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Calling himself the “Son of Sam” in a letter left at one of many crime scenes, David Berkowitz claimed voices have been ordering him to kill — beginning in the summertime of 1976, he went on a 13-month spree of impulse killings in New York Metropolis that left six lifeless and 7 injured.
David Berkowitz, seen right here in a photograph from the 1968 James M. Kieran J.H.S. yearbook, was born on June 1, 1953. He was given up for adoption at start and raised in Bronx, N.Y., by Pearl and Nathan Berkowitz.
Berkowitz Self-Portrait
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David Berkowitz in a self-portrait from a coin-operated picture sales space throughout his stint within the Military. He joined the Military in 1971, at age 18, and served in South Korea. He was honorably discharged in 1974.
In March 1976, he started working as part-time mail sorter at a U.S. Postal Service hub within the Bronx.
The Shootings Start
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Berkowitz terrorized New York Metropolis by killing six individuals and wounding seven others in seemingly random shootings from July 1976 to July 1977:
July 29, 1976: Jody Valenti and Donna Lauria, 18, pictured, have been shot as they sat in a parked automotive in Bronx, N.Y. Lauria died immediately from a gunshot wound to her neck. Valenti survived.
Oct. 23, 1976: Carl Denaro, 20, and Rosemary Keenan, 18, have been shot whereas sitting in Denaro’s parked automotive. Each survived, however Denaro was struck within the head by one of many bullets.
Nov. 27, 1976: Donna DeMasi and Joanne Lomino, 18, have been strolling close to Lomino’s house in Queens, N.Y., after a late film. Berkowitz adopted them briefly, then shot them. DeMasi survived with out struggling everlasting bodily hurt, however Lomino was paralyzed.
Jan. 30, 1977: Christine Freund, 26, and her fiance, John Diel, have been shot as they sat in a parked automotive in Flushing, N.Y. Freund died; Diel survived the assault.
“Son of Sam” Survivor
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“Son of Sam” sufferer Donna DeMasi, who was shot within the neck in 1976, talks with a reporter as she arrives at court docket in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Might 23, 1978.
Capturing Spree Continues
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The shooter, who had not but been recognized as David Berkowitz, shot strangers, typically {couples} in parked vehicles, and the ladies normally had shoulder-length, darkish brown hair. He was dubbed the “.44 Caliber Killer” by New York newspapers.
March 8, 1977: Police at proven on the scene the place school pupil Virginia Voskeritchian, 19, was shot and killed outdoors her house in Flushing N.Y. The capturing is a block away from the place Christine Freund was murdered on January 30.
Virginia Voskeritchian
Louis Liotta/New York Publish Archives
March 8, 1977: Virginia Voskerichian, 19, was shot within the face as she returned house from courses at Barnard Faculty, the place she was an honor pupil. She died immediately.
April 17, 1977: Valentina Suriani, 18, and her boyfriend, Alexander Esau, 20, have been shot twice in Bronx, N.Y. Each died on account of gunshot wounds.
Berkowitz left a letter on the scene, signed “Son of Sam.”
“Son of Sam”‘s Letter
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Might 30, 1977: The shooter despatched a handwritten letter to New York Every day Information columnist Jimmy Breslin. It was signed “Son of Sam.”
KiIler Taunts Cops
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June 6, 1977: The New York Every day Information revealed “Son of Sam’s” letter to Breslin.
One other Couple Shot
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June 26, 1977: Police examine a Cadillac the place Judy Placido and Sal Lupo have been shot in Bayside, Queens, N.Y.
“Son of Sam” Survivor
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June 26, 1977: Judy Placido [not pictured], 17, and Sal Lupo, 20, have been shot whereas leaving a disco in Queens, N.Y, whwere Lupo is pictured, proper, with buddies. Placido was shot 3 times; each survived. 4 bullets from a .44 caliber revolver had been fired.
“Son of Sam’s” Final Victims
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July 31, 1977: The brown 1968 Buick Skylark belonging to Robert Violante, 20, parked in Bathtub Seashore, Brooklyn, N,Y., the place Violante and Stacy Moskowitz, 19, have been shot by David Berkowitz. Moskowitz died; Violante was partially blinded.
Victims of the “Son of Sam”: In their very own phrases
Son of Sam | The Killer Speaks
“Son of Sam” Sufferer
AP Picture
July 31, 1977: Violante, 20, and Moskowitz, 19, have been shot in Violante’s automotive whereas parked at a lover’s lane in Brooklyn; it was their first date.
“The medical doctors mentioned I used to be not going to make it, and that Stacy would,” Violante advised CBS Information.
A .44 caliber slug destroyed Violante’s left eye and broken his proper eye because it tore throughout his cranium. Moskowitz died from a gunshot wound to her head.
Victims of the “Son of Sam”: In their very own phrases
http://www.cbsnews.com/information/son-of-sam-victims-in-their-own-words/
“Son of Sam” Sketch
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Aug. 3, 1977: Following the shootings of Violante and Moskowitz, police launched a sketch of the capturing suspect, based mostly on descriptions by witnesses.
All the shootings occurred in New York Metropolis borroughs of the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.
“Son of Sam” Caught
NY Publish Archives by way of Getty Photographs
Aug. 10, 1977: Berkowitz, 24, of Yonkers, N.Y. was arrested in entrance of his residence constructing as he sat on the wheel of his automotive.
Detectives John Falotico and Edward Zigo, two of the arresting officers, are pictured with the suspect enroute to Brooklyn Prison Court docket.
Smiling Berkowitz in Custody
Robert R. McElroy/Getty Photographs
Aug. 10, 1977: Cops escort accused serial killer Berkowitz, left, often known as the “Son of Sam,” into the 84th Precinct Station, in New York.
“Son of Sam” Caught
NY Every day Information Archive by way of Getty Photographs
The Aug. 11, 1977 entrance web page of the NY Every day Information reporting the arrest of the .”44 Caliber Killer.”
“Son of Sam” Caught
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Aug. 11, 1977: On the Manhattan Police Headquarters, among the a whole lot of policemen concerned within the “Son of Sam” manhunt examine his seize.
The .44 Caliber Revolver
Larry C. Morris/New York Instances Co./Getty Photographs
Aug. 11, 1977: New York mayor Abraham Beame, left, appears on as police detective Edward Zigo holds up a .44 caliber revolver, the alleged homicide weapon of the “Son of Sam” serial killer, David Berkowitz, at New York Police headquarters.
Writing on the Wall
AP Picture
Aug. 12, 1977: These handwritten messages have been discovered on the wall within the residence of .44-caliber “”Son of Sam”” capturing suspect David Berkowitz in Yonkers, New York. Following his arrest, Berkowitz underwent a court-ordered psychological analysis, the place he was discovered competent to face trial.
Might 8, 1978: Berkowitz pleaded responsible to the shootings.
David Berkowitz Speaks Out
CBS Information
Convicted serial killer David Berkowitz is serving six consecutive life sentences. He has been incarcerated on the Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Wallkill, N.Y., since April 2016.
“I see that individuals won’t ever perceive the place I come from, regardless of how a lot I attempt to clarify it,” David Berkowitz advised CBS Information in 2017 — his first main TV interview in a decade and his solely interview in regards to the fortieth anniversary of his arrest.”They would not perceive what it was wish to stroll in darkness.”
