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David Berkowitz is an American serial killer who murdered six people in New York City in 1976-77, plunging the city into a panic and unleashing one of the largest manhunts in New York history. Known as Son of Sam, Berkowitz was arrested on August 10, 1977, 11 days after his last murder, and was sentenced to six consecutive 25-years-to-life terms. After finishing military service in 1974, Berkowitz returned to New York where he got a job as a letter sorter for the U.S. Postal Service and settled into an apartment in Yonkers. Neighbors and co-workers described him as a loner who kept to himself.
On July 29, 1976, Berkowitz began his killing rampage, starting with two teenage girls, Jody Valenti and Donna Lauria, in the Bronx. The two were sitting in Valenti's car in front of Lauria's home when Berkowitz shot at them, killing Lauria and injuring Valenti.
A few months later, Berkowitz was at it again. Spotting a couple in yet another parked car, he fired at them, resulting in a massive injury to the man's skull. That November, Berkowitz also shot at two teen girls walking home together and left one paraplegic. Police around this time had yet to put these shooting incidents together to realize they were related.
But all that changed in January 1977 when Berkowitz attacked another couple in a parked car. Approaching Christine Freund and her fiancé, Berkowitz shot twice, striking Freund's head, which later proved to be fatal. Because Berkowitz used the same .44 caliber gun in all of his shootings, the police were on his trail, initially referring to him as the “.44-caliber killer,” which later evolved to the “Son of Sam” moniker.
That March, Berkowitz murdered college student Virginia Voskerichian as she was walking home from class. The next month Berkowitz claimed another couple, Valentina Suriani and Alexander Esau, in their car, but this time, he left a letter nearby addressed to NYPD Captain Joseph Borrelli, calling himself “Son of Sam” for the first time. Throughout his murderous streak, Berkowitz left numerous letters near his victims’ bodies, taunting the police and eluding their capture. As a result, the media coverage of his crimes was widespread and Berkowitz relished the spotlight. All the while, New Yorkers lived in fear of being his next victim.
Berkowitz's final hit happened in the early hours of July 31, 1977, in Brooklyn. He shot Stacy Moskowitz and Bobby Violante. Moskowitz later died, and Violante was blinded in one eye and lost most of the vision in the other from his injuries. Fortunately for the police, a witness noticed something at the scene that helped in cracking the case.
At the scene of the Moskowitz-Violante shootings, a witness saw a man getting away in a car that had a parking ticket on it. Only a handful of tickets were given out that day, and one of them was for Berkowitz. On August 10, 1977, authorities arrested him. According to The New York Times, Berkowitz said, "Well, you've got me" when they took him into custody.
During questioning, Berkowitz explained that he had been commanded to kill by his neighbor Sam Carr, who sent messages to Berkowitz through his dog, a demon-possessed Labrador retriever named “Harvey.” Due to his outrageous claims, Berkowitz underwent numerous psychological evaluations but was declared “competent” to stand trial. In 1978 Berkowitz pled guilty to the six killings, as well as nearly 1,500 fires he had set in and around New York City. He received 25-years-to-life for each murder. Although he has been put up for parole on numerous occasions (most recently in 2016 and he will be eligible for parole for the 16th time in 2018), he has been consistently denied release. Berkowitz is currently serving his time in Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Wallkill, New York
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