March 4, 2026
Son of Sam: The David Berkowitz Case | How a Serial Killer Terrorized New York City
In the summer of 1976, New York City was gripped by fear. A serial killer known as “Son of Sam” began targeting young couples sitting in parked cars, using a .44 caliber Bulldog revolver in a series of sudden, execution-style shootings. Over the course of a year, David Berkowitz murdered six people and wounded seven others, sending shockwaves through the city.
In this episode of When Killers Get Caught, host Brittany Ransom examines the full story of the Son of Sam case, from the first shootings in the Bronx to the taunting letters sent to police and journalist Jimmy Breslin. We explore the psychology behind Berkowitz’s crimes, his claims about a demon-possessed dog ordering the murders, and the investigation that ultimately led to his arrest after a simple parking ticket.
You’ll also learn how this case changed American culture, inspired the “Son of Sam laws,” and fueled one of the earliest modern media frenzies around a serial killer.
This episode covers:• The Son of Sam murders timeline (1976–1977)• The psychology and background of David Berkowitz• The infamous letters and demon dog story• How police identified and arrested the killer• The trial, sentencing, and where Berkowitz is today
If you enjoy true crime psychology, serial killer investigations, and deep dives into infamous cases, this episode is for you.
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New York City, summer 1976.
The city is heavy with heat.
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Sirens echo in the distance.
Laughter spills out of bars.
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Young couples sit and park cars.
Music plays softly.
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Windows cracked, and somewhere
in the dark, a man is watching.
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He isn't rushing.
He hasn't panicked.
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He's patient.
Six people would be murdered,
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seven more wounded.
Random young women targeted the
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weapon, a 44 caliber bulldog
revolver.
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The killer didn't just pull the
trigger.
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He wrote taunting letters to
police and the press, mocking
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investigators, feeding the
panic.
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And he signed them all with a
name meant to echo through
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history.
Son of Sam.
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The city responded with fear.
Women began dyeing their hair
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different colors.
Couples avoided quiet streets.
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New Yorkers glanced over their
shoulders.
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Walking home, a metropolis that
never slept suddenly could not
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rest.
His name was David Berkowitz,
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but he wanted to be called Son
of Sam.
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I'm Brittany Ransom, and This is
When Killers Get Caught, the
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podcast where we examine the
lives, behaviors, and psychology
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behind the most extreme acts of
violence and what happens when
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the truth finally catches up.
Tonight, we trace how one man
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held the largest city in America
hostage, the psychology behind
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his letters, the escalation of
violence, the investigation that
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ended it all, and what happens
when a killer who thrives on
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attention finally gets caught.
Because monsters don't just
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appear, they build themselves
and eventually they get caught.
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The Bronx, just after 1:00 AM, a
quiet residential St. parked
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car, windows down in the summer
heat.
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Inside, two teenagers are just
talking, laughing.
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Their night was winding down.
Don Lori, 18 years old, and Jodi
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Valenti, 19.
They were very ordinary plans,
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ordinary lives, nothing
remarkable about this moment.
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But a man approached them
casually.
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He wasn't wearing a mask.
He wasn't shouting.
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He didn't demand any money.
There was no arguing.
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He just stepped up to the
passenger side window and
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without warning, shot five times
from his revolver, tearing
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through the stillness.
The sound was explosive,
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disorienting, is struck and
killed almost instantly.
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Valenti is wounded but survives
by playing dead as the shooter
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turns and walks away calmly.
Psychologically, this mattered
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because there was no
interaction, no escalation, and
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no personal motive.
This rage wasn't directed in
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anyone in particular.
It was displacement, a stranger
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absorbing violence that had
nothing to do with her, A random
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target chosen simply because she
was there, young, female,
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visible.
The attack wasn't about Donna
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Lori, it was about the ACT
itself, and New York had no idea
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what had just started.
Just over a month later, on
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August 10th, 1976, Carl De Niro,
22, and his girlfriend Rosemary
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Keenan, 21, sit in their car in
Queens.
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Without warning, the man
approaches.
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Same as last time.
No words, no confrontation, he
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just opens fire.
De Niro was killed, Keenan
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survives and the pattern has
started.
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On August 29th, 1976, Alexander
Esau, 20, and his girlfriend
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Valerie Bethune, 18, are in
Brooklyn in their parked car.
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Once again, sudden gunfire.
Esau dies, but Bethune survives.
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The first shooting share a
critical and very chilling
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consistency.
Young couples in parked cars.
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No robberies, no interaction and
no escalation.
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There's no personal motive.
The violence is displaced,
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random and mechanical.
This predator is targeting
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opportunity rather than a
particular person.
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Then, almost as suddenly as it
began, it just stops.
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For nearly eleven months, the
murders pause.
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Psychologically, this lull was
significant.
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Experts suggest that Berkowitz
might have been planning,
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observing, or just suppressing
his impulses.
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It could also reflect A deeper
need to escalate and perfect his
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pattern.
The brick had another effect,
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though.
It lulled the city into a false
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sense of security.
New Yorkers many thought the
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night wear was over, only for it
to return with sharper precision
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when the killings resumed.
They are just as deliberate,
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methodical and predictable as
they were the summer of 76.
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And while some were convinced
that this was over, others in
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New York were still on edge.
Every parked car with a young
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woman inside of it was a target.
The victims from the year before
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shared similarities.
They were all young women, often
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with long brown hair, sitting in
cars on very quiet streets,
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alone or with a friend.
The randomness, however, made
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every night feel dangerous.
On July 31st, 1977, it started
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again.
Christine, Front 19.
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She sat in a parked car, unaware
that this man was watching her.
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He approached silently and
opened fire.
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Christine died instantly.
Her companion was unharmed.
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A cruel echo of chance that
underscores the arbitrary nature
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of this violence.
Just a few days later, on August
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6th, 1977, on Deal was sitting
with a friend.
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He gets shot.
He survives, but he was
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permanently blinded in one eye.
Then on August 29th, 1977,
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another attack.
Stacey Moskowitz, 20, is killed
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and Robert Violante survived
after being shot, left
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permanently wounded.
These attacks follow the
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frighteningly consistent method
execution style shootings.
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The city trembles not just at
the ACT itself, but at its
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predictability.
A pattern emerged.
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A predator is learning, refining
his method, and New Yorkers
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realize that safety is no longer
guaranteed.
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And it's going to get a lot
worse.
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New York NYPD decided to create
a task force, and by the summer
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of 1977, David Berkowitz had
become this terror stalking New
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York City streets.
But the fear wasn't enough for
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him.
He would take another step, not
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just killing, but performing,
crafting an identity that would
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grip the public imagination and
haunt the city for years.
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It began with letters.
Berkowitz began sending messages
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to the NYPD and to journalist
Jimmy Breslin, inserting himself
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directly into the story.
Suddenly, he was no longer an
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unseen shadow.
He was a character, a presence
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in the headlines, a name that's
the city whispered in fear.
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In the letters, he declared I am
the son of Sam.
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He claimed that demons had
commanded him to kill.
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He referenced a neighbor's dog
named Sam, a seemingly mundane
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detail twisted into mythic
significance.
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But this was not just illusion.
This was very calculated.
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Psychological experts point to a
complex mix of narcissism and
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identity construction.
In these letters, Berkowitz
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wasn't just reporting on his own
acts of violence.
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He was mythologizing himself,
transforming from an anonymous
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killer into a figure that was
larger than life.
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The letters are very telling in
how he frames himself.
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He actually distances himself
from ordinary humanity,
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portraying his violence as both
inevitable and divine.
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By attributing his murders to
supernatural compulsion, he
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implies this mystique.
He becomes the Son of Sam, a
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character that had a narrative
arc, a persona with motives,
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rituals and symbolism.
The killings themselves are now
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part of the performance.
The letters are the script.
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This is a defining moment in the
psychology of the case.
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Berkowitz is not merely killing.
He is branding himself, taking
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control of the story in the
public eye.
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Every note is designed to
provoke, terrify and dominate
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attention.
Every word is carefully chosen
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to ensure that the press, police
and the city at large cannot
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ignore him.
In doing so, he blurs the line
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between criminal and celebrity,
perpetrator and protagonist.
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From a product perspective, the
Son of Sam letters mark one of
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the earliest examples of what
would become the modern media
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serial killer symbiosis.
See the press, hungry for
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sensational stories, publish his
letters in full, and in return,
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Berkowitz fed them the narrative
that they craved.
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The city became part of his
stage.
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Each article, each headline,
amplified his notoriety,
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intensifying the fear in the
community and fascinating
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people.
Psychologically, this
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performance reflects a deep need
for recognition and control.
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Berkowitz killings alone would
have scared New Yorkers, but by
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inserting himself into the
story, to the story, he elevates
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fear into legend.
He constructs A persona that
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survives beyond individual
crimes, a Mystic, monstrous
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identity that dominates
imagination.
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In The Sum of Sam letters, we
see the intersection of
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violence, media, and ego.
Berkowitz murders are no longer
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just private acts of rage or
displacement.
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They are now part of his
performance, designed to ensure
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that he is being remembered and
the city, the press and history
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are unwilling participants in
this stage.
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He's no longer just a guy with a
gun.
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He is the son of Sam, the
character, the myth, a warning
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that terror can be crafted as
carefully as any story.
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Now, as you understand the Son
of Sam killings, we need to look
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behind the headlines though the
letters, the body count, and we
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got to look at the guy holding
the gun and the psychological
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forces that shaped him.
