Son of Sam
David Berkowitz (born June 1, 1953), better known by his nickname Son of Sam, is an infamous 1970s New York City serial killer who killed six people and wounded several others. His given name was David Falco—Berkowitz was the name of his adoptive parents.
Berkowitz struggled with being adopted and with the concept that his mother did not want him. His murders began after a 3-year enlistment in the United States Army, the first occurring on July 29, 1976 when he fired into a car where two girls sat, wounding one and killing Jody Valentini.
The "Son of Sam" nickname came from a letter Berkowitz left at the scene of one of his crimes on April 17, 1977. Berkowitz began writing letters to the media, and was arrested on August 10, 1977. He had been issued a parking ticket near the scene of his final crime, and police investigation led them to Berkowitz, who immediately confessed. He was sentenced to 350 years in prison for the killings.
Berkowitz claimed to receive his orders to kill from an acquaintance's barking dog. He now says that story was untrue and that during the time of the killings, he was a Satanist. He survived at least one attempt on his life in prison, but his behavior in prison early in his sentence earned him the nickname of "David Berserkowitz." Berkowitz became a Born-again Christian in 1987 in prison and now works as a chaplain. In March 2002, Berkowitz wrote a letter to New York governor George Pataki asking that his parole hearing be cancelled.
Referenced By
1976 | 29 July | 29th July | Biographical Listing/BE | City of New York | City of New York, New York | July 29 | July 29th | List of Famous Jews | List of Jews | List of noted Jews | List of people by name: BE | Listing of noted Jews | New York, NY | New York, New York | New York (city) | New York City | New York City, New York | New York City, USA | Serial killer | Serial killing | Timeline of New York City crimes | Timeline of New York City crimes and disasters | Timeline of New York City disasters
|
