David Berkowitz
Berkowitz
Birth name:	Richard David Falco
Alias(es):	Son of Sam
Born:	June 1, 1953 (1953-06-01) (age 54)
Location:	Brooklyn, New York
Number of victims:	13 shot, six dead, seven wounded
Country where killings occurred:	U.S.
States where killings occurred:	New York
Span of killings:	July 29, 1976 through July 31, 1977
Date apprehended:	August 10, 1977
Penalty:	six life terms (365 years)

David Richard Berkowitz (born June 1, 1953), also known as the .44 Caliber Killer and the Son of Sam, is an American serial killer. Son of Sam could refer to: David Berkowitz aka Son of Sam, an infamous serial killer from the late 1970s Summer of Sam, a 1999 film about the Son of Sam serial murders Son Of Sam (band), a one-off tribute to the band Samhain Son of Sam law, a... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_York. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article is about the state. ... is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 212th day of the year (213th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... Serial killers are individuals who have a history of multiple slayings of victims who were usually unknown to them beforehand. ...

Shortly after his arrest in 1977, Berkowitz confessed to killing six people and wounding seven others during eight shootings in New York City between 1976 and 1977. He has been imprisoned for the crimes since 1977. The crimes had terrorized New York for a year, and earned publicity due to Berkowitz's claim that a neighbor's dog was possessed by a demon that commanded Berkowitz to kill. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Berkowitz later amended his confession to claim he was the shooter in only two incidents, personally killing three people and wounding a fourth. The other victims were killed, Berkowitz claimed, by members of a violent Satanic cult of which he was a member. Though he remains the only person charged with or convicted of the shootings, some law enforcement authorities argue that Berkowitz's claims are credible: according to John Hockenberry ^[1] of MSNBC, many officials involved in the original "Son of Sam" case suspected that more than one person was perpetrating the murders. Hockenberry also reports that the Son of Sam case was reopened in 1996, and as of 2004, it was still considered open. Satanism is a religious or philosophical movement centered around Satan or another entity identified with Satan, or centered around the forces of nature, particularly human nature, represented by Satan as an archetype. ... This article does not discuss cult in its original meaning. ... John Hockenberry (b. ... For the news website, see msnbc. ...

Early life

Berkowitz was born Richard David Falco in Brooklyn, New York, to Betty Falco (nee Broder) and Joseph Kleinman, both Jewish-Americans. Broder and her husband Tony Falco had a daughter before they separated without legally divorcing. Betty Falco later had an affair with the married Kleinman,^[2] who suggested Falco abort their child. Broder had the baby, but listed Falco as the father. This article is about the borough of New York City. ... This article is about the state. ... A Jewish American (also commonly American Jew) is an American (a citizen of the United States) of Jewish descent or religion who maintains a connection to the Jewish community, either through actively practicing Judaism or through cultural and historical affiliation. ... An abortion is the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death. ...

Before he was a week old, the baby was adopted by hardware store owners Nathan and Pearl Berkowitz, who reversed the order of his first and middle names in addition to giving him their own surname. All four of his parents, both birth and adoptive, are of the Jewish faith. ^[2] The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination...

John Vincent Sanders^[3] writes, "David's childhood was somewhat troubled. Although of above-average intelligence, he lost interest in learning at an early age and began an infatuation with petty larceny and pyromania." Pearl Berkowitz died of breast cancer when David was a teenager, and his relationship with his father became strained, particularly because David disapproved of Nathan's second wife. Berkowitz later claimed his new step-sister was interested in witchcraft and other occult topics, sparking an interest he would later pursue more actively. In the United States, larceny is a common law crime involving stealing. ... Property damage caused by fire Pyromania is an obsession with fire and starting fires in an intentional fashion. ... Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. ... “Witch” redirects here. ...

Berkowitz joined the U.S. Army in 1971, and was active until his honorable discharge in 1974. He managed to avoid service in the Vietnam War, instead serving in both the U.S. and South Korea. Though born into a Jewish family^[2], he later converted to Christianity^[4], briefly and enthusiastically described himself as born again before seeming to lose interest. The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... Born again is a term used originally and mainly in Christianity, where it is associated with salvation, conversion and spiritual rebirth. ...

In 1974 Berkowitz located his birth mother, Betty Falco. After a few visits, she disclosed the details of his illegitimate conception and birth, which greatly disturbed him. They fell out of contact, but Berkowitz did stay in touch with his half-sister, Roslyn.

After leaving the Army, Berkowitz worked at several blue collar jobs. He was employed by the U.S. Postal Service at the time of his arrest. A blue-collar worker is a working class employee who performs manual or technical labor, such as in a factory or in technical maintenance trades, in contrast to a white-collar worker, who does non-manual work generally at a desk. ... A USPS Truck at Night A U.S. Post Office sign The United States Postal Service (USPS) is the United States government organization responsible for providing postal service in the United States and is generally referred to as the post office. ...

Joining of Cult

Berkowitz claims that in the spring of 1975, he joined a cult group. Initially, he said, the group did harmless activities such as séances and fortune telling. Gradually, however, Berkowitz claimed that the group introduced him to hard drug use, sadistic pornography and violent activities. They began, he claims, by killing dogs, mostly German Shepherds — over a dozen mutilated dog corpses were discovered in Yonkers, especially near Yonkers' Untermeyer Park, which Berkowitz claimed was a frequent meeting place for the cult. Look up séance in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Fortune teller redirects here. ... Country of origin Germany Classification Breed standards (external links) FCI, AKC, ANKC, CKC KC(UK), NZKC, UKC The German Shepherd Dog (known also as the Alsatian or Schäfer(hund)) is an intelligent breed of dog. ... Yonkers, just north of New York City in Westchester County, is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of New York, with a population of 196,086 (according to the 2000 census). ...

First attacks

Berkowitz claimed that his first attacks on women occurred in late 1975, when he attacked two women with a knife on Christmas Eve. One alleged victim was never identified, but Charles Montaldo writes that the other victim, Michelle Forman, was hospitalized due to her wounds.^[5] Berkowitz was never charged with committing either crime.

Not long after, Berkowitz moved to an apartment in Yonkers. Yonkers, just north of New York City in Westchester County, is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of New York, with a population of 196,086 (according to the 2000 census). ...

Police composite sketch of the Lauria-Valenti shooter juxtaposed with a mugshot of David Berkowitz.

Image File history File links SonofSamSketch. ... Image File history File links SonofSamSketch. ... Al Capone. ...

Donna Lauria and Jody Valenti shooting

At about 1:10 a.m. on July 29, 1976, Mike and Rose Lauria returned to their apartment in Pelham Bay, their Bronx home after dining out. They discovered their daughter Donna, 18, and her friend Jody Valenti, 19, sitting in Valenti's Oldsmobile parked outside the apartment and discussing their evening at the Peachtree, a New Rochelle discotheque. As Valenti was soon leaving, Mike agreed to his daughter's suggestion that they walk the family's dog together. Before he went inside to retrieve the poodle, Mike noticed a man seated in the yellow compact car parked across the street and about sixty feet behind Lauria's car. Neighbors would report^[6] to police that an unfamiliar yellow compact car had been cruising the area for hours before the shooting. is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pelham Bay is a small bay, between City Island and Orchard Beach in the Bronx, New York. ... For other uses, see Bronx (disambiguation). ... Oldsmobile was a brand of automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. ... New Rochelle is a city located in Westchester County in the US state of New York. ... Discothèque redirects here. ... The Rambler American introduced in the late 1950s was an early compact car. ... The Rambler American introduced in the late 1950s was an early compact car. ...