David Berkowitz was born Richard
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David Falco on June 1st, 1953 in
Brooklyn, NY.
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He was adopted shortly after his
birth.
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His biological mother gave him
up because his bio dad left.
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The early abandonment planted
the first seeds of rejection and
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insecurity that would follow
David throughout his life.
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Even as a young boy, he
reportedly felt unwanted, and he
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struggled to reconcile the
absence of his birth parents
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with the affection from his
adoptive parents.
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It was almost like he didn't
feel like he deserved to be
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loved by his adopted parents.
Now, compounding this early
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sense of inadequacy, he would
suffer repeated head injuries as
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a child.
And though those details are
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very sparse, some psychologists
suggest that repeated
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concussions may affect impulse
control, emotional regulation
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and aggression, vulnerabilities
that could later magnify into
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psychological issues.
His adolescence was very
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troubled as well.
He was socially isolated.
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He struggled to form any
meaningful attachments to other
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children.
He experienced repeated failures
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in early romantic relationships,
leaving him frustrated and very
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resentful towards young women.
During this period, he also
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engaged in arson incidents,
setting fire to abandon
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buildings.
These acts were early
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expressions of anger and
control, impulses channeled into
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destruction, but not directed at
anyone individually yet.
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A nod to the MacDonald triad.
Criminologist often group serial
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killers into types to understand
why they kill.
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This includes the visionary
killer driven by delusions, the
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hedonistic killer seeking
thrills or pleasure, the power
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control killer obsessed with
domination, and the mission
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oriented killer who targets a
specific group they see as
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undesirable.
And Berkowitz fits into mission
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oriented type.
For him, women were his
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undesirables.
They were symbolic victims and
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that self mythology he used
justified the crime against
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them.
Similar to Bundy, Berkowitz was
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harming women that he found
attractive.
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The difference though was the
reason behind these killings.
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Berkowitz formative experiences
with women created several
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critical psychological themes
that would define his later
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behavior.
The first was rejection
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sensitivity.
Many mission oriented killers
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share a heightened sensitivity
to perceived humiliation, and
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Berkowitz was no exception.
He was socially and sexually
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inadequate, acutely aware of his
inability to connect with women
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in any meaningful way.
Chronic loneliness in the sting
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of rejection created a fertile
psychological environment for a
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00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:10,240
resentment to take root.
And in his mind, the pain of
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being unwanted was externalized.
Someone else had to be
218
00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:20,800
responsible.
Two, he externalized the blame.
219
00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:24,920
Rather than rather than confront
the painful reality that I am
220
00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:29,120
unwanted, or maybe do some self
reflection and work on himself,
221
00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:33,400
Berkowitz transformed this
internal pain into an outward
222
00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:35,720
narrative.
Women became targets of his
223
00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:38,040
hatred.
Society itself became a corrupt,
224
00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,880
immoral force.
And when he later invoked demons
225
00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:44,080
in his letters, claiming that
supernatural forces commanded
226
00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:46,560
him to kill, it was just another
mechanism to shift
227
00:12:46,560 --> 00:12:48,160
responsibility away from
himself.
228
00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:52,640
Framing his violence, not
framing his violence as not just
229
00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:54,760
acceptable but unnecessary
thing.
230
00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:59,800
The third thing was his mission
oriented typology, also called
231
00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:03,680
the pseudo commandos.
Berkowitz fits very squarely
232
00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:06,400
within that mission oriented
killer profile.
233
00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:09,040
These killers believe they are
enacting justice, eliminating a
234
00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:12,200
group of people they see as
symbolically or morally corrupt.
235
00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:14,600
And for Berkowitz, women were
his focal point.
236
00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,600
But he also viewed himself as
participating in a larger moral
237
00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:22,400
or cosmic battle, a theme that
he reinforced throughout all of
238
00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,560
the Son of Sam letters.
He referenced demons and his
239
00:13:25,560 --> 00:13:27,400
adoption of the Son of Sam
persona.
240
00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,720
The murders were ritualized,
framed as purposeful acts rather
241
00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:33,760
than just random violence.
And it's crucial to understand
242
00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:36,840
that Berkowitz's actions were
not pure psychosis.
243
00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:39,200
He was very aware of his
surroundings.
244
00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:42,440
He was capable of planning, able
to manipulate the media and law
245
00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:45,400
enforcement.
What drove him was this toxic
246
00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:49,840
combination of grievance,
narcissism, ego, and fantasy
247
00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:52,600
enforcement.
Every killing reinforced his
248
00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:56,600
sense of power and identity.
Every letter, every headline
249
00:13:56,920 --> 00:14:00,160
said the myth of the Son of Sam
and in essence Berkowitz
250
00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:03,880
psychology was a collision of
personal trauma and delusional
251
00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:07,200
narrative construction.
That early rejection and social
252
00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:09,680
isolation created deep seated
resentment.
253
00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:13,840
Chronic failure with women, and
mounting loneliness amplified
254
00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:17,680
his externalization of blame,
and his adoption of that mission
255
00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:21,440
oriented framework allowed him
to justify, ritualize, and
256
00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:24,920
continually perform his
violence, turning fear into a
257
00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:27,000
stage and himself into one of
the characters.
258
00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:29,880
By the time the killings ended,
the city had not only suffered
259
00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:33,240
unimaginable fear, but Berkowitz
has succeeded in creating a
260
00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:36,640
persona that would endure in
public consciousness long after
261
00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:39,160
the bullet stopped.
The Son of Sam was not simply a
262
00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,360
man with a gun, he was a
carefully constructed identity,
263
00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:46,280
a psychological performance
rooted in trauma, grievance, and
264
00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:48,400
meticulously cultivated
mythology.
265
00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:51,720
Now, after more than a year of
terror, the city's nightmare
266
00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:54,120
would finally end on August
10th, 1977.
267
00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:58,440
But the way that David Berkowitz
was caught is just as telling as
268
00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:01,880
the crime spree itself.
It was almost anti climatic.
269
00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:05,960
The break in the case came in an
unlikely form, a parking ticket.
270
00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:09,480
A woman named Cecilia Davis was
out walking her dog when a
271
00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:13,120
police officer ticketed a yellow
1973 Ford Galaxy.
272
00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:16,120
The car had been parked
haphazardly near a fire hydrant
273
00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:19,320
and after the ticket, a man
walked by.
274
00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:24,000
Cecilia said he looked at her,
he studied her and it scared
275
00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,960
her.
Spooked, Cecilia ran back inside
276
00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:30,520
of her house and just a few
minutes later, she heard
277
00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:33,280
gunshots.
Now, Cecilia thought that the
278
00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:37,360
man she saw was the shooter, but
frankly, she was pretty scared
279
00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:40,200
and for four days she said
absolutely nothing.
280
00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:43,320
And then finally, she called the
police and told them that she
281
00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:47,000
saw a yellow car get ticketed
minutes before the shooting
282
00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:52,520
started on August 6th.
The NYPD rushed to check every
283
00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:55,560
ticket that had been written
that night in the area, and they
284
00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:57,320
met their first bureaucratic
nightmare.
285
00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:02,720
Now, they knew that that car was
owned by David Berkowitz, but
286
00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:06,520
David lived in Yonkers.
So the NYPD Detective James
287
00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:11,000
Justice had to schedule an
interview with the Yonkers PD to
288
00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:14,360
talk to David Berkowitz.
And during the scheduling call,
289
00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:19,200
an NYPD dispatcher named Weak
Carr heard the name David David
290
00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:23,200
Berkowitz and started venting
immediately.
291
00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:25,600
Going let me tell you about him.
I know him.
292
00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:28,600
He lives right behind me.
And Wheat went on to give
293
00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:32,400
critical information to the
NYPD, citing how Berkowitz had
294
00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:37,480
shot her father's dog, a
Labrador named Sam.
295
00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:40,880
We'd also informed Detective
Justice that her brothers John
296
00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:44,640
and Michael Carr were friends
with him and that all three of
297
00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:46,840
them were into some dark occult
things.
298
00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:49,760
All in all, she said David
Berkowitz is bad news.
299
00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,120
Y'all should be careful.
He might actually be the killer.
300
00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:55,720
Now, Yonkers PD were already
suspicious of David Berkowitz
301
00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:59,240
because there had been a series
of weird break insurance within
302
00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:03,160
Yonkers and those break
insurance had been referenced in
303
00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:06,760
earlier Son of Sam letters.
So they were already looking for
304
00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:09,880
the connection between the Son
of Sam and the robberies
305
00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:13,040
happening in Yonkers.
When Yonkers investigators
306
00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:16,000
shared their notes with
Detective Justice, everyone felt
307
00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:17,720
pretty sure they had the right
guy.
308
00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:21,079
The police decided to go old
school though, knocking on
309
00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:24,319
doors, asking people about their
experiences with David.
310
00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,680
And while they were canvassing
the neighborhood, there was the
311
00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:31,800
car outside of 35 Pine St. in
front of an apartment building.
312
00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:34,840
And when they looked inside the
windows, there was a gun sitting
313
00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:38,720
openly in the back seat.
Now, it's not illegal to own a
314
00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:43,680
gun, but you're really not
supposed to have it sitting on
315
00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:46,040
your back seat on a New York
City sidewalk.
316
00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:50,400
And so they were allowed to open
up his car, check his trunk, and
317
00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:52,200
they found a duffel bag with
ammunition.
318
00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:55,680
Maps of New York City boroughs.
A new and unreleased letter to
319
00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:58,960
Timothy Dowd, the head of the
Son of Sam Task Force.
