It didn’t matter. Both John and Tom felt they had to do something about Brandon’s betraying them by pretending to be a man when she was not. Both of them were ex cons and both had very violent lives and were known about town as the local Toxic Twins. Any booze, drugs, and sex were open season when they were together. John had been Lana’s first love and he was very angry, thinking Lana had been Deceived by a perverted freak of nature who was using everyone and deceiving them as well. When they finally found Brandon, they forced her into their car and drove to an abandoned meat packing plant in a rural area. Brandon begged, pleaded and cried as John and Tom both raped and sodomized her. The only sounds were the ones made by the fists beating her, and the cries of glee from John and Tom. Afterward, they went to Tom’s and demanded that Brandon take a shower and clean herself up. Once again, Brandon jumped out of the window. This time she was literally running for her life, as John and Tom had warned her that if she reported the rape and assault she would be dead. Brandon was petrified but she went to the police anyway. What had happened to her was wrong and she knew that above everything else.

The Sheriff of Falls City, Charles Laux subjected Brandon to a long, humiliating interview. He asked her what her Problem was, that she went around with girls when she was a girl herself. Brandon tried to explain that she had a disorder, called gender identity crisis and that she was confused and hurting. Laux referred to her as “It” and the humiliation was horrific. Laux has said that he was just doing his job, asking the questions he asked because if the complaint went to court, then Brandon would have to answer them in front of a lot of people. The interrogation was partially witnessed by a deputy who later said that he was so deeply offended as well as disturbed by Laux’s questioning he had to leave the room. Laux kept this going for at least an hour, then released Brandon to the hospital to be treated for multiple injuries, not the least of which was that Brandon was a virgin and had been brutally raped. The sexual assault was worse than the beatings and the psychological ramifications of the crime itself were by far worse than the beatings, the most horrifying thing that could happen, did. Everyone knew Brandon Teena was really a girl. She was devastated.

Brandon went to the farmhouse where Lisa Lambert lived, and a friend who had dated Lanai’s sister was there as well. It was a bitterly cold night and Lisa, from all accounts, was a lovely, kindhearted girl who never denied anyone in dire need. She saw the bruises and knew in a flash that John and Tom were responsible for all this. . She couldn’t turn Brandon away, especially after learning of the horrifying ordeal. Brandon was wracked with guilt, grief and the pain of losing Lana, after he was outed. It was New Years Eve, 1993 and almost the end of Brandon’s life. John and Tom were enraged by what they thought was the ultimate betrayal. John and Tom were both wasted, and had packed for a trip to Lincoln to see if they could find Brandon. They assumed that now everyone knew Brandon was a girl, that she would hightail back to Lincoln, in fear of repercussion for reporting the rape. Sheriff Laux called Tom and John and warned them that Brandon was filing charges against them for rape and assault and battery. The police were warning them they were going to be charged ?! Yes, that is exactly right, Laux called John at home and told him that Brandon was naming both John and Tom as her attackers. John was cool and collected while on the phone, but when he hung up, he exploded with bile tinged anger. He and Tom were going to go to prison if this thing played itself out. Brandon needed to be silenced once and for all.

A full week had passed while John and Tom had time to plan to kill Brandon. Laux has since said he was “ Investigating” John and Tom as suspects in Brandon’s rape and assault case, but even his own deputy left the interview, so mortified by Laux’s interrogation of Brandon on her gender he couldn’t even listen. It would be a quiet New Years Eve with Lisa, Brandon and their friend, Phillip Devane. Too much had happened and the whole thing was out of control. Lisa just wanted to have a quiet night. It never occurred to her that John and Tom were out on the road preparing to kill Brandon. When they had no success finding Brandon in Lincoln, they came home to Falls City. First they went to Lana’s house to see if Brandon was there. Lana’s mother was very upset and told John and Tom where Brandon was. This one simple act on her part gave John and Tom the information they needed to hunt Brandon down. At Lisa’s, Phillip Devine was asleep on the front room couch, with Brandon and Lisa in Lisa’s room. Tanner, Lisa’s 8 month old baby was in his crib,sleeping. John and Tom busted the door down and pandemonium insued. Phillip was confused, not knowing what was going on. Lisa woke up immediately and recognized John and Tom, and knew that they were looking for Brandon. “John, please don’t hurt my baby!” Lisa cried as Tom dragged Phillip to the couch where he died from a double gunshot wound to the head. Tom went back to the bedroom and killed Lisa Lambert with two gunshot wounds, one to the abdomen and another in her left eye. Brandon had moved a little, and John realized that Brandon was hiding under a pile of blankets at the bottom of the waterbed. Brandon was shot twice and stabbed several times to make sure that she was dead. A dead witness can’t talk and out of the drunken rage of Tom Nissen and John Lotter, three people were dead, and a baby left crying for his Mommy, who lay dying in her bed, unable to console her son.