S11, Chapter 3: Murder Mac

About this episode

This episode discusses the chilling details of Larry Bittaker's plan involving a van he named 'Murder Mac' for committing crimes in the late 1970s.

No credits this week because I didn't want to delay this episode any longer. For their plan to work, Larry Bittaker knew they couldn’t rely on just any car. They needed something bigger… something that could trap a victim inside. In February of 1979, with money from Norris, he bought it—a silver-gray 1977 GMC Vandura. The van was windowless on one side, with a sliding door large enough to swallow someone whole. Bittaker later admitted that when he first saw that door, he knew. They could pull up close to a girl, slide it open, and drag her inside without anyone noticing. The pair gave the vehicle a name. To them, it wasn’t just a van. It was their “Murder Mac.” — Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/tapesfromthedarkside — Sources: Partners in True Crime https://www.partnersintruecrime.com/ Music: Augusta Treverorum https://linktr.ee/trvrrm

People in this episode

Host: T. Z. Borden

Topics covered

• true crime
• murder
• psychology
• criminal behavior
• 1970s crime

Keywords

• Larry Bittaker
• Murder Mac
• 1977 GMC Vandura
• true crime
• 1970s
• criminal psychology
• murder

Mentioned in this episode

Products: 1977 GMC Vandura

Books & works: Murder Mac

More episodes of Tapes from the Darkside | Crime & Psychology

• S11, Chapter 6: Finale · April 19, 2026 · 27 min
• S11, Chapter 5: Killing Binge · December 30, 2025 · 25 min
• S11, Chapter 4: Lucinda Lynn Schaefer · November 12, 2025 · 20 min
• S11, Chapter 2: California Men's Colony · September 11, 2025 · 28 min
• S11, Chapter 1: Genesis of Evil · August 8, 2025 · 52 min
• Joel the Ripper · July 9, 2025 · 21 min