320
00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:02,080
Rather than try and storm his
apartment, though, they decided
321
00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:04,360
they simply were going to wait
for him to leave.
322
00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:08,120
Police were worried that if they
cornered him in New York City's
323
00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:11,880
notoriously narrow apartment
hallways, he'd shoot and he'd
324
00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:15,400
start killing civilians.
They requested a warrant just to
325
00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:17,720
cover their bases, And also,
they didn't want anybody to get
326
00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:19,960
any crazy ideas.
They wanted to have a warrant
327
00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:21,520
before they walked into his
apartment.
328
00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:26,000
But around 10:00 PM, the warrant
still wasn't there.
329
00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:29,880
But David Berkowitz walked
outside and got into his car.
330
00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:33,240
Detective John Fallotico stood
on the driver's side and
331
00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:35,920
Detective Sergeant William
Gardello on the passenger side.
332
00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:40,000
Both drew their guns, and both
were a little stunned when
333
00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:44,400
Berkowitz broke into a big grin
and said, well, you got me.
334
00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:47,240
Now that I've got you, Detective
Fallotico said.
335
00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:49,640
Who have I got?
You know?
336
00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:54,000
Detective Falco would later tell
Lawrence Costner, who wrote the
337
00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:58,080
book on the Son of Sam, that
Berkowitz had a soft, almost
338
00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:02,160
sweet voice that didn't match
what they were expecting when
339
00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,240
they caught him.
But he decided to play along,
340
00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:08,440
and he responded, I don't know,
you tell me.
341
00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:13,240
So the man turned his head and
said, I'm Sam Falco.
342
00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:15,520
Faltico said, you're Sam.
Sam who?
343
00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:18,280
And he said, Sam David
Berkowitz.
344
00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:21,600
There were no theatrics, no
attempt to flee, no resistance,
345
00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:24,480
just the quiet acknowledgement
that he had been captured.
346
00:19:25,360 --> 00:19:28,080
From a psychological standpoint,
this moment is as revealing as
347
00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:31,600
the killings themselves.
For months he had performed for
348
00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,280
the public, in the press, these
letters, the moniker the Son of
349
00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:38,320
Sam, the careful mythology, all
of it had been part of this very
350
00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:41,240
specifically constructed
performance.
351
00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,680
He cultivated fear, manipulated
the media, commanded the
352
00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:47,120
attention of one of the largest
cities in the world.
353
00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:50,720
But in that instance, the
performance ended.
354
00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:54,600
The person, the myth, the Son of
Sam act, it stopped mattering.
355
00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:59,240
The real man, a small nervous
guy, was suddenly exposed.
356
00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:03,280
There was no audience, no more
stage, no cameras to validate
357
00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:05,440
his identity.
The psychological need to
358
00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:08,680
perform vanished with the
knowledge that law enforcement
359
00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:11,320
now held control.
Interviews and statements
360
00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:14,560
following his arrest revealed
this very abrupt shift in
361
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:19,360
behavior without an audience.
To impress or terrorize.
362
00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:21,560
Berkowitz became more
introspective.
363
00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:26,040
It was almost mundane.
The letters, of course, stopped.
364
00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:28,480
The headlines would continue to
print his name.
365
00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:32,080
But the carefully curated
narrative that he built around
366
00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:35,680
himself was way over.
The fear he had wielded so
367
00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:39,640
efficiently in the streets of
New York no longer required him.
368
00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:43,200
The city had survived, and the
hunter was now the prey.
369
00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:47,160
The arrest also underscores the
role of chance and careful
370
00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:51,160
police work.
A parking ticket, somebody just
371
00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:54,120
calling the police and reporting
some suspicious.
372
00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:59,360
A neighborhood canvas, a few
persistent officers, all
373
00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:02,560
seemingly small details that
brought a reign of terror to its
374
00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:05,160
end.
There was no cinematic showdown,
375
00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:10,080
only normal police investigation
meeting a killer who had, in a
376
00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:14,080
way, kind of grown complacent in
that quiet moment outside his
377
00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,640
Yonkers apartment, the city's
nightmare ended and the killings
378
00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:21,880
on stage were unmasked.
The myth of the Son of Sam would
379
00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:25,440
endure in headlines and lore.
But the real David Berkowitz,
380
00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:29,160
the man shaped by trauma,
delusion, and resentment, he was
381
00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:32,080
now in custody.
Now when that arrest happened on
382
00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:35,400
August 10th, 1977, that manhunt
that had gripped New York City
383
00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:37,120
for over a year was finally
over.
384
00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:39,080
But the story was very far from
finished.
385
00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:42,760
As prosecutors begin to prepare
their case, Berkowitz own words
386
00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:46,280
started to complicate things.
In the early days, he told
387
00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:49,240
investigators bizarre and
chilling tales.
388
00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:53,160
He claimed his neighbor's black
Labrador retriever, a dog named
389
00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:57,280
Harvey that was possessed by a
demon named Sam.
390
00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:01,280
This wasn't just a minor like a
side though, because he went
391
00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:04,600
into so much detail when he
talked to the police and
392
00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,880
suggested that demons were
speaking directly to him.
393
00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:12,520
This dog as messenger thing
meant that they had to evaluate
394
00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:15,840
him for these delusions, but
very quickly as they looked into
395
00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:18,120
having conversations with him
and having him speak to
396
00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:20,960
psychological professionals, it
was very clear it was a
397
00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:23,840
strategic thing.
He was only suggesting
398
00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:27,320
supernatural motivation because
he was testing the legal waters
399
00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:29,400
to see if he could do an
insanity plea.
400
00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:34,160
Essentially, he was trying to
not get killed.
401
00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:37,840
And he said, maybe I can just
get, you know, a lifetime behind
402
00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:40,000
bars.
In the months following the
403
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,960
arrests, he underwent a lot of
psychological evaluations.
404
00:22:44,360 --> 00:22:47,920
And the experts did note he had
signs of paranoid ideation.
405
00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:51,240
He had very strange beliefs, But
they said he's competent.
406
00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:55,160
This is an act.
He understands his charges and
407
00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:56,920
he can participate in his own
defense.
408
00:22:57,200 --> 00:22:59,560
And that's one thing that I
think people don't understand
409
00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:04,360
what the justice system, the
psychological evaluation is not.
410
00:23:04,360 --> 00:23:06,960
Is this person crazy?
Because frankly, the justice
411
00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:08,720
system doesn't care if you
commit a crime while you're
412
00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,840
crazy.
They care if you understood you
413
00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:13,960
were create doing a crime when
you did it.
414
00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:18,640
If you can say to the court,
well, yes, I know that it's
415
00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:22,520
wrong to kill people, but I did
it because the dog told me so.
416
00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:27,240
You still knew it was wrong.
So essentially, you understand
417
00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:29,640
right from wrong.
All right, let's go to trial.
418
00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:35,720
It was after all of this, this
wasted amount of energy and
419
00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:39,520
money.
May of 1978, Berkowitz makes a
420
00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,200
surprising legal strategy.
He withdraws the insanity
421
00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:48,720
defense and instead just pleads
guilty to all six counts of
422
00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:52,840
murder and the related 7
attempts for attempted murder.
423
00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:56,280
He did it very calmly, almost
matter of factly.
424
00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,800
He knew that this would lead
directly to prison and there
425
00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:02,040
would be no uncertainty of a
jury trial.
426
00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:06,280
That decision mattered a lot.
By pleading guilty, he forfeited
427
00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:09,320
any chance of being sent to a
psychiatric institution.
428
00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:11,400
And that's a big deal.
That's another thing that people
429
00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:16,120
think sometimes just because a
person is labeled not guilty by
430
00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:19,720
reason of insanity, it doesn't
mean that they avoid jail time.
431
00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:23,320
It actually means they end up
going into a psychological
432
00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:27,080
prison, which is worse than a
regular prison.
433
00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:30,520
And a lot of people who have
been in psychiatric institutions
434
00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:34,400
that also double as jails say
that it's pretty awful to be
435
00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:37,760
there.
So this was a logical decision
436
00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:41,480
for for Berkowitz.
Essentially, if I admit that I
437
00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:43,600
did this, I will go to a regular
prison.
438
00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:47,040
I will not be locked in a cell.
I will not be, you know, put in
439
00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:51,680
a straitjacket.
And this also coincided with
440
00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:53,880
everything that the psychologist
said.
441
00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:59,040
He is a rational, logical man
legally responsible for his
442
00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:02,120
choices regardless of what he
claimed during the
443
00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:03,920
interrogations from the last
year.
444
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:08,560
And on June 12th, 1978, he was
sentenced to six consecutive
445
00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:12,000
life sentences.
Now in New York State, a life
446
00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:18,160
sentence is considered 25 years.
So essentially, he gave him 150
447
00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:21,760
years in prison, effectively
ensuring he will never get out
448
00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:24,280
of prison.
The demon dog story didn't
449
00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:27,520
survive the courtroom.
And in 1979, there was a press
450
00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:31,000
conference and later private
correspondence with David's
451
00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:34,000
psychiatrist.
And he just straight up
452
00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,360
admitted, yeah, no, I lied.
It was a hoax.
453
00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:39,480
I was hoping I could convince
people that I was insane.
454
00:25:40,360 --> 00:25:45,720
He actually referred to it in
the press as a silly hoax meant
455
00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:48,960
to influence how he might be
treated, not an honesty
456
00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:51,280
recounting of any voices or
visions.
457
00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:53,560
So the question is, what was
real then?
