By: Kevin Roughan and Chris Watson ( sions.net/2012/son- of-sam-david- berkowitz, 2012) sions.net/2012/son- of-sam-david- berkowitz

Who was the Son Of Sam?  David Richard Berkowitz (born Richard David Falco; June 1, 1953)(1)  Also known as Son of Sam and the.44 Caliber Killer(1)  Was an infamous 1970s New York City serial killer who killed six people and wounded several others. His crimes became legendary because of the bizarre content in the letters that he wrote to the police and the media and his reasons for committing the attacks. With the police feeling the pressure to catch the killer, "Operation Omega" was formed, which was comprised of over 200 detectives; all working on finding the Son of Sam before he killed again. (1) Wikipedia, 2013 ( 2013)

Childhood David Richard Berkowitz was the adopted son of Nathan and Pearl Berkowitz. The family lived in a middle-class home in the Bronx. The couple loved and doted on their son yet Berkowitz grew up feeling rejected and scorned because of being adopted. His size and appearance did not help matters. He was larger than most of the kids his age and not particularly attractive. His parents were not social people and Berkowitz followed in that path, developing a reputation for being a loner. (1) ( 2013) ( sions.net/2012/son- of-sam-david- berkowitz, 2012) sions.net/2012/son- of-sam-david- berkowitz

Childhood Cont.  “As far back as I can remember my childhood was not that of a normal child. It started when I was about five or six years old. I was completely uncontrollable. I would rampage through the house, sometimes overturning furniture. A tremendous force would come upon me and urge me to do destructive things to property or even to myself. Other times I would be in total silence to my parents and not respond to their outreaches of love. I would lock myself in the closet in the darkness and stay there for hours. I was depressed at times and my parents would have to pull me away from the window to keep me from committing suicide. I was a tormented child, always having psychological problems. School officials sent me to a child psychologist.” – David Berkowitz  ( 2012)

GENERAL KILLER PROFILE  “A witness to the event was able to give a accurate description of David Berkowitz – white male, years old, 6 feet tall, medium build with dark hair. In fact, David actually spoke to the witness as they passed. The witness recounted that David calmly spoke, “Hi mister”. In an unusual twist, police realized later that they themselves had spotted David running away from the scene before the call from dispatch came in.”(2)  He does fit the general killer profile because of his physical characteristics and also mental because at age 21, he scored a 118 on an IQ Test.(2) ( 2012)

PHASES

AURA PHASE David grew up in the Bronx and was known to be a loner, hyperactive, and sometimes violent. He was always rather large for his age and had the reputation for being a bully. At age 14, his mother died of cancer and that affected him greatly. (2) He was raised by his father, Nat, until 1971 when Nat remarried. Nat’s new wife was quite disturbed with David’s unusual and violent behavior and soon Nat and his bride moved to Florida, leaving the 18 year old David on his own in the Bronx. (2) The lonely and confused David joined the Army that same year (1971) where he became an excellent marksman (2) While in the service he had an unfortunate flay with a Korean prostitute that resulted in David contracting a venereal disease. After serving his military term he returned to the Bronx, still with no real direction. (2) It was at this time (in 1974) that David, who knew he was adopted, decided to track down his real parents. Using the Bureau of Records, he determined that his real name was Richard Falco. Looking through a phone book, by chance, he found a Betty Falco (Broder) and gave her a call. She eagerly agreed to talk to David and he soon learned of the events surrounding his birth. (2) Although David must have been quite disturbed to hear of the details of his birth, he continued to visit Betty and Roslyn for a while (Joseph Kleinman had already passed away in 1965 from a bout with cancer). Gradually, during the year of 1975, they began to drift apart again until he no longer had any contact with them. This was shortly before the first crime (2) ( 2012)

AURA CONT. Shortly before the killings, David turned to arson as a way to vent his anger. His diary indicates he set over 1400 fires in New York during 1975 (yes, he recorded the dates and location of each fire). He also claims that during this period he attempted two (some sources indicated three) knife attacks against women. Both women survived. David indicated that his feelings at that time were of demons, harassing him through the continual barking of his neighbors dogs, and ordering him to initiate these dastardly attacks (2) At last, David Berkowitz broke and his killing rampage began. Exhilarated by the attention he began receiving from the media, David experienced for the first time a sense of self respect. Finally, people were beginning to pay attention to the loner from the Bronx. (2) ( 2012)

