01of 131977: The ‘Summer of Sam’The.APBefore his arrest on August 10, 1977, serial killer David Berkowitz — the self-styled Son of Sam — held the city of New York in the grip of fear for more than a year. Believing demons were commanding him to kill, communicating these demands through his neighbor’s barking dog, Berkowitz killed six people and wounded seven in eight separate shootings throughout New York’s outer boroughs.Media coverage of the shootings helped to augment that sense of fear that paralyzed the city through one of its hottest summers. Because most of the victims were women with long, dark hair, New York City’s female denizens filled hair salons seeking pixie cuts and bleach jobs.Berkowitz, now 69, has been behind bars ever since his arrest.
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1977: The ‘Summer of Sam’
The.AP
Before his arrest on August 10, 1977, serial killer David Berkowitz — the self-styled Son of Sam — held the city of New York in the grip of fear for more than a year. Believing demons were commanding him to kill, communicating these demands through his neighbor’s barking dog, Berkowitz killed six people and wounded seven in eight separate shootings throughout New York’s outer boroughs.
Media coverage of the shootings helped to augment that sense of fear that paralyzed the city through one of its hottest summers. Because most of the victims were women with long, dark hair, New York City’s female denizens filled hair salons seeking pixie cuts and bleach jobs.
Berkowitz, now 69, has been behind bars ever since his arrest.
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Donna Lauria: The First Victim
NY Daily News/Getty
One bullet killed Lauria instantly. Valenti was shot in the thigh, and survived the attack. She said the killer walked away briskly, and didn’t say a word before or after the shooting.
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The Second Victim: Christine Freund
Berkowitz non-fatally shot two people before killing his second victim.
On January 30, 1977, Christine Freund, 26, and her fiancé John Diel, 30, were sitting in his car near a train station in Forest Hills, Queens. The two had just seenRocky, and were about to go dancing.
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Third Victim Virginia Voskerichian – and Someone Sees the ‘Son of Sam’
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Victims Valentina Suriani and Alexander Esau – and a Taunting Letter
Vic DeLucia/New York Post Archives
Police found a letter at the scene addressed to the NYPD’s chief of detectives. The letter explained the killings would not stop, and was signed “Son of Sam.” Berkowitz even taunted detectives for their lack of progress in the investigation.
“I live for the hunt—my life,” Berkowitz wrote. “I dont want to kill anymore no sir, no more but I must, ‘honour thy father.'”
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Stacy Moskowitz, the Last Victim
Both were shot in the head, and Moskowitz died several hours after arriving in a hospital for treatment. Violante lived but has suffered from a visual impairment ever since.
07of 13’Son of Sam’ Claimed He’s Evangelical ‘Son of Hope’The New York TimesBerkowitz has been incarcerated since his arrest. He was sentenced to six life sentences after being convicted of multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.Two years into his sentence, a fellow prisoner slashed his throat from ear to ear. It required 50 stitches to close. Berkowitz refused to identify his assailant, saying he deserved such treatment for his crimes.In 2017, the serial killer, claiming to be an evangelical Christian, referred to himself as the “Son of Hope.” He said he found God in 1987, and runs a website that expresses his religious views and beliefs.
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‘Son of Sam’ Claimed He’s Evangelical ‘Son of Hope’
The New York Times
Berkowitz has been incarcerated since his arrest. He was sentenced to six life sentences after being convicted of multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.
Two years into his sentence, a fellow prisoner slashed his throat from ear to ear. It required 50 stitches to close. Berkowitz refused to identify his assailant, saying he deserved such treatment for his crimes.
In 2017, the serial killer, claiming to be an evangelical Christian, referred to himself as the “Son of Hope.” He said he found God in 1987, and runs a website that expresses his religious views and beliefs.
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Carl Denaro, Survivor
Courtesy Carl Denaro
“I believe other people were involved,” Denaro says. “He [Berkowitz] had help, and I am not alone in thinking this. Berkowitz in an interview comes right out and says he did not shoot Carl Denaro and claims that it was woman.”
09of 13Sensational HeadlinesNew York PostThe series of shootings that held New York City in the grip of fear back in the late 1970s dominated newspaper headlines both across the Tri-State area and nationwide.Detectives who worked the Son of Sam case told PEOPLE there was one newspaper headline in particular that really helped to spread the hysteria.The August 1, 1977, front page of the New York Post declared “No One Is Safe From Son Of Sam,” and suggested investigators were no closer to making an arrest. However, nine days later, Berkowitz was arrested.
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Sensational Headlines
New York Post
The series of shootings that held New York City in the grip of fear back in the late 1970s dominated newspaper headlines both across the Tri-State area and nationwide.
Detectives who worked the Son of Sam case told PEOPLE there was one newspaper headline in particular that really helped to spread the hysteria.