458
00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:58,120
Berkowitz behavior reflects
schizotypal traits, paranoid
459
00:25:58,120 --> 00:26:01,640
ideation, unusual patterns of
thought and belief that can
460
00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:03,720
distort how someone interprets
the world.
461
00:26:04,360 --> 00:26:07,160
But the fact that he was found
to be competent at trial
462
00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:11,480
repeatedly suggests that he was
not overtaken by uncontrollable
463
00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:15,640
hallucinations.
What emerges is a man with a
464
00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:20,480
severe personality disorder
intertwined with his narcissism,
465
00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:25,200
his grievance against women, and
a deeply rooted desire for
466
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:27,920
attention and to feel
significant.
467
00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:31,600
Throughout all these interviews
in prison and later media
468
00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:35,640
appearances, Berkowitz would
alternate between claiming he
469
00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:40,160
felt psychologically A
compulsion and acknowledging
470
00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:43,160
that he just wanted to kill.
At times he described the
471
00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:46,800
shooting as a break from
reality, and other times he said
472
00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:50,960
he needed a justification, any
justification, so he could tell
473
00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:53,280
himself he wasn't just a cold
blooded killer.
474
00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:57,040
Eva Berkowitz is still alive.
He is serving a life sentence at
475
00:26:57,040 --> 00:26:59,520
the Shawagong Correctional
Facility in New York State.
476
00:26:59,960 --> 00:27:02,720
Over the decades, he has been
denied parole repeatedly, most
477
00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:07,000
recently in May of 2024.
That was his 12th attempt and
478
00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:11,920
technically he is allowed to
apply for parole every two years
479
00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:15,920
from now on, so his next one
would be coming sometime in
480
00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:20,000
2026.
David has spoken publicly about
481
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,520
the fact that he has transformed
himself while he was in prison.
482
00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:27,320
He has adopted a born again
Christian identity and calls
483
00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:30,920
himself the Son of Hope.
Now the trial of David Berkowitz
484
00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,520
remains significant not just for
its outcome.
485
00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:35,720
Before what it revealed about
the intersection of myth and
486
00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:39,520
responsibility, Berkowitz tried
to cloak himself in supernatural
487
00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:42,000
excuses.
He externalized the blame
488
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:44,800
through an invented narrative of
demons and possessed animals.
489
00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:48,000
But the legal system treated him
as a man who made choices, and
490
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:50,640
he accepted that reality when he
stood in court.
491
00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:53,680
In the end, the myth of the Son
of Sam, the voice of demons, the
492
00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:57,600
talking dog, the grand narrative
of compulsion was just part of a
493
00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:00,520
performance.
The true story lies in a man's
494
00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:04,880
choices, his calculated
manipulation, the consequence of
495
00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:07,720
those decisions, and how they
landed him in prison for life.
496
00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:10,600
The Son of Sam case didn't just
terrorize New York City streets.
497
00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:13,520
It left an enduring mark on
American culture.
498
00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:16,400
Couples avoided parked cars and
quiet streets.
499
00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:18,800
Every shadow and siren was a
reminder that a predator could
500
00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:21,360
strike anywhere.
The panic was pervasive.
501
00:28:21,360 --> 00:28:25,560
It shaped daily life and waste.
Few crimes ever do, and the
502
00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:28,320
media played a central role in
amplifying that fear.
503
00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:31,960
Berkowitz letters his chosen
moniker, the myth of the demon
504
00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:35,600
possessed dog, created a storm
for a sensational headline.
505
00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:39,200
Newspapers competed for every
detail.
506
00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:42,760
They were running stories that
turned a real terror into a
507
00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:46,480
public spectacle.
And this case marked that media
508
00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:49,480
driven fascination with serial
killers, the same kind of
509
00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,400
fascination that has me making
this podcast right now.
510
00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:57,760
The Son of Sam became the Son of
Sam began at the double edged
511
00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:04,160
sword that allowed these men to
be both creators of fear and
512
00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:10,680
also creators of notoriety.
There is a danger when you tell
513
00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:15,880
the world that the more carnage
you create, the more people will
514
00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:19,080
admire you, and there has
definitely been discussion over
515
00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:22,920
the last several decades about
whether the coverage of these
516
00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:28,520
kinds of cases has made the
killers more prolific.
517
00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:33,680
The legal aftermath of the Son
of Sam case was also very
518
00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:37,480
influential.
The Son of Sam laws were enacted
519
00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:42,600
because of just how popular
David Berkowitz was, and
520
00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:47,040
essentially, people said it's
not fair that someone is allowed
521
00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:50,080
to make money off of murdering
other people.
522
00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:53,560
And so criminals were prevented
from profiting from their
523
00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,560
crimes, particularly through
book deals or movie rights.
524
00:29:56,840 --> 00:29:59,880
And these laws change the way
the justice system interacted
525
00:29:59,880 --> 00:30:03,400
with the media and intellectual
property, aiming to ensure that
526
00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:06,720
murderers could never capitalize
on their infamy.
527
00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:10,080
This case also inspired enduring
cultural portrayals.
528
00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:14,320
Spike Lee's 1999 film The Summer
of Sam dramatized the chaos and
529
00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:16,440
paranoia of New York City during
these murders.
530
00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:19,520
It heightened both the social
climate and the media frenzy
531
00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:23,920
surrounding David Berkowitz.
Books, documentaries, and yes,
532
00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:27,360
podcasts continue to revisit
this story, showing that it's
533
00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:30,440
had a lasting impact on American
imagination.
534
00:30:31,120 --> 00:30:33,720
The Son of Sam murders reshaped
perceptions of safety, media
535
00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:35,640
responsibility, criminal
notoriety.
536
00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:38,760
They illustrated how a single
killer could not only wreck
537
00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:43,320
physical havoc but infiltrate
public consciousness, altering
538
00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:46,880
daily behavior, legal standards,
and cultural narratives for
539
00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,960
generations.
The fear that David Berkowitz
540
00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:52,960
released was not just confined
to the streets.
541
00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:56,480
It reverberated through law
media, and it left a legacy.
542
00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:01,640
David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam,
Yes, he terrorized New York City
543
00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:04,960
with bullets, letters, and myths
for a little over a year.
544
00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:07,280
He transformed fear into a
performance.
545
00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:10,040
He turned ordinary streets into
stages and headlines.
546
00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:14,320
Young women cut and dyed their
hair, couples avoided parked
547
00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:17,520
cars, the city trembled, and the
media amplified every moment.
548
00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:19,920
But the story is not just about
fear.
549
00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:22,680
It's also about inevitable
accountability.
550
00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:26,600
From a parking ticket to careful
police canvassing the trail that
551
00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:29,800
David Berkowitz left.
Physical, digital, psychological
552
00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:34,520
it all led to his arrest.
There was no chase, just calm,
553
00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:40,200
quiet policing.
Well, you got me proof that no
554
00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:42,960
matter how meticulous the
performance, the truth always
555
00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:45,200
leaves a trail.
And Berkowitz tried to cloak
556
00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:47,880
himself in delusions, demons,
letters, But the law,
557
00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:51,680
investigation, reality, it all
caught up with him.
558
00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:57,880
The mythos around him remains in
popular culture, books, films,
559
00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:01,920
discussions of serial killers.
But the man himself is
560
00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:05,600
constrained, a living reminder
of choices, consequences, and
561
00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:09,160
the limits of manipulation.
The story of David Berkowitz
562
00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:12,920
shows us that even the most
terrifying acts cannot erase the
563
00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:16,560
inevitability of truth.
Every step, every letter, every
564
00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:19,960
miscalculation leaves a trail,
and that trail led to justice.
565
00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:22,520
I'm Brittany Ransom, and this
has been when killers get
566
00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:24,360
caught.
If you want more deep dives into
567
00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:26,080
the minds behind the most
extreme crimes and the
568
00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:28,400
investigations that caught them,
you can subscribe to our
569
00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:30,680
Patreon.
Join me for our next story.
570
00:32:30,920 --> 00:32:34,000
You are always welcome to send
me your own ideas for stories
571
00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,400
because I do read my emails.
Send that to
572
00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:40,560
caseclosersubmissions@gmail.com.
And if it's something
573
00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:42,960
interesting and I can find
enough sources about it, I will
574
00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:45,200
absolutely talk about it.
One of the future podcasts.
575
00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:46,760
Thanks for listening.
00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:06,800
New York City, summer 1976.
The city is heavy with heat.
2
00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:11,000
Sirens echo in the distance.
Laughter spills out of bars.
3
00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:14,800
Young couples sit and park cars.
Music plays softly.
4
00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:19,680
Windows cracked, and somewhere
in the dark, a man is watching.
5
00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:22,800
He isn't rushing.
He hasn't panicked.
6
00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:26,280
He's patient.
Six people would be murdered,
7
00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:30,480
seven more wounded.
Random young women targeted the
8
00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:33,520
weapon, a 44 caliber bulldog
revolver.
9
00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:35,800
The killer didn't just pull the
trigger.
10
00:00:36,480 --> 00:00:40,440
He wrote taunting letters to
police and the press, mocking
11
00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:42,240
investigators, feeding the
panic.
12
00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,840
And he signed them all with a
name meant to echo through
13
00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:48,240
history.
Son of Sam.
14
00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:52,160
The city responded with fear.
Women began dyeing their hair
15
00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:55,160
different colors.
Couples avoided quiet streets.
16
00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:56,800
New Yorkers glanced over their
shoulders.