After her parents were inside, Lauria opened the car door to depart, and she saw a man approaching them quickly. Startled and angered by the man's sudden appearance, Lauria said, "Now what is this…"^[7] From the paper sack he carried, the man produced a handgun and, crouching as he aimed, fired three shots. Lauria was struck in her chest by one bullet that killed her almost instantly, Valenti took a bullet in her thigh, and the third missed both girls. The shooter turned and quickly walked away.

Valenti, who survived her injuries, said she did not recognize the killer. She described him as a white male in his 30s with a fair complexion, standing about 5'9" and weighing about 160 lbs. His hair was short, dark and curly in a "mod style."^[8] This description was echoed by Mike Lauria in his description of the man who'd sat in the yellow compact car parked behind Valenti and Lauria. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Detectives from the 8th Homicide Zone of the New York Police Department, had little in the way of evidence — most importantly, they were able to determine that the handgun used was a .44 caliber Charter Arms Bulldog. A high-power, five-shot revolver intended for use in close quarters, the .44 Bulldog was identified due to an unusual manufacturing process of its barrel that left distinctive marks on each slug. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) , the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ... .44 Magnum Colt Anaconda The . ... Charter Arms Co. ... The Bulldog is a five shot double action revolver produced by Charter Arms. ...

Police followed two working hypotheses in the absence of further evidence: that the shooter was a spurned admirer of the popular Lauria; or that the shooting was a mistaken assassination attempt of the wrong person — the neighborhood had seen recent mob activity, and police even hinted that Mike Lauria — a member of the Teamsters union — might be involved in organized crime. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), formerly known by the name International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America, is one of the largest labor unions in the United States. ...

Berkowitz later claimed^[9] that he shot Lauria and Valenti, and that several other cult members were involved in the crime, either by surveillance of the victims, or by acting as lookouts.

Carl Denaro and Rosemary Keenan shooting

In the early morning of October 23, 1976, there was another shooting, this time in Queens. is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Queens (disambiguation) and Queen. ...

Carl Denaro, 19, and Rosemary Keenan, 18, were parked in a secluded residential area in Flushing, Queens. Keenan was driving her own Volkswagen Beetle, and Denaro was in the passenger seat. At about 1:30 a.m., the car's windows seemed to explode, and the duo dropped low in their seats as several bullets struck the car. Startled and likely in shock, Denaro and Keenan did not realize someone was shooting at them, even as Denaro was bleeding from a bullet wound to his head. The panicked Keenan drove to Peck's, a bar about half a mile away. Keenan had only superficial injuries from the broken glass, but Denaro eventually needed a metal plate to replace a portion of his skull. Neither victim had seen their attacker(s). Several landmarks from two New York Worlds Fairs still stand in Flushing Meadows, including the US Steel Unisphere Flushing is an urban neighborhood in the northern part of the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. ... Volkswagen AG (ISIN: DE0007664005), or VW, is an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany. ... This article is about the original Volkswagen Beetle. ...

Police determined the slugs embedded in Keenan's car were .44 caliber, but due to damage and deformation, they thought it unlikely that the bullets could ever be linked to a particular weapon. ^[10] Denaro had shoulder-length hair, and police would later speculate that the shooter had mistaken him for a girl. Keenan's father was a twenty-year veteran police detective of the NYPD, spurring in-depth investigation, but, as with the Lauria-Valenti shooting, there seemed to be no motive for the shooting, and police made little progress in the case. Though many details of the Denaro-Keenan shooting were very similar to the Lauria-Valenti case, police did not initially suspect a connection, due in part to the shootings occurring in different boroughs of New York City.

Berkowitz later claimed^[11] that, while he observed and helped plan the crime, an unnamed female Satanic cult member actually shot Denaro. The victims survived primarily, claimed Berkowitz, because the shooter was unfamiliar with the powerful recoil of a .44 Bulldog. The Bulldog is a five shot double action revolver produced by Charter Arms. ...

Donna DeMasi and Joanne Lomino shooting

Late in the evening of Saturday, November 26, 1976, Donna DeMasi, 16, and Joanne Lomino, 18, had walked home from a motion picture, and were chatting under a streetlight outside DeMasi's Queens apartment building. A man approached to within about ten feet of the girls. They later described him as about 5'9" tall and slender, weighing perhaps 150 lbs. with straight, dirty blonde hair and dark eyes. He wore a slim, knee-length coat reminiscent of military surplus gear. is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... A streetlight in front of a red sky at night A street light, also known as a light standard, is a raised light on the edge of a road, turned on or lit at a certain time every night. ... For other uses, see Queens (disambiguation) and Queen. ... A red brick apartment block in central London, England, on the north bank of the Thames An apartment building, block of flats or tenement is a multi-unit dwelling made up of several (generally four or more) apartments (US) or flats (UK). ...

Startled but not frightened by his sudden appearance, DeMasi and Lomino suspected the man was lost and asking directions. In a high-pitched voice he said, "Can you tell me how to get,"^[12] then he produced a revolver. He shot each of the victims once, and as they fell to the ground injured, he fired several more times, striking the apartment building before running away. Having heard the gunshots, a neighbor rushed from their apartment and saw the blonde shooter rush by, gripping a pistol in his left hand.

DeMasi and Lomino were hospitalized with serious injuries: Lomino was ultimately rendered a paraplegic, but DeMasi's wounds were less serious. Paraplegia is a condition where the lower half of a patients body is paralyzed and cannot move. ...

Based on the testimony of DeMasi, Lomino and their neighbor, police produced several composite sketches of the blonde shooter. Police also determined the gun was a .44, but the slugs were so deformed that linking them to a particular gun was all but ruled out. This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Berkowitz later claimed^[13] that while he helped plan the DeMasi-Lomino shooting, the actual perpetrator was cult member John Carr, and that a Yonkers police officer, also a cult member, was involved in the crime.

Christine Freund and John Diel shooting

The new year brought more shootings in Queens. The early morning of January 30, 1977, an engaged couple, Christine Freund, 26, and John Diel, 30, were sitting in Diel's Pontiac Firebird, preparing to drive to a dance hall after having seen the motion picture Rocky. is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Pontiac is a marque of automobile produced by General Motors and sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico from 1926 to the present. ... The Pontiac Firebird was a pony car built by the Pontiac division of General Motors between 1967 and 2002. ... For other uses, see Rocky (disambiguation). ...

Three gunshots penetrated the car at about 12:40 a.m. In a panic, Diel drove away for help. He suffered minor superficial injuries, but Freund was shot twice. She died several hours later at the hospital. Neither victims had seen their attacker(s).

