Anthony Shore, the "Tourniquet Killer", murdered four females in Texas between 1986 and 1995. His nickname came from his use of a ligature made from a toothbrush or bamboo stick. He was born in Rapid City, South Dakota on June 25, 1962. His parents, Rob and Deanna, were both in the Air Force and stationed at Ellsworth AFB; Deanna was given an honorable discharge after getting pregnant with him. After Rob was discharged in 1965, the family went to California. They would have two daughters, Laurel and Gina, after Tony, and moved around numerous times. Rob Shore explained that these frequent moves were due to job offers as he was a computer tech at a time when computers consisted entirely of room-sized mainframes.

Tony was a bright and super-competitive child, always striving to outdo his peers. He mastered musical instruments easily and was mentioned in a Sacramento newspaper for performing a Bach piece at age 5. His athletic and social skills however left something to be desired. Unlike his sisters, he had trouble adapting to new schools. Deanna said he had a short temper and thought very highly of himself. "He liked using big words. He'd raise his hand and say 'I need to defecate.'" Although Tony did well in school, that wasn't enough--he also expected compliments for his academic performance. The one teacher he remembered as an adult was the one who didn't like him. He did not get along with other kids and was bullied a lot, which further harmed his considerable ego.

From childhood he displayed predatory and sociopathic behavior. At age 5, when the family was living in Kansas, Tony killed a neighbor's kitten when they told him he couldn't play with it. He later tried to stab his sister Gina in the head with a screwdriver