David Berkowitz’s Crimes Begin
Berkowitz first showed a propensity for violence as a child, and his behavior only grew more erratic following the death of his adoptive mother when he was a teenager. While serving in the Army in the early 1970s, he honed his skills as a marksman. After he was honorably discharged in 1974, Berkowitz returned to New York where, according to entries in his diary, he set approximately 1,500 fires before targeting human beings. Despite his ease with firearms, Berkowitz chose a knife to attack his first victim, a woman he stabbed multiple times. She survived.
While the Son of Sam shooting spree was long thought to have begun in July 1976, investigators confirmed in 2024 that Berkowitz’s first shooting victim was actually fired at in April 1976 when Berkowitz pulled a gun on Wendy Savino five times as she sat in her car in the Bronx. Miraculously, Savino survived and provided police with a detailed description of a blue-eyed man who smiled and laughed as he shot her. There was no apparent motive since her assailant didn’t take any money or jewelry or her car.
Berkowitz’s first murder, however, occurred on July 29, 1976, also in the Bronx, when he shot Donna Lauria and Jody Valenti three times with a .44 caliber revolver as they sat in Valenti’s parked car. Eighteen-year old Lauria died at the scene, while 19-year-old Valenti survived and offered police a description of their attacker.
Four more victims survived being shot in October and November of that year in two separate incidents in Queens and Long Island. Again, there seemed to be no motive behind the shootings. Following Berkowitz’s eventual arrest, he said he’d gone for a drive every night looking for a sign to kill.
Another attack occurred on January 30, 1977, when an engaged couple, Christine Freund and John Diel, was shot in a car in Queens. Diel was able to drive away and survived, but Freund succumbed to her injuries. This incident helped police connect most of the previous cases because all since July 1976 were committed with a .44 caliber weapon. On March 8, 1977, when 19-year old Virginia Voskerichian was shot in the head with the same-caliber bullet, she died instantly, and panic began to spread about the “.44 Caliber Killer.”
The Crimes Escalate
On April 17, 1977, Berkowitz successfully committed his first double homicide by shooting 18-year old Valentina Suriani and her 20-year old boyfriend, Alexander Esau. The young couple was sitting in Suriani’s car in the Bronx when they were both shot twice. She died instantly, while he later died at the hospital. This time, Berkowitz left behind a handwritten note stating more murders would follow and calling himself the Son of Sam.
The following month, Berkowitz sent prominent Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin a handwritten letter. Once that letter and Berkowitz’s seeming propensity for killing women with long dark hair were made known to the public, women throughout the New York City area began lightening and cutting their hair.
Another couple was shot in June, but both survived, and on July 31, 20-year old Robert Violante and 19-year old Stacy Moskowitz, who was blond, were shot in his car while on a date in Brooklyn. He survived, but she died several hours later. A bystander that night—who noticed someone appearing to have a gun and also saw police issuing parking tickets—helped clinch the case. Berkowitz’s car was among those ticketed that night, and police discovered he was already being investigated for harassing a neighbor.
Finally Caught
Berkowitz was arrested without incident on August 10, 1977. One day later, he claimed Carr’s demon-possessed dog, Harvey, had made him do it. Later, Berkowitz reportedly felt the media had misrepresented or sensationalized certain aspects of his crimes, especially when they theorized about a possible Satanic cult connection and discussed the influence of Harvey. Berkowitz said he had initially claimed Harvey instructed him to murder in order to bolster an argument for an insanity defense.
Berkowitz underwent a series of psychological tests to determine if he was mentally fit to stand trial. Two court-appointed psychiatrists felt he truly believed demons were communicating with him and deemed him mentally incompetent, but a third psychiatrist disagreed. The court sided with the expert who found Berkowitz was mentally fit to face charges. Ultimately, Berkowitz pleaded guilty to all counts.
In 1978, Berkowitz was sentenced to six consecutive terms of 25 years to life. He became eligible for parole after 25 years but has been denied 12 times. He is currently incarcerated at the Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Shawangunk, N.Y., where he says he has become a born-again Christian.