Police determined the shooter had again used a .44 Bulldog. Police made the first public acknowledgment that the Freund-Diel shooting was similar to the earlier cases, and that the crimes might be connected: the earlier victims had been struck with .44 shells — if not confirmed Bulldog revolvers — and the shootings targeted young women with long, dark hair and/or young couples parked in cars. The Bulldog is a five shot double action revolver produced by Charter Arms. ...

As quoted in the February 01, 1977 New York Daily News, NYPD Sergeant Richard Conlon stated that police were "leaning towards a connection in all these cases."^[14] The article also printed composite sketches of the black-haired Lauria-Valenti shooter and the blonde Lomino-DeMasi shooter, and noted that police were looking for multiple "suspects", not just one.^[15] This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The New York City Police Department (NYPD) , the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ... For other uses, see Sergeant (disambiguation). ...

Berkowitz later claimed^[16] that while "at least five" cult members were at the scene of the Freund-Diel shooting, the actual shooter was a cult associate nicknamed "Manson II", who was brought in from outside New York due to a special motive of which Berkowitz claimed to know no details. Charles Milles Manson (born November 12th, 1934) was convicted of murder in what became known as the Tate/La Bianca case. ...

Virginia Voskerichian shooting

At about 7:30 p.m. on March 8, 1977, Columbia University student Virginia Voskerichian, 19, was walking home from classes. She lived about a block from where Christine Freund was shot. The Voskerichian shooting differed from the other Son of Sam crimes in many respects: all the other victims were couples, on weekends, and in the late night or early morning. is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Alma Mater Columbia University is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. ...

There were no direct witnesses to the Voskerichian murder, which happened on the victim's own street. In a desperate move to defend herself, Voskerichian had apparently lifted her textbooks between herself and her killer, only to have the makeshift shield penetrated by the same bullet that struck her head and killed her.

Moments after the shooting, a 59-year-old neighborhood resident who had heard the gunshots was rounding the corner onto Voskerichian's street. He nearly collided with a person he described as a short, husky boy, 16 to 18 years old and clean-shaven, wearing a sweater and watch cap, who was sprinting away from the crime scene. The neighbor said the youth pulled the cap over his face and said, "Oh, Jesus!" as he passed by, sprinting.^[17]

Other neighbors claimed to have seen the "teenager", and another matching Berkowitz's description, loitering separately in the area for about an hour before the shooting.^[18] In the following days, the media repeated police claims that this "chubby teenager"^[19] was the suspect in the shooting.

Berkowitz later claimed^[20] that he was at the Voskerichian murder scene, but the actual shooter was a "[w]oman from Westchester." Additionally, Berkowitz claimed the Voskerichian shooting was partly designed to confuse police by seeming to change the modus operandi established in earlier cult shootings. Westchester County is a suburban county with about 940,000 residents located in the U.S. state of New York. ... Modus operandi (often used in the abbreviated form MO) is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as mode of operation. ...

Press conference of March 10, 1977

In a March 10, 1977 press conference, NYPD officials and New York City mayor Abraham Beame declared that the same .44 Bulldog revolver had fired the shots that killed Lauria and Voskerichian.^[21] Official documents would later surface, however, saying that while police strongly suspected the same .44 Bulldog had been used in the shootings, the evidence was actually inconclusive.^[22] March 10 is the 69th day of the year (70th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... A joint press conference by U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the White House. ... The New York City Police Department (NYPD) , the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... Abe Beame in mid-career Abraham David Beame (known as Abe Beame) (March 20, 1906 – February 10, 2001) was mayor of New York City from 1974 to 1977. ...

Also on March 10th, the Operation Omega task force made its public debut. Charged solely with investigating the .44 Caliber shootings, the task force, ultimately led by Deputy Inspector Timothy J. Dowd, eventually comprised over 300 police officers. Police speculated that the killer had a vendetta against women, perhaps due to chronic rejection, and also declared that the "chubby teenager" was regarded as a witness, not a suspect in the Voskerichian shooting. The police regarded the taller, black-haired male shooter in the Lauria-Valenti case as the shooter in all the .44 Caliber murders. A task force (TF) is a temporary unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. ... Social rejection includes both interpersonal rejection or peer rejection, and romantic rejection. ...

Publicity and political implications

The crimes earned considerable mass media publicity, with television, newspapers and radio publishing every detail and speculation of the case. Australian publisher Rupert Murdoch had recently purchased the New York Post, and the paper offered perhaps the most sensational coverage of the crimes, vaulting from near-bankruptcy into profitability during the Son of Sam era. Popular press redirects here; note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint The Popular Press. Mass media is a term used to denote a section of the media specifically envisioned and designed to reach a very large audience such as the population of a nation state. ... Keith Rupert Murdoch AC, KCSG (born 11 March 1931) is an Australian born United States citizen who is a global media executive and is the controlling shareholder, chairman and managing director of News Corporation, based in New York. ... The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and the oldest to have been published continually as a daily. ...

Mayor Beame saw the case as vital for his political future: he was facing a reelection campaign after several tumultuous years, and his response to the .44 shootings could make or break his career. He helped funnel unprecedented amounts of money to the NYPD to help them solve the case.

Alexander Esau and Valentina Suriani shooting

In the morning of April 17, 1977 Alexander Esau, 20, and Valentina Suriani 18, were together in a car parked in the Bronx, only a few blocks from the scene of the Lauria-Valenti shooting. At about 3:00 A.M., they were each shot twice and killed. Suriani died at the scene, and Esau died in the hospital several hours later without being able to describe his attacker(s). is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... For other uses, see Bronx (disambiguation). ...

In the days afterwards, police repeated their theory that only one man was responsible for the .44 murders: the chubby teenager in the Voskerichian case was still regarded as a witness, while the dark-haired man who shot Lauria and Valenti was considered the suspect.^[23]

Berkowitz later claimed that he was responsible for the Esau-Suriani shootings.^[24]

The "Son of Sam" letter

In the street near the Esau-Suriani shooting, a police officer discovered a hand-written letter. Written mostly in block capital letters with some lower-case letters, it was addressed to NYPD Captain Joseph Borrelli.^[25] The New York City Police Department (NYPD) , the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ... Captain is a rank or title with various meanings. ...

Riddled with spelling errors, the letter gave the shooter a new name: the Son of Sam.