The August 1, 1977, front page of the New York Post declared “No One Is Safe From Son Of Sam,” and suggested investigators were no closer to making an arrest. However, nine days later, Berkowitz was arrested.
10of 13Disturbing Scribbles on His Apartment WallsAP PhotoThe walls of Berkowitz’s Yonkers apartment gave investigators just a small glimpse inside the mind of the Son of Sam.The killer had punched holes in the walls, trying to silence the voices he said he heard coming from behind them. He’d scribble down descriptions of the voices he had heard next to each corresponding hole.The most infamous of the voices was “Mr. Williams.” The Son of Sam believed the man was keeping “several children” he was “turning into killers…Wait ‘til they grow up.“Detectives who worked the case tell PEOPLE they get chills when they recollect entering Berkowitz’s apartment.
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Disturbing Scribbles on His Apartment Walls
AP Photo
The walls of Berkowitz’s Yonkers apartment gave investigators just a small glimpse inside the mind of the Son of Sam.
The killer had punched holes in the walls, trying to silence the voices he said he heard coming from behind them. He’d scribble down descriptions of the voices he had heard next to each corresponding hole.
The most infamous of the voices was “Mr. Williams.” The Son of Sam believed the man was keeping “several children” he was “turning into killers…Wait ‘til they grow up.”
Detectives who worked the case tell PEOPLE they get chills when they recollect entering Berkowitz’s apartment.
11of 13Notes that Taunted PoliceBettmann/Getty ImagesThe Son of Sam enjoyed the attention and media coverage his crimes created, according to psychiatrists who spoke to PEOPLE.To help perpetrate the attention, Berkowitz began leaving notes at the scenes of each shooting for detectives. Most taunted the police for failing to identify and apprehend him. In one, he even offered to buy all the officers he was troubling new shoes. Other notes provided insight into the killer’s mindset.“Sam loves to drink blood,” he wrote in one. “‘Go out and kill’ commands Father Sam. Behind our house, some rest. Mostly young — raped and slaughtered, their blood drained, just bones now.”
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Notes that Taunted Police
Bettmann/Getty Images
The Son of Sam enjoyed the attention and media coverage his crimes created, according to psychiatrists who spoke to PEOPLE.
To help perpetrate the attention, Berkowitz began leaving notes at the scenes of each shooting for detectives. Most taunted the police for failing to identify and apprehend him. In one, he even offered to buy all the officers he was troubling new shoes. Other notes provided insight into the killer’s mindset.
“Sam loves to drink blood,” he wrote in one. “‘Go out and kill’ commands Father Sam. Behind our house, some rest. Mostly young — raped and slaughtered, their blood drained, just bones now.”
12of 13Clues to Future Killings in His Apartment?NY Daily News Archive/Getty ImagesThe Son of Sam lived in a small one-bedroom that was sparsely furnished and totally unorganized. His bed had no sheets and records were strewn all across the floor.One detective who worked the case tells PEOPLE his apartment was “your typical bachelor pad,” with dirty dishes and empty food containers. But ominously, he also had maps of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut opened up on the floor.Investigators say they arrested Berkowitz just as he was planning to carry out similar shooting attacks in New Jersey, Connecticut and on Long Island. He even planned an attack in The Hamptons, and had a getaway cottage in Shelter Island rented out for late summer.
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Clues to Future Killings in His Apartment?
NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images
The Son of Sam lived in a small one-bedroom that was sparsely furnished and totally unorganized. His bed had no sheets and records were strewn all across the floor.
One detective who worked the case tells PEOPLE his apartment was “your typical bachelor pad,” with dirty dishes and empty food containers. But ominously, he also had maps of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut opened up on the floor.
Investigators say they arrested Berkowitz just as he was planning to carry out similar shooting attacks in New Jersey, Connecticut and on Long Island. He even planned an attack in The Hamptons, and had a getaway cottage in Shelter Island rented out for late summer.
13of 13’You got me. What took you so long?‘Berkowitz being led into a police station after his 1977 arrest.Alan Aaronson/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesAfter Son of Sam’s arrest, New York residents breathed a sigh of relief that his reign of terror was finally over. To this day, the name Son of Sam remains synonymous with evil.What were Berkowitz’s first words to investigators upon being handcuffed and taken into custody? Another taunt: “You got me. What took you so long?”
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‘You got me. What took you so long?’
Berkowitz being led into a police station after his 1977 arrest.Alan Aaronson/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
After Son of Sam’s arrest, New York residents breathed a sigh of relief that his reign of terror was finally over. To this day, the name Son of Sam remains synonymous with evil.
What were Berkowitz’s first words to investigators upon being handcuffed and taken into custody? Another taunt: “You got me. What took you so long?”
source: people.com