17
00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:00,880
Walking home, a metropolis that
never slept suddenly could not
18
00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:03,320
rest.
His name was David Berkowitz,
19
00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:05,720
but he wanted to be called Son
of Sam.
20
00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,760
I'm Brittany Ransom, and This is
When Killers Get Caught, the
21
00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:13,040
podcast where we examine the
lives, behaviors, and psychology
22
00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:15,920
behind the most extreme acts of
violence and what happens when
23
00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:19,880
the truth finally catches up.
Tonight, we trace how one man
24
00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:23,440
held the largest city in America
hostage, the psychology behind
25
00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,040
his letters, the escalation of
violence, the investigation that
26
00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,880
ended it all, and what happens
when a killer who thrives on
27
00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:33,400
attention finally gets caught.
Because monsters don't just
28
00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:38,040
appear, they build themselves
and eventually they get caught.
29
00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:43,360
The Bronx, just after 1:00 AM, a
quiet residential St. parked
30
00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:45,280
car, windows down in the summer
heat.
31
00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,320
Inside, two teenagers are just
talking, laughing.
32
00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:52,240
Their night was winding down.
Don Lori, 18 years old, and Jodi
33
00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,360
Valenti, 19.
They were very ordinary plans,
34
00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:58,080
ordinary lives, nothing
remarkable about this moment.
35
00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:00,160
But a man approached them
casually.
36
00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:02,480
He wasn't wearing a mask.
He wasn't shouting.
37
00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:05,160
He didn't demand any money.
There was no arguing.
38
00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:08,000
He just stepped up to the
passenger side window and
39
00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:13,080
without warning, shot five times
from his revolver, tearing
40
00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:15,320
through the stillness.
The sound was explosive,
41
00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:18,360
disorienting, is struck and
killed almost instantly.
42
00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:22,480
Valenti is wounded but survives
by playing dead as the shooter
43
00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:27,040
turns and walks away calmly.
Psychologically, this mattered
44
00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:30,120
because there was no
interaction, no escalation, and
45
00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:33,400
no personal motive.
This rage wasn't directed in
46
00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:37,960
anyone in particular.
It was displacement, a stranger
47
00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:41,400
absorbing violence that had
nothing to do with her, A random
48
00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,880
target chosen simply because she
was there, young, female,
49
00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,760
visible.
The attack wasn't about Donna
50
00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:52,440
Lori, it was about the ACT
itself, and New York had no idea
51
00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,480
what had just started.
Just over a month later, on
52
00:02:55,480 --> 00:03:00,080
August 10th, 1976, Carl De Niro,
22, and his girlfriend Rosemary
53
00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,880
Keenan, 21, sit in their car in
Queens.
54
00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:05,320
Without warning, the man
approaches.
55
00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,520
Same as last time.
No words, no confrontation, he
56
00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,680
just opens fire.
De Niro was killed, Keenan
57
00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:13,800
survives and the pattern has
started.
58
00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:19,240
On August 29th, 1976, Alexander
Esau, 20, and his girlfriend
59
00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,960
Valerie Bethune, 18, are in
Brooklyn in their parked car.
60
00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:27,280
Once again, sudden gunfire.
Esau dies, but Bethune survives.
61
00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:30,800
The first shooting share a
critical and very chilling
62
00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:33,560
consistency.
Young couples in parked cars.
63
00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,600
No robberies, no interaction and
no escalation.
64
00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,280
There's no personal motive.
The violence is displaced,
65
00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:44,200
random and mechanical.
This predator is targeting
66
00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,800
opportunity rather than a
particular person.
67
00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:51,240
Then, almost as suddenly as it
began, it just stops.
68
00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:55,360
For nearly eleven months, the
murders pause.
69
00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:57,720
Psychologically, this lull was
significant.
70
00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,400
Experts suggest that Berkowitz
might have been planning,
71
00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:02,800
observing, or just suppressing
his impulses.
72
00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:06,480
It could also reflect A deeper
need to escalate and perfect his
73
00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:09,280
pattern.
The brick had another effect,
74
00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:11,080
though.
It lulled the city into a false
75
00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:14,400
sense of security.
New Yorkers many thought the
76
00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:18,440
night wear was over, only for it
to return with sharper precision
77
00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:21,800
when the killings resumed.
They are just as deliberate,
78
00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:25,520
methodical and predictable as
they were the summer of 76.
79
00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:30,240
And while some were convinced
that this was over, others in
80
00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:32,840
New York were still on edge.
Every parked car with a young
81
00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:36,120
woman inside of it was a target.
The victims from the year before
82
00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,760
shared similarities.
They were all young women, often
83
00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:42,120
with long brown hair, sitting in
cars on very quiet streets,
84
00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:46,320
alone or with a friend.
The randomness, however, made
85
00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:51,040
every night feel dangerous.
On July 31st, 1977, it started
86
00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:53,600
again.
Christine, Front 19.
87
00:04:53,840 --> 00:04:57,080
She sat in a parked car, unaware
that this man was watching her.
88
00:04:57,560 --> 00:04:59,520
He approached silently and
opened fire.
89
00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:03,240
Christine died instantly.
Her companion was unharmed.
90
00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:06,720
A cruel echo of chance that
underscores the arbitrary nature
91
00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,640
of this violence.
Just a few days later, on August
92
00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:13,000
6th, 1977, on Deal was sitting
with a friend.
93
00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:16,280
He gets shot.
He survives, but he was
94
00:05:16,280 --> 00:05:20,840
permanently blinded in one eye.
Then on August 29th, 1977,
95
00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:24,640
another attack.
Stacey Moskowitz, 20, is killed
96
00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:28,680
and Robert Violante survived
after being shot, left
97
00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:32,720
permanently wounded.
These attacks follow the
98
00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:37,200
frighteningly consistent method
execution style shootings.
99
00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:40,360
The city trembles not just at
the ACT itself, but at its
100
00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:42,920
predictability.
A pattern emerged.
101
00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:46,560
A predator is learning, refining
his method, and New Yorkers
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00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:48,400
realize that safety is no longer
guaranteed.
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00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:49,960
And it's going to get a lot
worse.
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00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:57,440
New York NYPD decided to create
a task force, and by the summer
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00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:02,360
of 1977, David Berkowitz had
become this terror stalking New
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00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,120
York City streets.
But the fear wasn't enough for
107
00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:07,600
him.
He would take another step, not
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00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:10,560
just killing, but performing,
crafting an identity that would
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00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,200
grip the public imagination and
haunt the city for years.
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00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,680
It began with letters.
Berkowitz began sending messages
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00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:20,400
to the NYPD and to journalist
Jimmy Breslin, inserting himself
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00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:23,320
directly into the story.
Suddenly, he was no longer an
113
00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:26,680
unseen shadow.
He was a character, a presence
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00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,560
in the headlines, a name that's
the city whispered in fear.
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00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,600
In the letters, he declared I am
the son of Sam.
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00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:35,320
He claimed that demons had
commanded him to kill.
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00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:39,240
He referenced a neighbor's dog
named Sam, a seemingly mundane
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00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:41,240
detail twisted into mythic
significance.
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00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:44,440
But this was not just illusion.
This was very calculated.
120
00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:48,440
Psychological experts point to a
complex mix of narcissism and
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00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:51,880
identity construction.
In these letters, Berkowitz
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00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,440
wasn't just reporting on his own
acts of violence.
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00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:58,520
He was mythologizing himself,
transforming from an anonymous
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00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:01,320
killer into a figure that was
larger than life.
125
00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:04,200
The letters are very telling in
how he frames himself.
126
00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:07,200
He actually distances himself
from ordinary humanity,
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00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,960
portraying his violence as both
inevitable and divine.
128
00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:14,320
By attributing his murders to
supernatural compulsion, he
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00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:18,360
implies this mystique.
He becomes the Son of Sam, a
130
00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:22,080
character that had a narrative
arc, a persona with motives,
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00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:25,280
rituals and symbolism.
The killings themselves are now
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00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:28,200
part of the performance.
The letters are the script.
133
00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:32,080
This is a defining moment in the
psychology of the case.
134
00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:36,320
Berkowitz is not merely killing.
He is branding himself, taking
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00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:37,960
control of the story in the
public eye.
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00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,480
Every note is designed to
provoke, terrify and dominate
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00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:44,200
attention.
Every word is carefully chosen
138
00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:47,800
to ensure that the press, police
and the city at large cannot
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00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:50,760
ignore him.
In doing so, he blurs the line
140
00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:55,280
between criminal and celebrity,
perpetrator and protagonist.
141
00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:58,600
From a product perspective, the
Son of Sam letters mark one of
142
00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:03,160
the earliest examples of what
would become the modern media
143
00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:06,640
serial killer symbiosis.
See the press, hungry for
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00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:10,640
sensational stories, publish his
letters in full, and in return,
145
00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,160
Berkowitz fed them the narrative
that they craved.
146
00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:15,160
The city became part of his
stage.
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00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:18,680
Each article, each headline,
amplified his notoriety,
148
00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,440
intensifying the fear in the
community and fascinating
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00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:24,440
people.
Psychologically, this
150
00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:27,600
performance reflects a deep need
for recognition and control.
151
00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,800
Berkowitz killings alone would
have scared New Yorkers, but by
152
00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:34,440
inserting himself into the
story, to the story, he elevates
153
00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:37,280
fear into legend.
He constructs A persona that
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00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:41,360
survives beyond individual
crimes, a Mystic, monstrous
155
00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:44,000
identity that dominates
imagination.
