Bruce Everitt Lindahl was born on January 29, 1953, in St. Charles, Illinois. His parents were Jerome and Arlene Lindahl. Bruce graduated from Downers Grove North High School. After high school, he went to college and earned a degree in electromechanics in the mid-1970s.

For the next few years, Bruce worked as an electrician. He also took additional classes at the Midvalley Vocational Center in Kaneville to further his skills. In his free time, Bruce enjoyed parachuting and playing racquetball. His friends and acquaintances spoke highly of him, though he sometimes had trouble controlling his impulses and could be aggressive.

In December 1976, Bruce was arrested for possessing marijuana, but he didn't seem to be addicted to drugs.

Since 1974, Bruce Lindahl committed many minor crimes and was arrested several times. However, each time he only received fines and no serious punishments. During this time, he moved around often, living in Chicago and its suburbs before settling in Aurora in 1978.

On March 6, 1979, Lindahl tricked 20-year-old Annette Lazar into coming to his home in Aurora by pretending to sell marijuana. Once there, he raped her at gunpoint. He later let her go after she pretended to agree to continue a relationship with him. Lazar went to the police, but because she had given him her phone number and the house belonged to a police officer who was Lindahl's friend, her complaint was dismissed, and Lindahl was not charged.

On December 22, 1979, Lindahl attacked a 30-year-old woman in northern Aurora after she refused to provide sexual services for money. Witnesses saw the attack, so Lindahl left quickly without seriously harming her. The woman reported the incident to the police and was shown photos of various suspects. Since Lindahl’s photo was not included, she mistakenly identified another man who looked similar.

On January 28, 1981, Lindahl was caught illegally tapping and recording phone calls to extort people. When police tried to arrest him, he attacked an officer. He was charged with resisting arrest, illegal weapon possession, and assault but was released on bail and remained free during the investigation

In another incident, Lindahl was stopped by the police while driving. They found an unconscious woman in his car with a deep head wound. Lindahl claimed he was taking her to the hospital, though he was heading in the wrong direction. The woman was taken to the hospital and found to have been sexually assaulted. She could not remember what happened after drinking something Lindahl gave her at a party. No charges were filed against him.

In 1993, the case of Pamela Maurer, a 16-year-old girl killed in January 1976, was reopened. Pamela had gone to a friend's house in Lisle, Illinois, but never returned home after going out to buy a soda. Her body was found the next day; she had been raped and strangled. DNA from the crime scene was later matched to Lindahl through genealogy websites. His body was exhumed in 2019, and his DNA confirmed his involvement in Pamela’s murder in January 2020.

In Lindahl's apartment, police found photos of young girls, including one believed to be of 16-year-old Deborah McCall, who disappeared in November 1979. She was last seen leaving Downers Grove North High School. Investigators suspect Lindahl was involved in her disappearance.

On June 23, 1980, Lindahl kidnapped 25-year-old Debra Colliander from a shopping center parking lot in Aurora, Illinois. He took her to his apartment and raped her. After she reported the assault, Lindahl was arrested but released on bail. Debra disappeared on October 7, 1980, before the trial could start. Her body was found in 1982, and a man later told police that Lindahl had offered him money to kill Debra to stop her from testifying. This made Lindahl the main suspect in her murder.

On April 4, 1981, Lindahl met 18-year-old Charles Robert “Chuck” Huber Jr. in Naperville. They played ten-pin bowling together, and then Lindahl invited Huber to his girlfriend's house to drink. Once there, Lindahl attacked Huber with a knife, stabbing him 28 times. During the struggle, Lindahl accidentally stabbed himself in the thigh, severing his femoral artery. He bled to death beside his victim.