In full, it read:

I am deeply hurt by your calling me a wemon [woman] hater. I am not. But I am a monster. I am the "Son of Sam." I am a little brat. When father Sam gets drunk he gets mean. He beats his family. Sometimes he ties me up to the back of the house. Other times he locks me in the garage. Sam loves to drink blood. "Go out and kill," commands father Sam. Behind our house some rest. Mostly young — raped and slaughtered — their blood drained — just bones now. Papa Sam keeps me locked in the attic too. I can't get out but I look out the attic window and watch the world go by. I feel like an outsider. I am on a different wavelength then everybody else — programmed too kill. However, to stop me you must kill me. Attention all police: Shoot me first — shoot to kill or else keep out of my way or you will die! Papa Sam is old now. He needs some blood to preserve his youth. He has had too many heart attacks. "Ugh, me hoot, it hurts, sonny boy." I miss my pretty princess most of all. She's resting in our ladies house. But I'll see her soon. I am the "Monster" — "Beelzebub" — the chubby behemouth. I love to hunt. Prowling the streets looking for fair game — tasty meat. The wemon of Queens are prettyist of all. It must be the water they drink. I live for the hunt — my life. Blood for papa. Mr. Borrelli, sir, I don't want to kill anymore. No sur, no more but I must, 'honour thy father.' I want to make love to the world. I love people. I don't belong on earth. Return me to yahoos. To the people of Queens, I love you. And I want to wish all of you a happy Easter. May God bless you in this life and in the next. And for now I say goodbye and goodnight. Police: Let me haunt you with these words: I'll be back! I'll be back! To be interpreted as — bang bang bang, bank, bang — ugh!! Yours in murder, Mr. Monster^[26] Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), more commonly known as a heart attack, is a disease state that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted. ... “Belzebub” redirects here. ... It has been suggested that Bahamut be merged into this article or section. ... In Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift, a Yahoo is a vile and savage creature, filthy and with unpleasant habits, resembling human beings far too closely for the liking of Lemuel Gulliver, who finds the calm and rational society of the Houyhnhnms far preferable. ... This article is about the Christian festival. ...

Though discovery of the letter was an open secret, the contents were not made public. Only a few hints were leaked: police speculated that the letter-writer might be familiar with Scottish English — the phrase "me hoot, it hurts, sonny boy" was taken as a Scots-accented version of "my heart, it hurts, sonny boy"; and the police also hypothesized that the shooter blamed a dark-haired nurse for his father's death — due to the "too many heart attacks" phrase, and the facts that Lauria was a medical technician and Valenti was studying to be a nurse.^[27] On July 28th, New York Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin alluded to the "wemon" quirk and referred to the shooter watching the world from "his attic window."^[28] Scottish English is usually taken to mean the standard form of the English language used in Scotland, often termed Scottish Standard English. ... This article is about the occupation. ... Jimmy Breslin (born October 17, 1930) is an American columnist and author who has written numerous novels and appeared regularly in various newspapers in New York City, where he lives. ...

Psychological profile and other police investigations

After consulting with several psychiatrists, police released a psychological profile of their suspect on May 26, 1977. He was described as neurotic and probably suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and believing himself a victim of demonic posession.^[29] In modern psychology, the term neurosis, also known as psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder, is a general term that refers to any mental imbalance that causes distress, but (unlike a psychosis or personality disorder) does not prevent rational thought or an individuals ability to function in daily life. ... Schizophrenia (from the Greek word σχιζοφρένεια, or shjzofreneja, meaning split mind) is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a mental disorder characterized by impairments in the perception or expression of reality and by significant social or occupational dysfunction. ...

Police questioned the owners of each of 56 .44 Bulldog revolvers legally registered in New York City, and forensically tested each weapon, ruling them out as the murder weapons.

Among other unsuccessful ideas, police created traps with undercover officers posed as lovers parked in isolated areas, hoping to lure the shooter.

The Breslin letter

On May 30, 1977, columnist Jimmy Breslin of the New York Daily News received a hand-written letter from someone who claimed to be the .44 shooter. The letter was postmarked early on May 30 in Englewood, New Jersey. On the reverse of the envelope was hand-printed a precisely-centered quatrain: is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Jimmy Breslin (born October 17, 1930) is an American columnist and author who has written numerous novels and appeared regularly in various newspapers in New York City, where he lives. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Map highlighting Englewoods location within Bergen County. ... A quatrain is a poem or a stanza within a poem that consists of four lines. ...

Blood and Family/Darkness and Death/Absolute Depravity/.44

The letter read:^[30]

Underneath the "Son of Sam" was a logo or sketch that combined several symbols. The writer's question, "What will you have for July 29?" was taken as an ominous threat: July 29th would be the anniversary of the first .44 Caliber shooting.

Police and public response to the Breslin letter

Breslin notified police, who thought the letter was probably from someone with knowledge of the shootings. Sophisticated in its wording and presentation — especially when compared to the crudely written first letter — police suspected the Breslin letter might have been created in an art studio or similar professional location by someone with expertise in printing, calligraphy, graphic design or architecture.^[31]

Based on the "Wicked King Wicker" reference, police arranged a private screening of The Wicker Man, a 1970s horror film. This article is about the 1973 film. ...

A week later, after consulting with police and agreeing to withhold portions of the text, the Daily News published the letter, and Breslin urged the killer to turn himself over to authorities. Reportedly, over 1.1 million copies of that day's paper were sold.^[32]

The letter caused a panic in New York, and based on references in the publicized portions of the letter, police received thousands of tips, which all proved baseless.^[33]

As all the shooting victims so far had long, dark hair, thousands of women in New York cut or dyed their hair, and beauty supply stores had trouble meeting the demand for blond wigs.^[34] Despite being one of the hottest summers on record, people stayed indoors at night, ignoring the longstanding tradition of spending the sultry evenings outdoors.

Sal Lupo and Judy Placido shooting

On June 26, 1977, there was another shooting. Sal Lupo, 20, and Judy Placido, 17, had left the Elephas discotheque in the Bayside section of Queens. According to Chris Summers of the BBC, the young couple were sitting in their car at about 3:00 a.m. when Placido said, "This Son of Sam is really scary — the way that guy comes out of nowhere. You never know where he'll hit next."^[35] Moments later, three gunshots blasted through the car. is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Discothèque redirects here. ... A typical residential street in Bayside. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...

Both were struck by slugs, but their injuries were relatively minor, and both survived. Neither Lupo or Placido had seen their attacker(s),^[36] but witnesses reported a tall, stocky, dark-haired man sprinting from the area, and a blond man with a mustache who drove from the neighborhood in a Chevy Nova without turning on its headlights. Police speculated the dark-haired man was the shooter, and that the blonder man had observed the crime.^[37]

Berkowitz later claimed^[38] that cult member Michael Carr shot Lupo and Placido. Additionally, Berkowitz claimed that cult members had long wanted to shoot someone at the Elphas disco, thinking the site significant in light of their interest in the work of noted 19th century occultist Eliphas Levi. Eliphas Lévi Eliphas Lévi, born Alphonse Louis Constant, (February 8, 1810 - May 31, 1875) was a French occult author and magician. ...

Stacy Moskowitz and Robert Violente shooting

It was near the one-year anniversary of the first .44 caliber shootings, and police set up a sizable dragnet focusing on past hunting grounds of Queens and The Bronx. However, the next .44 shooting was in Brooklyn. A dragnet is any system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects; including road barricades and traffic stops, widespread DNA tests, and general increased police alertness. ... For other uses, see Queens (disambiguation) and Queen. ... For other uses, see The Bronx (disambiguation). ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ...

Early on July 31, 1977, Stacy Moskowitz and Robert Violente, both 20, were in Violente's car, which was parked under a streetlight near a city park. They were kissing when a man approached to within about three feet of the passenger side of Violante's car, fired several gunshots into the car, striking both victims in the head, before running into the park. Moskowitz died several hours later in hospital. Violente survived, though one of his eyes was destroyed and he retained only very limited vision in the other eye. With her short, curly blond hair, Moskowitz was a departure from the other female victims. Based on telephone calls to police within seconds of the shooting, the crime occurred at 2:35 a.m. is the 212th day of the year (213th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...

