On August 10, 1977, 24-year-old postal worker David Berkowitz was arrested by police and charged as the infamous “Son of Sam,” the serial killer who terrorized New York City for over a year. Berkowitz’s killing spree left six young people dead and seven others wounded, all from a .44-caliber revolver. Fearing for their safety, hundreds of young women, who Berkowitz often targeted due to their long brown hair, opted to cut their hair short and dye it blonde, while countless others chose to stay indoors at night.

Following his arrest, Berkowitz claimed that he had been driven to kill by demons and a black Labrador retriever owned by his neighbor, Sam, who he believed had commanded him to commit the murders.

Raised by adoptive parents in the Bronx, Berkowitz was deeply affected by the death of his adoptive mother from cancer in 1967, an event that led him to become increasingly reclusive. In 1971, he enlisted in the army, serving for three years and earning recognition as a skilled marksman. After returning to New York in 1974, he worked as a security guard, but by 1975, his mental health had severely deteriorated, later diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia.

Feeling increasingly disconnected from society, Berkowitz turned to arson, setting hundreds of fires across New York City without being caught. His delusions grew stronger, with “demonic” voices tormenting him and urging him to kill. On Christmas Eve 1975, Berkowitz acted on these voices, severely injuring 15-year-old Michelle Forman with a hunting knife.

In January 1976, Berkowitz moved to a two-family home in Yonkers, a New York suburb. He became convinced that a German shepherd in the house and other neighborhood dogs were possessed by demons instructing him to kill attractive young women. One neighborhood dog was shot, likely by Berkowitz, and he began to perceive his neighbors as demons.

In April of the same year, Berkowitz moved to an apartment in Yonkers, but his new home also had dogs. His neighbor, Sam Carr, owned a black Labrador retriever named Harvey, whom Berkowitz believed was imploring him to kill. Berkowitz also saw Sam Carr as a powerful demon, referring to him when he later adopted the name “Son of Sam.”

On July 28, 1976, Berkowitz quit his job as a security guard. Early the next morning, he approached a parked car in the Bronx, where two young women were talking, and fired five shots into the vehicle with his .44 revolver. Eighteen-year-old Donna Lauria was killed instantly, while her friend Jody Valenti was injured. The police were left without any motives or leads.

Berkowitz struck again on the morning of October 24, critically injuring 20-year-old Carl Denaro as he sat in a car with a female friend in Queens. A little over a month later, on November 26, 16-year-old Donna DeMasi and 18-year-old Joanne Lomino were shot and seriously wounded while walking home from a movie. On January 30, 1977, Berkowitz fatally shot Christine Freund as she sat in a car in Queens with her fiancé. The police began to suspect that these crimes were the work of a single killer, though few intact bullets were found to confirm this theory.

On March 8, 19-year-old college student Virginia Voskerichian was shot to death while walking home in Manhattan. An intact bullet was recovered and matched one from Berkowitz’s first murder. The New York police announced that a serial killer was on the loose, describing him as a white male in his 20s, with black hair and an average build.

To track down the killer, a large detective team known as the “Omega” task force was assembled. On April 17, 18-year-old Valentina Suriani and 20-year-old Alexander Esau were shot and killed by the same gun while kissing in their parked car near the Hutchinson River Parkway. This time, the killer left a note, calling himself the “Son of Sam.”

On April 29, Berkowitz shot Sam Carr’s Labrador retriever after previously sending a threatening anonymous letter to Carr about the dog. Although the dog survived, the Yonkers police launched an investigation. Berkowitz also began sending bizarre letters to other neighbors and former landlords, raising suspicions that he was the Son of Sam. These suspicions were reported to the local police, who notified the Omega task force, but the detectives were overwhelmed with thousands of dead-end leads.

On June 26, Berkowitz attacked again, wounding Judy Placido and Sal Lupo as they sat in their car after leaving a Queens disco. Public fear of the serial killer escalated, leading to a significant drop in business for New York nightclubs and restaurants. A heatwave and a 25-hour blackout in mid-July further heightened the tension. On July 31, just two days after the anniversary of his first killing, Berkowitz shot a young couple kissing in a parked car in Brooklyn. Twenty-year-old Stacy Moskowitz was fatally injured, and her boyfriend, Bobby Violante, lost his left eye and nearly all the vision in his right eye.

A few days later, the case took a significant turn when an eyewitness reported seeing a man with a gun shortly before the Brooklyn shooting. Her information led to the first police sketch of Berkowitz. More importantly, she reminded investigators that two police officers had been issuing parking tickets on her street that night. A search through the tickets issued eventually led them to Berkowitz’s car.

At the same time, the Yonkers police were investigating Berkowitz after he intensified a harassment campaign against one of his neighbors. Convinced that he was the Son of Sam, they shared their findings with the Omega task force. The detectives finally connected the dots, and on August 10, Berkowitz was arrested as he left his Yonkers home. He eagerly confessed to being the Son of Sam. He was found carrying a semiautomatic rifle and admitted that he was on his way to commit another murder. The .44-caliber revolver was also recovered.

Questions arose about Berkowitz’s mental fitness to stand trial, but on May 8, 1978, he withdrew an insanity defense and pleaded guilty to the six murders. Berkowitz seemed to revel in the media attention surrounding his case and sold the exclusive rights to his story to a publishing house. This led to New York adopting the first “Son of Sam law,” which redirects any profits a criminal earns from selling their story to a victims’ compensation fund.

Berkowitz was sentenced to six consecutive 25-years-to-life terms, the maximum penalty at the time. He has been denied parole multiple times and remains incarcerated at the Shawangunk Correctional Facility in upstate New York, where he reportedly converted to Christianity.