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David Berkowitz, infamously known as the Son of Sam, is an American serial killer who is known to have murdered six people and wounded seven others using his 44-caliber bulldog revolver. His first known murder happened on July 29, 1976, when he shot an 18-year-old woman in her car. A series of murders followed. The police began putting together statements from victims and compiling sketches based on their descriptions of the killer.
The Son of Sam murders and attacks were initially treated as independent incidents. However, the first clue that drew a connection between them was the weapon used, which was the 44-caliber bulldog revolver. Wanted posters based on sketches were spread across the country. Nearly 300 officers were employed in the case after it was suspected that a psychopathic killer was out there haunting the city, according to NBC News.
In April 1977, David Berkowitz left a letter to authorities at the crime scene. In the note, he called himself the “Son of Sam,” giving a name to the serial killer who had been haunting the streets of the city for the past eight months. Later that year, witnesses claimed that they had seen a yellow Volkswagen get away after the shootings. This became a clue that helped crack the case. Meanwhile, witnesses kept increasing, and the variations in sketches grew.
On the night of the Moscowitz shooting, Cecelia Davis was out walking her dog. She claimed to have seen a man remove a parking ticket from his car. When the police tracked down the owner of the car, expecting another witness, they were led to David Berkowitz. He was a postal worker in Yonkers.
What was the Son of Sam convicted of?
When the Yonkers police were contacted, they explained that Berkowitz was also a suspect in other criminal cases and that he could likely be the Son of Sam. Authorities searched Berkowitz’s car and found a machine gun in his back seat. They found a 44-caliber bulldog revolver in the front seat and bullets in his pocket. They immediately arrested him. Berkowitz claimed that it was the dog of his neighbor, Sam Carr, who ordered him to kill. This explained where he got his name—Son of Sam.
David Berkowitz was convicted of six second-degree murders and seven attempted second-degree murders. He claimed these murders were executed after instructions from a demonic voice, which allegedly came from a dog. This claim motivated authorities to ensure that Berkowitz, who called himself the Son of Sam, was mentally sane and eligible to stand trial. He pleaded guilty to all murders.
David Berkowitz is currently serving six consecutive life imprisonment sentences at the Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Wallkill, New York, for the Son of Sam murders, according to CBS News. Despite multiple opportunities for parole, Berkowitz allegedly refused to attend the hearing. In a conversation with CBS News, he made it clear that he doesn’t expect parole or seek it in the near future after having understood the gravity of the crimes he has committed.
The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness explores the details of the Son of Sam murders. It argues that David Berkowitz did not act alone. The series digs deeper into the possibility of the serial killer being accompanied by other killers who have terrified the city for over a year. The docuseries is currently streaming on Netflix.