The Moskowitz-Violante crime produced more witnesses than any of the other Son of Sam murders, notably the only direct eyewitness who was not an intended victim. During the shooting, Tommy Zaino, 19, was parked with his date in a car three car lengths ahead of Violante's. Moments before the shooting, Zaino saw a peripheral glimpse of the shooter's approach and happened to glance in his rear view mirror just in time to see the crime occur. Due to the bright street light and full moon, Zaino clearly saw the perpetrator for several seconds, later describing him as 25 to 30 years old, of average height (5'7" to 5'9") with shaggy hair that was dark blond or light brown -- "it looked like a wig", Zaino said.^[39] This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

About a minute after the shooting, a woman seated next to her boyfriend in his car on the other side of the city park saw a "white male [who was wearing] a light-colored, cheap nylon wig" sprint from the park and enter a "small, light-colored" auto, which drove away quickly.^[40] "He looks like he just robbed a bank," said the woman,^[41] who wrote what she could see of the car's license plate: unable to determine the first two characters, she was certain the others were either 4-GUR or 4-GVR. // Introduction A license plate, number plate or registration plate (often referred to simply as a plate, or colloquially tag) is a small metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle for official identification purposes. ...

Other witnesses included a woman who saw a light car speed away from the park about 20 seconds after the gunshots,^[42] and at least two witnesses who described a yellow Volkswagen driving quickly from the neighborhood with its headlights off.^[43] A neighborhood resident given the pseudonym Mary Lyons heard the gunshots and Violente's calls for help, and glancing from her apartment window, saw a man she later positively identified as Berkowitz, who was walking casually away from the crime scene as many others were rushing towards the scene to render aid.^[44] A pseudonym (Greek: , pseudo + -onym: false name) is an artificial, fictitious name, also known as an alias, used by an individual as an alternative to a persons legal name. ...

Shortly after 2:35 a.m., a man given the pseudonym Alan Masters was passing through an intersection a few blocks from the park. Masters was nearly struck by what he described as a yellow Volkswagen Beetle that sped through the intersection, against the red light and without headlights, with the driver holding his door shut with his arm as he drove. Angered and alarmed, Masters followed the Volkswagen at high speed for several minutes before losing sight of the vehicle. Masters described the driver as a white male in his late '20s or early '30s, with a narrow face; dark, long, stringy hair; several days growth of dark whiskers on his face; and wearing a blue jacket.^[45] Upset, Masters neglected to note the Volkswagen's license plate number, but he thought it might have been a New Jersey rather than a New York plate. Violente encountered a very similar man as he and Moskowitz were in the park shortly before the shooting, describing him as a "grubby-looking hippy" with whiskers, wiry hair over his forhead, dark eyes, and wearing a denim jacket.^[46] This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the state. ...

Berkowitz would later claim^[47] that the shooter in the Moskowitz-Violente case was a friend of John Carr's who had arrived from North Dakota for the occasion. Additionally, Berkowitz would claim that after his Ford Galaxie, license plate 561 XLB, received a parking ticket at 2:05 a.m. for being parked too near a fire hydrant near the city park, he tried to persuade two other cult members at the scene to postpone or relocate the crime.^[48] Berkowitz claimed his suggestion was overruled, and he was ordered to remain in the area to make sure no police were nearby. Official language(s) English Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Area  Ranked 19th  - Total 70,762 sq mi (183,272 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 340 miles (545 km)  - % water 2. ... Galaxie is a Canadian digital broadcasting service, which offers 45 commercial-free music channels, each devoted to a particular genre of music, for distribution with digital cable or direct broadcast satellite services. ... Ticket (unseperated) of the Kurkino in Berchtesgaden CeBIT Home 1998 student day ticket with barcode Ticket can mean one of several things: // Permission A ticket is a voucher to indicate that one has paid for admission to a theatre, movie theater, amusement park, zoo, museum, concert, or other attraction, or... Fire hydrant in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA A fire hydrant (also known colloquially as a fire plug in the United States or as a johnny pump in New York City), is an active fire protection measure, and a source of water provided in most urban, suburban and rural areas with municipal...

Police activities after the Moskowitz-Violente shooting

Police didn't learn of the Moskowitz-Violente shooting until about 2.50 a.m., and Dowd didn't think it was another Son of Sam shooting until an officer at the scene reported that large-calliber shells had been used.^[49]

About an hour after the shooting, police set up a series of roadblocks, stopping hundreds of cars to question drivers and inspect vehicles. Based on extended interviews of Masters and others who described a Volkswagen speeding from the crime scene, police now suspected that the shooter owned or drove such a vehicle. In subsequent days, police determined there were over 900 Volkswagens in New York or New Jersey, and they made plans to track down each of these cars and their owners.^[50] Volkswagen AG (ISIN: DE0007664005), or VW, is an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany. ... This article is about the state. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

Suspicion and capture

Despite dedicated police investigation of the Son of Sam crimes, Berkowitz was arrested, primarily, due to serendipity. The evening of the Moskowitz and Violante shooting, Cacilia Davis, who lived near the crime scene, saw Berkowitz loitering in the neighborhood and glaring menacingly at passersby for several hours before removing a parking ticket from his yellow Ford Galaxie which had been parked too near a fire hydrant. Two days after the shooting, though fearful, she contacted police. Ticket (unseperated) of the Kurkino in Berchtesgaden CeBIT Home 1998 student day ticket with barcode Ticket can mean one of several things: // Permission A ticket is a voucher to indicate that one has paid for admission to a theatre, movie theater, amusement park, zoo, museum, concert, or other attraction, or... 1966 Ford Galaxie 7 Litre Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ford Galaxie For other uses, see Galaxie (disambiguation). ... Fire hydrant in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA A fire hydrant (also known colloquially as a fire plug in the United States or as a johnny pump in New York City), is an active fire protection measure, and a source of water provided in most urban, suburban and rural areas with municipal...

Despite their claims to the contrary, police initially thought Berkowitz a possible witness, not a perpetrator. Not until August 9, 1977 — seven days after Cacelia Davis informed police about the parking ticket man — did NYPD Detective James Justis telephone Yonkers police to ask them to schedule an interview with Berkowitz. The Yonkers police dispatcher who first took Justis's call was none other than Wheat Carr — the daughter of Sam Carr and sister of Berkowitz's alleged cult confederates John and Michael Carr.^[51] is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... The New York City Police Department (NYPD) , the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ... Gumshoe redirects here. ...

Hockenberry writes that Justis asked "the [Yonkers] police for some help tracking [Berkowitz] down. Mike Novotny was a sergeant at the Yonkers Police Department. According to Novotny, the Yonkers police had their own suspicions about Berkowitz, in connection with other strange crimes in Yonkers, crimes they saw referenced in one of the Son of Sam letters. To the shock of the NYPD they told the New York City detective that Berkowitz might just be the Son of Sam."^[1]

The next day, police investigated Berkowitz's car parked on the street outside his Pine Street apartment in Yonkers, New York. Police saw a Commando Mark III rifle in the backseat. Searching the car, police found a duffel bag filled with ammunition, maps of the crime scenes and a letter to Sgt. Dowd of the Omega task force, threatening further murders. Police decided to wait for Berkowitz to emerge from the apartment rather than risk a violent encounter in the narrow apartment hallway. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Berkowitz emerged from the building shortly before 10.00 p.m., carrying a .44 Bulldog in a paper sack. Police arrested Berkowitz as he was starting the car outside his apartment on Pine Street in Yonkers, New York on August 10, 1977. His first words upon arrest were reported to be, "You got me. What took you so long?"^[52] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...

