David Berkowitz, also known as Son of Sam, is an American serial killer who is currently behind bars. Between July 1976 and August 1977, he terrorized the streets of New York and shot six people at random, dead. In addition, he injured seven other individuals.
Eventually, officials arrested him, and during his trial, he pleaded guilty to six counts of second-degree murder and seven counts of attempted second-degree murder. Furthermore, he received six 25-years-to-life sentences in 1978. After 25 years of imprisonment, in 2002, he became eligible for parole.
Since 2002, authorities have conducted his parole hearing after every two years. According to A&E, his next hearing is expected to be held in May this year.
Over the years, several documentaries have chronicled the horrific exploits of David Berkowitz. However, in 2021, Netflix released a documentary on the same, titled The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness. Directed by Joshua Zeman, the synopsis of the documentary reads, “The Son of Sam case grew into a lifelong obsession for journalist Maury Terry, who became convinced that the murders were linked to a satanic cult.”
Son of Sam: Does David Berkowitz stay in prison?
According to a 2017 report by People Magazine, David Berkowitz claimed he had become a born-again Christian. In fact, people who visited him in prison stated that he did not want to get out of jail. Minister Roxanne Tauriello, who regularly visits him in prison, said, “David grieves over that a lot, and you can’t say to him — you never want to say ‘Son of Sam’ in front of him. He never uses that name, ever.”
Tauriello further stated, “He is genuinely sorrowful and does not want to get out of prison. He knows he deserved to die and deserves to be exactly where he is.” As reported by People Magazine, David Berkowitz now goes by the name of “Son of Hope.”
This year marks yet another important moment in the perpetrator’s lifetime as Berkowitz’s next parole hearing will be held in the month of May.