David Berkowitz - The Son of Sam:

David Berkowitz, better known as Son of Sam, is an infamous 1970s New York City serial killer w o killed si! "eo"le and wounded several ot ers# $is %rimes be%ame le&endary be%ause of t e bizarre %ontent in t e letters t at e wrote to t e "oli%e and t e media and is reasons for %ommittin& t e atta%ks# 'it t e "oli%e feelin& t e "ressure to %at% t e killer, ()"eration )me&a( was formed, w i% was %om"rised of over *00 dete%tives+ all workin& on findin& t e Son of Sam before e killed a&ain#

Berkowitz's Childhood:
David Berkowitz, born ,une 1, 19-., was t e ado"ted son of Nat an and /earl Berkowitz# 0 e family lived in a middle1%lass ome in t e Bron!# 0 e %ou"le loved and doted on t eir son yet Berkowitz &rew u" feelin& re2e%ted and s%orned be%ause of bein& ado"ted# $is size and a""earan%e did not el" matters# $e was lar&er t an most of t e kids is a&e and not "arti%ularly attra%tive# $is "arents were not so%ial "eo"le and Berkowitz followed in t at "at , develo"in& a re"utation for bein& a loner#

Berkowitz was Plagued with Guilt and Anger:

Berkowitz was an avera&e student and did not s ow any "arti%ular flair for any one sub2e%t# $e did, owever, develo" into a de%ent baseball "layer w i% be%ame is main outside a%tivity# 3round t e nei& bor ood e ad a re"utation for bein& y"er and a bully# Believin& is natural mot er died w ile &ivin& birt to im was t e sour%e of intense &uilt and an&er inside Berkowitz# Some believe it was t e reason for is anti1 so%ial and a&&ressive be avior as a % ild#

The Death of

is !other:

/earl Berkowitz ad a reo%%urren%e wit breast %an%er and died in 1947# Berkowitz was devastated and be%ame severely de"ressed# $e viewed is mot er5s deat as a master "lot desi&ned to destroy im# $e be&an to fail in s% ool and s"ent most all of is time alone# ' en is fat er remarried in 1971, is new wife did not &et alon& wit t e youn& Berkowitz, and t e newly wed %ou"le moved to 6lorida leavin& 171year1old Berkowitz be ind#

Berkowitz "eunites with

is Birth !other:

Berkowitz 2oined t e army and after a disastrous t ree years e left t e servi%e# Durin& t at time e ad is one and only se!ual e!"erien%e wit a "rostitute and %au& t a venereal disease# ' en e returned ome from t e army, e found out is natural mot er was still alive and t at e ad a sister# 0 ere was a brief reunion, but eventually Berkowitz sto""ed visitin&# $is isolation, fantasies, and "aranoid delusions were now in full for%e#

Driven B# Demons:

)n C ristmas 8ve 197-, Berkowitz5s 9demons: drove im out into t e streets wit a untin& knife to find a vi%tim to kill# ;ater e %onfessed to "lun&in& is knife into two women, one w i% %ould not be %onfirmed# 0 e se%ond vi%tim, 1-1year1old <i% elle 6orman, survived t e atta%k and was treated for si! knife wounds# Soon after t e atta%ks, Berkowitz moved out of t e Bron! to a two1family ome in Yonkers# =t was in t is ome t at t e Son of Sam would be %reated#

owling Dogs and General $a%k Cosmo:

$owlin& do&s in t e nei& bor ood ke"t Berkowitz from slee"in& and in is deran&ed mind, e turned t eir owls into messa&es from demons t at were orderin& im to &o kill women# $e later said t at in attem"t to >uiet t e demons, e be&an to do w at t ey asked# ,a%k and Nann Cassara owned t e ome and in time Berkowitz be%ame %onvin%ed t at t e >uiet %ou"le was in trut , "art of t e demon %ons"ira%y, wit ,a%k bein& ?eneral ,a%k Cosmo, %ommander in % ief of t e do&s t at tormented im#

A Thirst for Blood:

' en e moved away from t e Cassaras into an a"artment on /ine Street, e failed to es%a"e t e %ontrollin& demons# $is new nei& bor, Sam Carr, ad a bla%k ;abrador named $arvey, w o Berkowitz believed was also "ossessed# $e eventually s ot t e do&, but t at did not offer im relief be%ause e ad %ome to believe t at Sam Carr was "ossessed by t e most "owerful demon of t em all, "ossibly Satan imself# Ni& tly t e demons s%reamed at Berkowitz to &o kill, t eir t irst for blood un>uen% able#

The Arrest of the Son of Sam :

Berkowitz was eventually %au& t after re%eivin& a "arkin& ti%ket at t e time and near t e "la%e of t e <oskowitz murder# 0 at eviden%e alon& wit letters e wrote to Carr and t e Cassaras, is military ba%k&round, is a""earan%e, and an arson in%ident, led "oli%e to is door# ' en e was arrested e immediately surrendered to "oli%e and identified imself as Sam# 3fter bein& evaluated, it was determined t at e %ould stand trial# $e "led not &uilty and re%eived a .4-1year senten%e#

Berkowitz's Crime S&ree:

,uly *9, 1974 @ ,ody Aalenti and Donna ;auria were s ot as t ey sat talkin& in a "arked %ar outside Donna5s a"artment# ;auria died instantly from a &uns ot wound to er ne%k# Aalenti survived t e atta%k# )%tober *., 1974 @ Carl Denaro and Bosemary Ceenan were s ot w ile sittin& in Denaro5s "arked %ar# Bot survived, but Carl was stru%k in t e ead by one of t e bullets# November *4, 1974 @ Donna De<asi and 171year1old ,oanne ;omino were walkin& near ,oanne5s ome after a late movie# Berkowitz followed t em briefly, t en s ot t em# Donna survived wit out sufferin& "ermanent " ysi%al arm, but ,oanne was "aralyzed for life#

,anuary .0, 1977 @ *41year1old C ristine 6reund and er fian%e ,o n Diel were s ot as t ey sat in a "arked %ar# C ristine died and ,o n Diel survived t e atta%k# <ar% 7, 1977 @ Air&inia Aoskeri% ian, a Barnard Colle&e onor student was s ot and killed w ile walkin& ome from %lass# 3"ril 17, 1977 @ 171year1old Aalentina Suriani and er *01year1old boyfriend 3le!ander 8sau, were bot s ot twi%e# Bot died as a result of &uns ot wounds# Berkowitz left a letter at t e s%ene, si&ned 9Son of Sam#: ,une *4, 1977 @ ,udy /la%ido and Sal ;u"u were s ot w ile leavin& a dis%o# Bot survived alt ou& ,udy was s ot t ree times# ,uly .1, 1977 @ Bobby Aiolante and Sta%y <oskowitz were s ot in t e %ar w ile "arked at a lover5s lane# Sta%y died from a &uns ot wound to er ead and Bobby lost vision in one eye and "artial vision in t e ot er eye#

The "essler 'nterview =n 1979, Berkowitz was interviewed by 6B= veteran, Bobert Bessler# Berkowitz admitted t at e invented t e 9Son of Sam: stories so t at if %au& t e %ould %onvin%e t e %ourt t at e was insane# $e said t e real reason e killed was be%ause e felt resentment toward is mot er and is failures wit women# $e found killin& t e women to be se!ually arousin&# 0oday Berkowitz is a born1a&ain C ristian and des%ribed as a model "risoner#