Police searched his apartment, and found it in disarray, with Satanic graffiti on the walls. They also found a diary wherein Berkowitz took credit for dozens of arsons throughout the New York area. Satanism can refer to a number of belief systems depending on the user and contexts. ... For other uses, see Graffiti (disambiguation). ... The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ...

Questioning

Police were worried that, if challenged in court, their initial search of Berkowitz's vehicle might be ruled unconstitutional. Police had no search warrant, and their justification for the search of Berkowitz's car might seem flimsy — they'd searched initially based on the rifle visible in the back seat, though possession of such a rifle was legal in New York State, and required no special permit. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into constitutionality. ... A search warrant is a written warrant issued by judge or magistrate which authorizes the police to conduct a search of a person or location for evidence of a criminal offense and seize the evidence. ...

To the relief of police, however, Berkowitz quickly confessed to the shootings, and expressed an interest in pleading guilty in exchange for receiving life imprisonment rather than facing the death penalty. Berkowitz was questioned for about 30 minutes in the early morning of August 11, 1977, and he quickly confessed to the "Son of Sam" killings. A plea bargain (also plea agreement, plea deal or copping a plea) is an agreement in a criminal case in which a prosecutor and a defendant arrange to settle the case against the defendant. ... Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime, nominally for the entire remaining life of the prisoner, but in fact for a period which varies between jurisdictions: many countries have a maximum possible period of time (usually 50 years) a prisoner may be incarcerated, or require the... Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ...

During questioning, Berkowitz told a tale that seemed to demand an insanity defense: the "Sam" mentioned in the first letter was Sam Carr, a former neighbor of Berkowitz. Berkowitz claimed that Carr's dog, Harvey, was possessed by an ancient demon, and that it issued irresistible commands that Berkowitz must kill people. Berkowitz said he once tried to kill the dog, only to see his aim spoiled due to supernatural interference. In criminal trials, the insanity defenses are possible defenses by excuse, by which defendants argue that they should not be held criminally liable for breaking the law, as they were legally insane at the time of the commission of alleged crimes. ... Look up Supernatural in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Sentencing

During his sentencing, Berkowitz repeatedly chanted "Stacy was a whore" at a quiet yet audible volume.^[53] He was referring, presumably, to Stacy Moskowitz, who died in the final .44 caliber shooting. His behavior caused an uproar, and the courtroom was adjourned. Berkowitz later claimed that his statement was a response to Moskowitz's mother, who frequently opined that Berkowitz should be executed. Whore redirects here. ...

He was sentenced on June 12, 1978 to six life sentences in prison for the killings, making his maximum term 365 years. He was first imprisoned at the Attica Correctional Facility. is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... The Attica Correctional Facility is one of the best known prisons in the United States, second possibly to Alcatraz. ...

Berkowitz's life in prison

Berkowitz claimed that the Hall & Oates song "Rich Girl" motivated the murders.^[54] But the song was not released until February of 1977, after the first four shootings had already taken place. Hall & Oates is a popular music duo made up of Daryl Hall & John Oates. ... Rich Girl is a single originally released by Daryl Hall and John Oates in 1977. ...

In 1979, there was an attempt on Berkowitz's life. He refused to identify the person(s) who had attacked him with a knife but suggested that the act was directed by the cult he once belonged to. He bears a permanent scar down his left shoulder that took 52 stitches to close.

As of 2005, Berkowitz is housed in the Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric Center in Middletown, NY. Berkowitz has an "official" website^[55] maintained on his behalf by a church group as he is not allowed access to a computer.

Berkowitz is writing a memoir, which he plans to publish through Morning Star Communications despite outrage from the family members of his victims and victims' rights advocates. Berkowitz himself receives no money from publication, and a portion of the proceeds goes to the New York state crime victims board for distribution to the victims of his crimes.

While in jail Berkowitz became a born again Christian and said that his obsession with the occult played a major role in the Son of Sam murders. He sent a letter to New York governor George Pataki asking that his parole hearing be canceled, stating, "I can give you no good reason why I should even be considered." In June of 2004, he was denied a second parole hearing after he stated that he did not want one. The parole board saw that he had a good record in the prison programs, but decided that the brutality of his crimes called for him to stay imprisoned. In July of 2006, the board once again denied parole on similar grounds, with Berkowitz not in attendance at the hearing. He is very involved in prison ministry and regularly counsels troubled inmates. Born again is a term used originally and mainly in Christianity, where it is associated with salvation, conversion and spiritual rebirth. ... George Elmer Pataki (born June 24, 1945) is an American politician who was the 57th Governor of New York serving from January 1995 until January 1, 2007. ... It has been suggested that Medical parole be merged into this article or section. ...

In June 2005, Berkowitz sued his former attorney Hugo Harmatz, claiming he'd taken possession of Berkowitz's letters and other personal belongings in order to publish a book of his own. Berkowitz stated that he would only drop the lawsuit if the attorney signed over all money he makes to the victims' families. On October 25, 2006, Berkowitz and Harmatz settled out of court, with Harmatz agreeing to return the disputed items to Berkowitz's present attorney Mark Jay Heller, and to donate part of his book profits to the New York State Crime Victims Board. is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Shortly before her death in 2006, Stacy Moskowitz's mother Neysa wrote Berkowitz a letter saying she had forgiven him for his crimes.^[56] "She would say things like, 'This kind of anger can make you sick. Don't let anger eat you up,' " said her close friend and neighbor, Sharon Denaro. Neysa lived her final days in a Miami co-op, surrounded by pictures of her daughters, whom she talked about constantly. "She said she did forgive everyone," Denaro said. "She needed to relieve herself of anger to be able to move forward with her life."

Son of Sam Laws

One major side effect of Berkowitz's murder spree were the "Son of Sam laws" enacted in several states in the 1980s. A Son of Sam law is a law designed to keep criminals from profiting from their crimes by selling their stories to publishers. ...

The first of these laws was enacted in New York state after rampant speculation about publishers offering Berkowitz large sums of money for his story. The new law, named for Berkowitz, authorized the state to seize all money earned from such a deal from a criminal for five years, with intentions to use the seized money to compensate victims.

Satanic cult claims

Within a few weeks of his arrest, Berkowitz was hinting that others were involved in the .44 murders. In a letter to the New York Post dated September 19, 1977, Berkowitz repeated the possessed dog story, but closed out his missive with the warning, "There are other Sons out there — God help the world."^[57] The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and the oldest to have been published continually as a daily. ...