156
00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:47,160
In The Sum of Sam letters, we
see the intersection of
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00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:50,360
violence, media, and ego.
Berkowitz murders are no longer
158
00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:53,000
just private acts of rage or
displacement.
159
00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:56,440
They are now part of his
performance, designed to ensure
160
00:08:56,440 --> 00:09:00,400
that he is being remembered and
the city, the press and history
161
00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:03,640
are unwilling participants in
this stage.
162
00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:05,880
He's no longer just a guy with a
gun.
163
00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:09,840
He is the son of Sam, the
character, the myth, a warning
164
00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:12,760
that terror can be crafted as
carefully as any story.
165
00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:16,000
Now, as you understand the Son
of Sam killings, we need to look
166
00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,120
behind the headlines though the
letters, the body count, and we
167
00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:21,720
got to look at the guy holding
the gun and the psychological
168
00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:25,240
forces that shaped him.
David Berkowitz was born Richard
169
00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:30,120
David Falco on June 1st, 1953 in
Brooklyn, NY.
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00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:32,200
He was adopted shortly after his
birth.
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00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:35,560
His biological mother gave him
up because his bio dad left.
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00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:38,960
The early abandonment planted
the first seeds of rejection and
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00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:41,160
insecurity that would follow
David throughout his life.
174
00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:44,920
Even as a young boy, he
reportedly felt unwanted, and he
175
00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:47,880
struggled to reconcile the
absence of his birth parents
176
00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:51,080
with the affection from his
adoptive parents.
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00:09:51,560 --> 00:09:54,440
It was almost like he didn't
feel like he deserved to be
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00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:58,680
loved by his adopted parents.
Now, compounding this early
179
00:09:58,680 --> 00:10:03,640
sense of inadequacy, he would
suffer repeated head injuries as
180
00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:05,960
a child.
And though those details are
181
00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:08,880
very sparse, some psychologists
suggest that repeated
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00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:13,560
concussions may affect impulse
control, emotional regulation
183
00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:18,440
and aggression, vulnerabilities
that could later magnify into
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00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:21,560
psychological issues.
His adolescence was very
185
00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:23,960
troubled as well.
He was socially isolated.
186
00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:26,920
He struggled to form any
meaningful attachments to other
187
00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,600
children.
He experienced repeated failures
188
00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:33,240
in early romantic relationships,
leaving him frustrated and very
189
00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:36,920
resentful towards young women.
During this period, he also
190
00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:39,920
engaged in arson incidents,
setting fire to abandon
191
00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:42,240
buildings.
These acts were early
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00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:45,600
expressions of anger and
control, impulses channeled into
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00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:49,080
destruction, but not directed at
anyone individually yet.
194
00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:53,600
A nod to the MacDonald triad.
Criminologist often group serial
195
00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:56,200
killers into types to understand
why they kill.
196
00:10:56,640 --> 00:10:59,360
This includes the visionary
killer driven by delusions, the
197
00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:03,040
hedonistic killer seeking
thrills or pleasure, the power
198
00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:06,320
control killer obsessed with
domination, and the mission
199
00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:10,720
oriented killer who targets a
specific group they see as
200
00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:14,120
undesirable.
And Berkowitz fits into mission
201
00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:18,800
oriented type.
For him, women were his
202
00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:23,560
undesirables.
They were symbolic victims and
203
00:11:23,560 --> 00:11:27,160
that self mythology he used
justified the crime against
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00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:30,200
them.
Similar to Bundy, Berkowitz was
205
00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:32,680
harming women that he found
attractive.
206
00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,960
The difference though was the
reason behind these killings.
207
00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:39,840
Berkowitz formative experiences
with women created several
208
00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:42,200
critical psychological themes
that would define his later
209
00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:44,600
behavior.
The first was rejection
210
00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:47,360
sensitivity.
Many mission oriented killers
211
00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:50,960
share a heightened sensitivity
to perceived humiliation, and
212
00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:54,600
Berkowitz was no exception.
He was socially and sexually
213
00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:59,600
inadequate, acutely aware of his
inability to connect with women
214
00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:02,800
in any meaningful way.
Chronic loneliness in the sting
215
00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:06,400
of rejection created a fertile
psychological environment for a
216
00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:10,240
resentment to take root.
And in his mind, the pain of
217
00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:16,800
being unwanted was externalized.
Someone else had to be
218
00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:20,800
responsible.
Two, he externalized the blame.
219
00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:24,920
Rather than rather than confront
the painful reality that I am
220
00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:29,120
unwanted, or maybe do some self
reflection and work on himself,
221
00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:33,400
Berkowitz transformed this
internal pain into an outward
222
00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:35,720
narrative.
Women became targets of his
223
00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:38,040
hatred.
Society itself became a corrupt,
224
00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,880
immoral force.
And when he later invoked demons
225
00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:44,080
in his letters, claiming that
supernatural forces commanded
226
00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:46,560
him to kill, it was just another
mechanism to shift
227
00:12:46,560 --> 00:12:48,160
responsibility away from
himself.
228
00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:52,640
Framing his violence, not
framing his violence as not just
229
00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:54,760
acceptable but unnecessary
thing.
230
00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:59,800
The third thing was his mission
oriented typology, also called
231
00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:03,680
the pseudo commandos.
Berkowitz fits very squarely
232
00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:06,400
within that mission oriented
killer profile.
233
00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:09,040
These killers believe they are
enacting justice, eliminating a
234
00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:12,200
group of people they see as
symbolically or morally corrupt.
235
00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:14,600
And for Berkowitz, women were
his focal point.
236
00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,600
But he also viewed himself as
participating in a larger moral
237
00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:22,400
or cosmic battle, a theme that
he reinforced throughout all of
238
00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,560
the Son of Sam letters.
He referenced demons and his
239
00:13:25,560 --> 00:13:27,400
adoption of the Son of Sam
persona.
240
00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,720
The murders were ritualized,
framed as purposeful acts rather
241
00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:33,760
than just random violence.
And it's crucial to understand
242
00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:36,840
that Berkowitz's actions were
not pure psychosis.
243
00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:39,200
He was very aware of his
surroundings.
244
00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:42,440
He was capable of planning, able
to manipulate the media and law
245
00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:45,400
enforcement.
What drove him was this toxic
246
00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:49,840
combination of grievance,
narcissism, ego, and fantasy
247
00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:52,600
enforcement.
Every killing reinforced his
248
00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:56,600
sense of power and identity.
Every letter, every headline
249
00:13:56,920 --> 00:14:00,160
said the myth of the Son of Sam
and in essence Berkowitz
250
00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:03,880
psychology was a collision of
personal trauma and delusional
251
00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:07,200
narrative construction.
That early rejection and social
252
00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:09,680
isolation created deep seated
resentment.
253
00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:13,840
Chronic failure with women, and
mounting loneliness amplified
254
00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:17,680
his externalization of blame,
and his adoption of that mission
255
00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:21,440
oriented framework allowed him
to justify, ritualize, and
256
00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:24,920
continually perform his
violence, turning fear into a
257
00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:27,000
stage and himself into one of
the characters.
258
00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:29,880
By the time the killings ended,
the city had not only suffered
259
00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:33,240
unimaginable fear, but Berkowitz
has succeeded in creating a
260
00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:36,640
persona that would endure in
public consciousness long after
261
00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:39,160
the bullet stopped.
The Son of Sam was not simply a
262
00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,360
man with a gun, he was a
carefully constructed identity,
263
00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:46,280
a psychological performance
rooted in trauma, grievance, and
264
00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:48,400
meticulously cultivated
mythology.
265
00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:51,720
Now, after more than a year of
terror, the city's nightmare
266
00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:54,120
would finally end on August
10th, 1977.
267
00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:58,440
But the way that David Berkowitz
was caught is just as telling as
268
00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:01,880
the crime spree itself.
It was almost anti climatic.
269
00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:05,960
The break in the case came in an
unlikely form, a parking ticket.
270
00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:09,480
A woman named Cecilia Davis was
out walking her dog when a
271
00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:13,120
police officer ticketed a yellow
1973 Ford Galaxy.
272
00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:16,120
The car had been parked
haphazardly near a fire hydrant
273
00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:19,320
and after the ticket, a man
walked by.
274
00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:24,000
Cecilia said he looked at her,
he studied her and it scared
275
00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,960
her.
Spooked, Cecilia ran back inside
276
00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:30,520
of her house and just a few
minutes later, she heard
277
00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:33,280
gunshots.
Now, Cecilia thought that the
278
00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:37,360
man she saw was the shooter, but
frankly, she was pretty scared
279
00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:40,200
and for four days she said
absolutely nothing.
280
00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:43,320
And then finally, she called the
police and told them that she
281
00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:47,000
saw a yellow car get ticketed
minutes before the shooting
282
00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:52,520
started on August 6th.
The NYPD rushed to check every
283
00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:55,560
ticket that had been written
that night in the area, and they
284
00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:57,320
met their first bureaucratic
nightmare.
285
00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:02,720
Now, they knew that that car was
owned by David Berkowitz, but
286
00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:06,520
David lived in Yonkers.
So the NYPD Detective James
287
00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:11,000
Justice had to schedule an
interview with the Yonkers PD to
288
00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:14,360
talk to David Berkowitz.
And during the scheduling call,
289
00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:19,200
an NYPD dispatcher named Weak
Carr heard the name David David
290
00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:23,200
Berkowitz and started venting
immediately.
291
00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:25,600
Going let me tell you about him.
I know him.