 David claimed that he stalked women every night and if unsuccessful he would simply return to the scene of one of his previous crimes in order to ‘relive’ the experience. He indicated that he wanted to attend the funerals but was afraid he would be noticed (although he admits that he did visit the graves). (2) ( david-berkowitz, 2012) david-berkowitz

WOOING AND CAPTURE PHASES Would sometimes begin to try to start a conversation and then proceed to shoot victim. He would try to get their attention in a few cases. (2) He would shoot couples that were sitting in their cars. He would walk up to the car and not hesitate to shoot each of them a few times before quickly hurrying away from the scene. He would try to bring no attention to himself. (2)

MURDER PHASE Would use a.44 Bulldog revolver to shoot his victims and would shoot them and run away. (2)

Totem Phase  He would immediately leave the scene to avoid being caught and would drive off without taking or leaving anything. (2)

Depression Phase  He was driven by anger, so he would kill because of the demons that he claimed tormented him and made him continue. He never felt remorse because he said he could never be helped and accepted the fact that he could only kill. He would be happy after killings and feel better. (2)  “It felt like I was walking on air,” – David Berkowitz (2)  He would sent threatening letters to the Police and would take great pride in taunting them. (2) ( 2012)

 (2)

Death Toll  David had killed six people  blinded one  paralyzed one  wounded seven  (2) ( 2012)

 David Berkowitz was stable because he stayed in New York in the Bronx and Queens (3)  He was disorganized because of the the stupid mistakes he left in the end that lead him to being caught in the future. (3) ( 2012)

 On July 29, 1977, exactly one year after the first incident, the New York police feared an anniversary killing. They anxiously waited and were relieved when all remained quiet. But, two days later on July 31, 1977, Son of Sam struck for the last time. Stacy Moskowitz and Bobby Violante were parking at Gravesend Bay in Brooklyn around 1:45 AM after seeing a movie together. (2) (2)

 A witness to the incident, Cacilia Davis, gave police a eyewitness report that to some, seemed confusing. She reported Berkowitz’s yellow Volkswagen at the scene. She also told of seeing a man trying to hide, a man that she thought was concealing a gun. She gave a detailed description of the man but police were disappointed to hear that the description differed from the profile of David Berkowitz that they had already compiled. (2)  Berkowitz parked illegally and received a parking ticket that day. The ticket was key to catching him. (2) ( 2012)

 Bobby was shot twice in the face. Stacy was shot once in the head. Stacy died 38 hours later in a New York hospital. Bobby survived the attack but was declared legally blind after losing his left eye and 80% of the vision in his right eye. (2)  Former neighbors of Berkowitz’s that had the “demonic” dogs Berkowitz talked about went to the Police to try to make him a suspect. (2)  The Police monitored his house and waited till he came out…..

 Once he did, he left the house with a brown paper bag with his gun in it. (2)  As soon as he entered his car the police surrounded him and one officer quickly placed a gun to his head ordering him to freeze. (2) “Now that I’ve got you,” Falotico said, “who have I got?” “You know,” David replied “No, I don’t. You tell me.” Falotico countered. Still smiling, he answered, “I’m Sam. David Berkowitz.”(2)

 On June 12, 1978, Berkowitz was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for each murder, to be served consecutively. He was ordered to serve his time in the upstate New York supermax prison, Attica Correctional Facility. (3)  Today he is still serving his sentence and has denied his parole 6 times claiming he belongs where he is. (3) He is now a born-again Christian and described as a model prisoner. (1)

(1) Charles Montaldo, (2012). David Berkowitz - The Son of Sam. Retrieved from ofsam.htm (2) Altered Dimensions, (2013). Son of Sam – David Berkowitz. Retrieved from sam-david-berkowitz

 (3) Wikipedia, (2013) David Berkowitz. Retrieved from witz