![]() ![]() He received 25-years-to-life for each murder. In 1978 Berkowitz pled guilty to the six killings, as well as nearly 1,500 fires he had set in and around New York City. 'Son of Sam' Dogĭuring questioning, Berkowitz explained that he had been commanded to kill by his neighbor Sam Carr, who sent messages to Berkowitz through his dog, a demon-possessed Labrador retriever named “Harvey.” Due to his outrageous claims, Berkowitz underwent numerous psychological evaluations but was declared “competent” to stand trial. According to The New York Times, Berkowitz said, "Well, you've got me" when they took him into custody. On August 10, 1977, authorities arrested him. Only a handful of tickets were given out that day, and one of them was for Berkowitz. Arrest and ImprisonmentĪt the scene of the Moskowitz-Violante shootings, a witness saw a man getting away in a car that had a parking ticket on it. Fortunately for the police, a witness noticed something at the scene that helped in cracking the case. Moskowitz later died, and Violante was blinded in one eye and lost most of the vision in the other from his injuries. He shot Stacy Moskowitz and Bobby Violante. ![]() All the while, New Yorkers lived in fear of being his next victim.īerkowitz's final hit happened in the early hours of July 31, 1977, in Brooklyn. As a result, the media coverage of his crimes was widespread and Berkowitz relished the spotlight. Throughout his murderous streak, Berkowitz left numerous letters near his victims’ bodies, taunting the police and eluding their capture. The next month Berkowitz claimed another couple, Valentina Suriani and Alexander Esau, in their car, but this time, he left a letter nearby addressed to NYPD Captain Joseph Borrelli, calling himself “Son of Sam” for the first time. That March, Berkowitz murdered college student Virginia Voskerichian as she was walking home from class. 44 caliber gun in all of his shootings, the police were on his trail, initially referring to him as the “.44-caliber killer,” which later evolved to the “Son of Sam” moniker. Approaching Christine Freund and her fiancé, Berkowitz shot twice, striking Freund's head, which later proved to be fatal. Police around this time had yet to put these shooting incidents together to realize they were related.īut all that changed in January 1977 when Berkowitz attacked another couple in a parked car. That November, Berkowitz also shot at two teen girls walking home together and left one paraplegic. Spotting a couple in yet another parked car, he fired at them, resulting in a massive injury to the man's skull. The two were sitting in Valenti's car in front of Lauria's home when Berkowitz shot at them, killing Lauria and injuring Valenti.Ī few months later, Berkowitz was at it again. On July 29, 1976, Berkowitz began his killing rampage, starting with two teenage girls, Jody Valenti and Donna Lauria, in the Bronx. Neighbors and co-workers described him as a loner who kept to himself. Postal Service and settled into an apartment in Yonkers. Army and served in South Korea where he excelled as a proficient marksman.Īfter finishing military service in 1974, Berkowitz returned to New York where he got a job as a letter sorter for the U.S. ![]() At the age of 18, Berkowitz enlisted in the U.S. Having been close to his mother, he had a very difficult time as a teenager coping with her death. He was reportedly a smart child but was troubled in his own way. Early Lifeīorn Richard David Falco to an impoverished Jewish mother on Jin Brooklyn, New York, Berkowitz was adopted by Jewish-American hardware store retailers Nathan and Pearl Berkowitz when he was just days old. Known as Son of Sam, Berkowitz was arrested on August 10, 1977, 11 days after his last murder, and was sentenced to six consecutive 25-years-to-life terms. David Berkowitz is an American serial killer who murdered six people in New York City in 1976–77, plunging the city into a panic and unleashing one of the largest manhunts in New York history. ![]()
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