In later years, he has discussed the cult claims in greater detail, but alleges that he cannot divulge all he knows without putting his family at risk. The cult had roughly two dozen core members in New York — the "twenty-two disciples of hell" mentioned in the Breslin letter. The cult had ties across the U.S., claimed Berkowitz, and was deeply involved in drug smuggling and other illegal activities. Berkowitz reportedly invited the former priest and exorcist Malachi Martin to visit him to discuss his past Satanic cult involvement.^[58] Retail selling Street selling is the bottom of the chain and can be accomplished through purchasing from prostitutes, through cloaked retail stores or refuse houses for users in the act located in red-light districts which often also deal in paraphernalia, dealers marketing merriment at night clubs and other events... This article is about religious workers. ... An exorcist is a person who performs exorcism, the ridding of demons or other supernatural beings who have possessed a person, or (sometimes) a building or other object. ... Malachi Martin The Reverend Dr. Father Malachi Brendan Martin (July 23, 1921 – July 27, 1999) was a Roman Catholic Jesuit priest who became a popular author and speaker upon various fringe topics such as exorcisms, Satanism, Liberation Theology, the Tridentine liturgy, obscure points of Catholic dogma and the geopolitical importance...

Hockenberry asserts that, even aside from the Satanic cult claims, many officials doubted the single-shooter theory, writing, "[w]hat most don't know about the Son of Sam case is that from the beginning, not everyone bought the idea that Berkowitz acted alone. The list of skeptics includes both the police who worked the case and the prosecutor from Queens where five of the shootings took place."^[1]

Son of Sam case reopened based on cult claims

Journalist Maury Terry began investigating the Son of Sam shootings before Berkowitz was arrested. Doubtful of the single shooter theory favored by police, Terry dug deeper into the case, noting a number of unresolved questions and inconsistencies that he first publicized in a March, 1978 newspaper article.

Eventually interviewing Berkowitz several times, Terry uncovered evidence that he argues strongly support the idea that a violent offshoot of the Process Church was responsible for the Son of Sam murders and many other crimes. After consulting with police and agreeing to withhold some names and other details, Terry publicized his conclusions first in a series of newspaper articles distributed by the Gannett syndicate in 1979, and later in his book The Ultimate Evil which had been expanded several times since its 1987 publication.^[53] Queens' district attorney John Santucci, who thought the case against Berkowitz was riddled with inconsistencies and unresolved questions, was so impressed with Terry's research that, as Chris Summers of the BBC writes, "he agreed to reopen the Son of Sam case ... But to date no-one else has ever been charged in connection with the crimes." This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Gannett Company, Inc. ... A district attorney is, in some U.S. jurisdictions, the title of the local public official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminals. ...

Arlis Perry claims

In October of 1978 Berkowitz mailed a book about witchcraft and other occult subjects to police in North Dakota. He had underlined several passages, offering some marginal notes, including the phrase: "Arliss [sic] Perry, Hunted, Stalked and Slain. Followed to Calif. Stanford University." “Witch” redirects here. ... Official language(s) English Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Area  Ranked 19th  - Total 70,762 sq mi (183,272 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 340 miles (545 km)  - % water 2. ... Stanford redirects here. ...

Arlis Perry, a newlywed 19-year-old North Dakota native, had been killed in a chapel on the grounds of Stanford University on October 12, 1974. Her murder remains unsolved. Berkowitz also mentioned the Perry murder in a few letters, suggesting that he heard details of the crime from "Manson II", the culprit. In the San Jose Mercury News, Jessie Seyfer noted that "investigators interviewed him in prison and now believe he has nothing of value to offer" regarding the Perry case.^[59] A chapel is a private church, usually small and often attached to a larger institution such as a college, a hospital, a palace, or a prison. ... is the 285th day of the year (286th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... The Mercs sections vary by day of the week, but Business, Sports, and The Valley are standard daily fare. ...

The real-life sons of Sam

Berkowitz claimed that brothers John and Michael Carr — the real-life sons of Yonkers resident Sam Carr — were members of the same Satanic cult. John was the "John Wheaties, rapist and suffocator of young girls" mentioned in the Breslin letter.

Both Carr brothers came to violent deaths within two years of Berkowitz's arrest. John Carr was discovered dead in February of 1978 in his girlfriend's North Dakota home; police initially viewed his death as suspicious, but it was ultimately ruled a probable suicide. Michael Carr died in a single-car traffic accident in October 1979, on Manhattan's West Side Highway. Official language(s) English Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Area  Ranked 19th  - Total 70,762 sq mi (183,272 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 340 miles (545 km)  - % water 2. ... For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Manhattan (disambiguation). ... The last elevated portion of the West Side Highway by Trump Place apartment complex The West Side Highway (officially the Joe DiMaggio Highway, formerly the Miller Highway) is a mostly-surface section of New York State Route 9A (NY 9A) that runs from West 72nd Street along the Hudson River...

Berkowitz claims that both Carr brothers were probably murdered by Satanic cult members because their heavy drug use marked them as untrustworthy and likely to become informants.

Story adaptations

• The 1985 CBS Movie Out Of The Darkness was the first film to deal with the Son of Sam killings, and was told from the point of view of Ed Zigo, one of the detectives responsible for capturing Berkowitz by poring over parking tickets given to an illegally parked car in Brooklyn near where Stacy Moskowitz was murdered. Zigo was played by Martin Sheen. The Son Of Sam was played by Robert Trebor to great critical acclaim.
• The 1999 film Summer of Sam, directed by Spike Lee and set in 1977, depicts the tensions that develop in a Bronx neighborhood during the shootings
• The 2007 ESPN mini-series The Bronx is Burning features the murders as a backdrop.

Summer of Sam is a 1999 film about the Son of Sam serial murders. ... Shelton Jackson Lee (born March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia), better known as Spike Lee, is an Emmy Award - winning, and Academy Award - nominated American film director, producer, writer, and actor noted for his films dealing with controversial social and political issues. ... ESPN/ESPN-DT, formerly an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an [[United States|Amer<nowiki>Insert non-formatted text here--68. ... The Bronx Is Burning is a television drama that debuted on ESPN on July 9, 2007 following the 2007 MLB Home Run Derby. ...

References to Berkowitz in popular culture

• "Son of Sam," a song by The Dead Boys on We Have Come for Your Children.
• Son of Sam was a punk rock supergroup of sorts spearheaded by A.F.I. vocalist Davey Havok, guitarist Todd Youth (who had played with Danzig, D Generation, and Murphy's Law), drummer London May (Samhain, Tiger Army), and drummer Steve Zing (Samhain).
• Mentioned in industrial band Combichrist's song "God Bless", which lists numerous killers and criminals.
• "Son Of Sam", a song by artist Elliott Smith on the album Figure 8.
• "Son of Sam", a song by Meat Beat Manifesto on the album Satyricon.
• In the Seinfeld episode "The Diplomat's Club", Newman claims to have David Berkowitz's mail bag, and to have taken over his old mail route. When another character asks him if any dogs have been talking to him (Newman), he replies "they just tell me to keep off the snacks."
• In a new play by Caroline Treadwell, a paranoid reference to another character "He's cute in a Son of Sam, unobtrusive kind of way."
• In the 50 Cent song "Position of Power" of the album "The Massacre" he raps "I'm the biggest crook from New York since Son of Sam"
• The Dog Fashion Disco song "Headless" (from Anarchists of Good Taste) about murdering a music critic for a bad review, includes the lyric "Like helter skelter or Son of Sam/By the next day you'll know who I am/As I spill your blood on Hollywood Boulevard".
• The claymation "Davey and the Son of Goliath" (itself a parody of Davey and Goliath) bears a very strong resemblance to the Son of Sam story.
• Son Of Sam is a song by Marilyn Manson & The Spooky Kids was on demo tapes for The Raw Boned Psalms,and The Beaver Meat Cleaver Beat.