292
00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:28,600
He lives right behind me.
And Wheat went on to give
293
00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:32,400
critical information to the
NYPD, citing how Berkowitz had
294
00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:37,480
shot her father's dog, a
Labrador named Sam.
295
00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:40,880
We'd also informed Detective
Justice that her brothers John
296
00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:44,640
and Michael Carr were friends
with him and that all three of
297
00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:46,840
them were into some dark occult
things.
298
00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:49,760
All in all, she said David
Berkowitz is bad news.
299
00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,120
Y'all should be careful.
He might actually be the killer.
300
00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:55,720
Now, Yonkers PD were already
suspicious of David Berkowitz
301
00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:59,240
because there had been a series
of weird break insurance within
302
00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:03,160
Yonkers and those break
insurance had been referenced in
303
00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:06,760
earlier Son of Sam letters.
So they were already looking for
304
00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:09,880
the connection between the Son
of Sam and the robberies
305
00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:13,040
happening in Yonkers.
When Yonkers investigators
306
00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:16,000
shared their notes with
Detective Justice, everyone felt
307
00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:17,720
pretty sure they had the right
guy.
308
00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:21,079
The police decided to go old
school though, knocking on
309
00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:24,319
doors, asking people about their
experiences with David.
310
00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,680
And while they were canvassing
the neighborhood, there was the
311
00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:31,800
car outside of 35 Pine St. in
front of an apartment building.
312
00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:34,840
And when they looked inside the
windows, there was a gun sitting
313
00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:38,720
openly in the back seat.
Now, it's not illegal to own a
314
00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:43,680
gun, but you're really not
supposed to have it sitting on
315
00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:46,040
your back seat on a New York
City sidewalk.
316
00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:50,400
And so they were allowed to open
up his car, check his trunk, and
317
00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:52,200
they found a duffel bag with
ammunition.
318
00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:55,680
Maps of New York City boroughs.
A new and unreleased letter to
319
00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:58,960
Timothy Dowd, the head of the
Son of Sam Task Force.
320
00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:02,080
Rather than try and storm his
apartment, though, they decided
321
00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:04,360
they simply were going to wait
for him to leave.
322
00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:08,120
Police were worried that if they
cornered him in New York City's
323
00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:11,880
notoriously narrow apartment
hallways, he'd shoot and he'd
324
00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:15,400
start killing civilians.
They requested a warrant just to
325
00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:17,720
cover their bases, And also,
they didn't want anybody to get
326
00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:19,960
any crazy ideas.
They wanted to have a warrant
327
00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:21,520
before they walked into his
apartment.
328
00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:26,000
But around 10:00 PM, the warrant
still wasn't there.
329
00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:29,880
But David Berkowitz walked
outside and got into his car.
330
00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:33,240
Detective John Fallotico stood
on the driver's side and
331
00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:35,920
Detective Sergeant William
Gardello on the passenger side.
332
00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:40,000
Both drew their guns, and both
were a little stunned when
333
00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:44,400
Berkowitz broke into a big grin
and said, well, you got me.
334
00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:47,240
Now that I've got you, Detective
Fallotico said.
335
00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:49,640
Who have I got?
You know?
336
00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:54,000
Detective Falco would later tell
Lawrence Costner, who wrote the
337
00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:58,080
book on the Son of Sam, that
Berkowitz had a soft, almost
338
00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:02,160
sweet voice that didn't match
what they were expecting when
339
00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,240
they caught him.
But he decided to play along,
340
00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:08,440
and he responded, I don't know,
you tell me.
341
00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:13,240
So the man turned his head and
said, I'm Sam Falco.
342
00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:15,520
Faltico said, you're Sam.
Sam who?
343
00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:18,280
And he said, Sam David
Berkowitz.
344
00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:21,600
There were no theatrics, no
attempt to flee, no resistance,
345
00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:24,480
just the quiet acknowledgement
that he had been captured.
346
00:19:25,360 --> 00:19:28,080
From a psychological standpoint,
this moment is as revealing as
347
00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:31,600
the killings themselves.
For months he had performed for
348
00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,280
the public, in the press, these
letters, the moniker the Son of
349
00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:38,320
Sam, the careful mythology, all
of it had been part of this very
350
00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:41,240
specifically constructed
performance.
351
00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,680
He cultivated fear, manipulated
the media, commanded the
352
00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:47,120
attention of one of the largest
cities in the world.
353
00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:50,720
But in that instance, the
performance ended.
354
00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:54,600
The person, the myth, the Son of
Sam act, it stopped mattering.
355
00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:59,240
The real man, a small nervous
guy, was suddenly exposed.
356
00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:03,280
There was no audience, no more
stage, no cameras to validate
357
00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:05,440
his identity.
The psychological need to
358
00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:08,680
perform vanished with the
knowledge that law enforcement
359
00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:11,320
now held control.
Interviews and statements
360
00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:14,560
following his arrest revealed
this very abrupt shift in
361
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:19,360
behavior without an audience.
To impress or terrorize.
362
00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:21,560
Berkowitz became more
introspective.
363
00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:26,040
It was almost mundane.
The letters, of course, stopped.
364
00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:28,480
The headlines would continue to
print his name.
365
00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:32,080
But the carefully curated
narrative that he built around
366
00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:35,680
himself was way over.
The fear he had wielded so
367
00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:39,640
efficiently in the streets of
New York no longer required him.
368
00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:43,200
The city had survived, and the
hunter was now the prey.
369
00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:47,160
The arrest also underscores the
role of chance and careful
370
00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:51,160
police work.
A parking ticket, somebody just
371
00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:54,120
calling the police and reporting
some suspicious.
372
00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:59,360
A neighborhood canvas, a few
persistent officers, all
373
00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:02,560
seemingly small details that
brought a reign of terror to its
374
00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:05,160
end.
There was no cinematic showdown,
375
00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:10,080
only normal police investigation
meeting a killer who had, in a
376
00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:14,080
way, kind of grown complacent in
that quiet moment outside his
377
00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,640
Yonkers apartment, the city's
nightmare ended and the killings
378
00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:21,880
on stage were unmasked.
The myth of the Son of Sam would
379
00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:25,440
endure in headlines and lore.
But the real David Berkowitz,
380
00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:29,160
the man shaped by trauma,
delusion, and resentment, he was
381
00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:32,080
now in custody.
Now when that arrest happened on
382
00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:35,400
August 10th, 1977, that manhunt
that had gripped New York City
383
00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:37,120
for over a year was finally
over.
384
00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:39,080
But the story was very far from
finished.
385
00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:42,760
As prosecutors begin to prepare
their case, Berkowitz own words
386
00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:46,280
started to complicate things.
In the early days, he told
387
00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:49,240
investigators bizarre and
chilling tales.
388
00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:53,160
He claimed his neighbor's black
Labrador retriever, a dog named
389
00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:57,280
Harvey that was possessed by a
demon named Sam.
390
00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:01,280
This wasn't just a minor like a
side though, because he went
391
00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:04,600
into so much detail when he
talked to the police and
392
00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,880
suggested that demons were
speaking directly to him.
393
00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:12,520
This dog as messenger thing
meant that they had to evaluate
394
00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:15,840
him for these delusions, but
very quickly as they looked into
395
00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:18,120
having conversations with him
and having him speak to
396
00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:20,960
psychological professionals, it
was very clear it was a
397
00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:23,840
strategic thing.
He was only suggesting
398
00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:27,320
supernatural motivation because
he was testing the legal waters
399
00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:29,400
to see if he could do an
insanity plea.
400
00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:34,160
Essentially, he was trying to
not get killed.
401
00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:37,840
And he said, maybe I can just
get, you know, a lifetime behind
402
00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:40,000
bars.
In the months following the
403
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,960
arrests, he underwent a lot of
psychological evaluations.
404
00:22:44,360 --> 00:22:47,920
And the experts did note he had
signs of paranoid ideation.
405
00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:51,240
He had very strange beliefs, But
they said he's competent.
406
00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:55,160
This is an act.
He understands his charges and
407
00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:56,920
he can participate in his own
defense.
408
00:22:57,200 --> 00:22:59,560
And that's one thing that I
think people don't understand
409
00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:04,360
what the justice system, the
psychological evaluation is not.
410
00:23:04,360 --> 00:23:06,960
Is this person crazy?
Because frankly, the justice
411
00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:08,720
system doesn't care if you
commit a crime while you're
412
00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,840
crazy.
They care if you understood you
413
00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:13,960
were create doing a crime when
you did it.
414
00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:18,640
If you can say to the court,
well, yes, I know that it's
415
00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:22,520
wrong to kill people, but I did
it because the dog told me so.
416
00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:27,240
You still knew it was wrong.
So essentially, you understand
417
00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:29,640
right from wrong.
All right, let's go to trial.
418
00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:35,720
It was after all of this, this
wasted amount of energy and
419
00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:39,520
money.
May of 1978, Berkowitz makes a
420
00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,200
surprising legal strategy.
He withdraws the insanity
421
00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:48,720
defense and instead just pleads
guilty to all six counts of
422
00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:52,840
murder and the related 7
attempts for attempted murder.
423
00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:56,280
He did it very calmly, almost
matter of factly.
424
00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,800
He knew that this would lead
directly to prison and there
425
00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:02,040
would be no uncertainty of a
jury trial.
426
00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:06,280
That decision mattered a lot.
By pleading guilty, he forfeited
427
00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:09,320
any chance of being sent to a
psychiatric institution.
428
00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:11,400
And that's a big deal.
