in True Crime: Serial Killer Whisperer alongside Cindy and Rob Dorfman of Strong Island Films, exploring offender psychology and the real-world pursuit of justice.
🔚 A Powerful Closing Moment
As the final speaker of the Southern Oregon True Crime Summit, Laura Brand brings the event to a close at a pivotal moment, with her book newly released, her research entering public record, and her work continuing to shape victim recovery efforts nationwide.
For summit attendees, this is more than a talk.
It’s an opportunity to witness the convergence of investigation, advocacy, and truth, as it happens.