The Dead Boys were a punk band that formed in Cleveland, Ohio about 1975, evolving out of the band Rocket From The Tombs. ... We Have Come for Your Children is a 1978 album by the Dead Boys. ... Meat Beat Manifesto, often shortened to Meat Beat or MBM, is an electronic music outfit originally consisting of Jack Dangers and Jonny Stephens formed in 1987 in Swindon, UK. This was also the hometown of the band XTC, who helped Meat Beat get started. ... Dog Fashion Disco is a band from Washington, D.C., notable for combining many different music styles (70s pychedelic, jazz, piano recital, circus music and vocals, among others) they are, howerever, primarily considered a metal band. ... Anarchists Of Good Taste is Dog Fashion Discos 4th album, but their major label debut, and as such, is often mistakenly referred to as Dog Fashion Discos debut album. ... A music critic is someone who reviews music (including printed music, performances and recorded music) and publishes writing on them in books or journals (or on the internet). ... // The murders perpetrated by Charles Manson and members of his Family were inspired in part by Mansons prediction of Helter Skelter, an apocalyptic war he believed would arise from tension over racial relations between blacks and whites. ... Hollywood Boulevard as taken from the Kodak Theatre Hollywood Boulevard is an avenue in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States, beginning at Sunset Boulevard in the east and running northwest to Vermont Avenue, where it straightens out and runs due west to Laurel Canyon Boulevard. ... The term Claymation is a registered trademark created by Will Vinton Studios to describe their clay animated movies; the more generic term is clay animation, but the portmanteau claymation has entered the English language as a genericized trademark. ... Davey and Goliath was the title of a 1960s stop-motion animated television series. ... Marilyn Manson, eponymous band of the lead singer of the same name, is an American industrial rock outfit, based in Hollywood, California. ... The Raw Boned Psalms is a cassette by Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids, recorded in early 1990 but never released. ... The Beaver Meat Cleaver Beat (sometimes incorrectly referred to as The Meat Beat Cleaver Beat) is cassette by Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Did 'Son of Sam' really act alone?. John Hockenberry. Retrieved on May 17, 2006.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Son of Sam, David Berkowitz, famous serial killer - The Crime library. Marilyn Bardsley. Retrieved on September 27, 2006.
3. ^ [http://www.forteantimes.com/features/articles/234/i_am_the_son_of_sam.html "I Am the Son of llSam!" from Fortean Times, 2002, URL accessed 2007-09-14
4. ^ Terry, Maury (1999). The Ultimate Evil: The Truth about the Cult Murders: Son of Sam & Beyond. New York: Barnes and Noble Books. ISBN 0-7607-6119-1.
5. ^ David Berkowitz - The Son of Sam. Charles Montaldo. Retrieved on September 27, 2006.
6. ^ Terry, 1999, p 23-24
7. ^ Terry, 1999, p 24
8. ^ Terry, 1999, p 25
9. ^ Terry, 1999, p 528
10. ^ Terry, 1999, p 27
11. ^ Terry, 1999, p 529
12. ^ Terry, 1999, p 529
13. ^ Terry, 1999, p 529
14. ^ Terry, 1999, p 32
15. ^ Terry, 1999, p 32
16. ^ Terry, 1999, p 529
17. ^ Terry, 1999, p 36
18. ^ Terry, 1999, p 37
19. ^ Terry, 1999, p 37
20. ^ Terry, 1999, p 530
21. ^ Terry, 1999, pp 39-40
22. ^ Terry, 1999, pp 38-40
23. ^ Terry, 1999, p 43
24. ^ Terry, 1999, p 530
25. ^ Marilyn Bardsley. Son of Sam, David Berkowitz, famous serial killer: The Letter. The Crime Library. Retrieved on 2007-03-18.
26. ^ Son of Sam, David Berkowitz, famous serial killer - The Crime Library. Marilyn Bardsley. Retrieved on March 21, 2007.
27. ^ Terry, 1999, pp 43-44
28. ^ Terry, 1999, p 47
29. ^ Terry, 1999, p 47
30. ^ Terry, 1999, pp 48-50
31. ^ Terry, 1999, 51
32. ^ Son of Sam - David Berkowitz. Altered Dimensions. Retrieved on September 27, 2006.
33. ^ Terry, 1999, 51
34. ^ Bath in New York. Retrieved on April 19, 2007.
35. ^ Crime Case Closed - David Berkowitz. Chris Summers. Retrieved on September 27, 2006.
36. ^ Terry, 1999, 53
37. ^ Terry, 1999, 53
38. ^ Terry, 1999, p 539
39. ^ Terry, 1999, p 70
40. ^ Terry, 1999, p 70
41. ^ Terry, 1999, p 70
42. ^ Terry, 1999, p 70
43. ^ Terry, 1999, p 70; pp 71-72
44. ^ Terry, 1999, pp 71-72
45. ^ Terry, 1999, p 79
46. ^ Terry, 1999, p 68
47. ^ Terry, 1999, p 530-531
48. ^ Terry, 1999, p 66
49. ^ Terry, 1999, p 78
50. ^ Terry, 1999, p 91
51. ^ Terry, 1999, p 98
52. ^ Terry, 1999, p 113
53. ^ ^{a b} Terry, Maury (1987). The Ultimate Evil: An Investigation into America's Most Dangerous Satanic Cult. Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-23452-X. 
54. ^ Fred Bronson (1988). "Rich Girl". The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, archived on Super Seventies I. Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-01-20.
55. ^ Official website.
56. ^ http://www.nypost.com/seven/09282006/news/columnists/a_mom_dies___forgiving_son_of_sam_columnists_andrea_peyser.htm
57. ^ quoted in Terry, 1999, p. 147
58. ^ Malachi Martin. An Article on Exorcism. Retrieved on 2007-01-20.
59. ^ Jessie Seyfer. Detective searches for 1974 Stanford church killer. Retrieved on 2007-01-20.

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Further reading

• Rowlett, Curt (2006). Labyrinth13: True Tales of the Occult, Crime & Conspiracy, Chapter 10, , Son of Sam and the Process Church of the Final Judgment: Exploring the Alleged Connections. Lulu Press. ISBN 1-4116-6083-8.

External links

• Crime Library
• David Berkowitz section of CharlieManson.com
• Forgiven for Life The Official Home Page of David Berkowitz
• Journal Caso abierto David Berkowitz
• Arise and Shine Journals and other information about David Berkowitz
• I Am the Son of Sam An article asking whether Berkowitz was the only killer using the Son of Sam MO and if he was linked to a Black Magic underground

• David Berkowitz television interview May 2007, WCBS-TV in New York
• 1977 Coverage of the Case from WCBS-AM in New York
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