Between the summers of 1976 and 1977, a young man named David Berkowitz terrorized New York as he indiscriminately gunned down innocent young people in their cars. He went by the name “Son of Sam,” claiming that Satan had possessed his neighbor Sam’s dog and was sending him messages to kill.
Armed with a revolver, Berkowitz stalked Queens and the Bronx, searching for unsuspecting youths to shoot while hiding from a distance. He killed six people and wounded seven more, all while leaving cryptic messages with the police.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images David Berkowitz, a.k.a. “Son of Sam,” poses for a mugshot following his arrest on August 11, 1977.
David Berkowitz’s murder spree sent New York City in a panic and incited one of the largest manhunts in the state’s history.
A Penchant For Violence From A Young Age
Richard David Falco was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1953. His parents were unwed and after separating shortly after his birth, they put him up for adoption. He was taken in by the Berkowitz family and was renamed David Berkowitz…