That's another thing that people
429
00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:16,120
think sometimes just because a
person is labeled not guilty by
430
00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:19,720
reason of insanity, it doesn't
mean that they avoid jail time.
431
00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:23,320
It actually means they end up
going into a psychological
432
00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:27,080
prison, which is worse than a
regular prison.
433
00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:30,520
And a lot of people who have
been in psychiatric institutions
434
00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:34,400
that also double as jails say
that it's pretty awful to be
435
00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:37,760
there.
So this was a logical decision
436
00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:41,480
for for Berkowitz.
Essentially, if I admit that I
437
00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:43,600
did this, I will go to a regular
prison.
438
00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:47,040
I will not be locked in a cell.
I will not be, you know, put in
439
00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:51,680
a straitjacket.
And this also coincided with
440
00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:53,880
everything that the psychologist
said.
441
00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:59,040
He is a rational, logical man
legally responsible for his
442
00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:02,120
choices regardless of what he
claimed during the
443
00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:03,920
interrogations from the last
year.
444
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:08,560
And on June 12th, 1978, he was
sentenced to six consecutive
445
00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:12,000
life sentences.
Now in New York State, a life
446
00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:18,160
sentence is considered 25 years.
So essentially, he gave him 150
447
00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:21,760
years in prison, effectively
ensuring he will never get out
448
00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:24,280
of prison.
The demon dog story didn't
449
00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:27,520
survive the courtroom.
And in 1979, there was a press
450
00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:31,000
conference and later private
correspondence with David's
451
00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:34,000
psychiatrist.
And he just straight up
452
00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,360
admitted, yeah, no, I lied.
It was a hoax.
453
00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:39,480
I was hoping I could convince
people that I was insane.
454
00:25:40,360 --> 00:25:45,720
He actually referred to it in
the press as a silly hoax meant
455
00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:48,960
to influence how he might be
treated, not an honesty
456
00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:51,280
recounting of any voices or
visions.
457
00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:53,560
So the question is, what was
real then?
458
00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:58,120
Berkowitz behavior reflects
schizotypal traits, paranoid
459
00:25:58,120 --> 00:26:01,640
ideation, unusual patterns of
thought and belief that can
460
00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:03,720
distort how someone interprets
the world.
461
00:26:04,360 --> 00:26:07,160
But the fact that he was found
to be competent at trial
462
00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:11,480
repeatedly suggests that he was
not overtaken by uncontrollable
463
00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:15,640
hallucinations.
What emerges is a man with a
464
00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:20,480
severe personality disorder
intertwined with his narcissism,
465
00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:25,200
his grievance against women, and
a deeply rooted desire for
466
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:27,920
attention and to feel
significant.
467
00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:31,600
Throughout all these interviews
in prison and later media
468
00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:35,640
appearances, Berkowitz would
alternate between claiming he
469
00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:40,160
felt psychologically A
compulsion and acknowledging
470
00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:43,160
that he just wanted to kill.
At times he described the
471
00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:46,800
shooting as a break from
reality, and other times he said
472
00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:50,960
he needed a justification, any
justification, so he could tell
473
00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:53,280
himself he wasn't just a cold
blooded killer.
474
00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:57,040
Eva Berkowitz is still alive.
He is serving a life sentence at
475
00:26:57,040 --> 00:26:59,520
the Shawagong Correctional
Facility in New York State.
476
00:26:59,960 --> 00:27:02,720
Over the decades, he has been
denied parole repeatedly, most
477
00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:07,000
recently in May of 2024.
That was his 12th attempt and
478
00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:11,920
technically he is allowed to
apply for parole every two years
479
00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:15,920
from now on, so his next one
would be coming sometime in
480
00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:20,000
2026.
David has spoken publicly about
481
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,520
the fact that he has transformed
himself while he was in prison.
482
00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:27,320
He has adopted a born again
Christian identity and calls
483
00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:30,920
himself the Son of Hope.
Now the trial of David Berkowitz
484
00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,520
remains significant not just for
its outcome.
485
00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:35,720
Before what it revealed about
the intersection of myth and
486
00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:39,520
responsibility, Berkowitz tried
to cloak himself in supernatural
487
00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:42,000
excuses.
He externalized the blame
488
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:44,800
through an invented narrative of
demons and possessed animals.
489
00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:48,000
But the legal system treated him
as a man who made choices, and
490
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:50,640
he accepted that reality when he
stood in court.
491
00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:53,680
In the end, the myth of the Son
of Sam, the voice of demons, the
492
00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:57,600
talking dog, the grand narrative
of compulsion was just part of a
493
00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:00,520
performance.
The true story lies in a man's
494
00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:04,880
choices, his calculated
manipulation, the consequence of
495
00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:07,720
those decisions, and how they
landed him in prison for life.
496
00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:10,600
The Son of Sam case didn't just
terrorize New York City streets.
497
00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:13,520
It left an enduring mark on
American culture.
498
00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:16,400
Couples avoided parked cars and
quiet streets.
499
00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:18,800
Every shadow and siren was a
reminder that a predator could
500
00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:21,360
strike anywhere.
The panic was pervasive.
501
00:28:21,360 --> 00:28:25,560
It shaped daily life and waste.
Few crimes ever do, and the
502
00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:28,320
media played a central role in
amplifying that fear.
503
00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:31,960
Berkowitz letters his chosen
moniker, the myth of the demon
504
00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:35,600
possessed dog, created a storm
for a sensational headline.
505
00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:39,200
Newspapers competed for every
detail.
506
00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:42,760
They were running stories that
turned a real terror into a
507
00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:46,480
public spectacle.
And this case marked that media
508
00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:49,480
driven fascination with serial
killers, the same kind of
509
00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,400
fascination that has me making
this podcast right now.
510
00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:57,760
The Son of Sam became the Son of
Sam began at the double edged
511
00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:04,160
sword that allowed these men to
be both creators of fear and
512
00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:10,680
also creators of notoriety.
There is a danger when you tell
513
00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:15,880
the world that the more carnage
you create, the more people will
514
00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:19,080
admire you, and there has
definitely been discussion over
515
00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:22,920
the last several decades about
whether the coverage of these
516
00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:28,520
kinds of cases has made the
killers more prolific.
517
00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:33,680
The legal aftermath of the Son
of Sam case was also very
518
00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:37,480
influential.
The Son of Sam laws were enacted
519
00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:42,600
because of just how popular
David Berkowitz was, and
520
00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:47,040
essentially, people said it's
not fair that someone is allowed
521
00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:50,080
to make money off of murdering
other people.
522
00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:53,560
And so criminals were prevented
from profiting from their
523
00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,560
crimes, particularly through
book deals or movie rights.
524
00:29:56,840 --> 00:29:59,880
And these laws change the way
the justice system interacted
525
00:29:59,880 --> 00:30:03,400
with the media and intellectual
property, aiming to ensure that
526
00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:06,720
murderers could never capitalize
on their infamy.
527
00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:10,080
This case also inspired enduring
cultural portrayals.
528
00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:14,320
Spike Lee's 1999 film The Summer
of Sam dramatized the chaos and
529
00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:16,440
paranoia of New York City during
these murders.
530
00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:19,520
It heightened both the social
climate and the media frenzy
531
00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:23,920
surrounding David Berkowitz.
Books, documentaries, and yes,
532
00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:27,360
podcasts continue to revisit
this story, showing that it's
533
00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:30,440
had a lasting impact on American
imagination.
534
00:30:31,120 --> 00:30:33,720
The Son of Sam murders reshaped
perceptions of safety, media
535
00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:35,640
responsibility, criminal
notoriety.
536
00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:38,760
They illustrated how a single
killer could not only wreck
537
00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:43,320
physical havoc but infiltrate
public consciousness, altering
538
00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:46,880
daily behavior, legal standards,
and cultural narratives for
539
00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,960
generations.
The fear that David Berkowitz
540
00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:52,960
released was not just confined
to the streets.
541
00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:56,480
It reverberated through law
media, and it left a legacy.
542
00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:01,640
David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam,
Yes, he terrorized New York City
543
00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:04,960
with bullets, letters, and myths
for a little over a year.
544
00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:07,280
He transformed fear into a
performance.
545
00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:10,040
He turned ordinary streets into
stages and headlines.
546
00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:14,320
Young women cut and dyed their
hair, couples avoided parked
547
00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:17,520
cars, the city trembled, and the
media amplified every moment.
548
00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:19,920
But the story is not just about
fear.
549
00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:22,680
It's also about inevitable
accountability.
550
00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:26,600
From a parking ticket to careful
police canvassing the trail that
551
00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:29,800
David Berkowitz left.
Physical, digital, psychological
552
00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:34,520
it all led to his arrest.
There was no chase, just calm,
553
00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:40,200
quiet policing.
Well, you got me proof that no
554
00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:42,960
matter how meticulous the
performance, the truth always
555
00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:45,200
leaves a trail.
And Berkowitz tried to cloak
556
00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:47,880
himself in delusions, demons,
letters, But the law,
557
00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:51,680
investigation, reality, it all
caught up with him.
558
00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:57,880
The mythos around him remains in
popular culture, books, films,
559
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discussions of serial killers.
But the man himself is
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00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:05,600
constrained, a living reminder
of choices, consequences, and
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00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:09,160
the limits of manipulation.
The story of David Berkowitz
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shows us that even the most
terrifying acts cannot erase the
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inevitability of truth.
Every step, every letter, every
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miscalculation leaves a trail,
and that trail led to justice.
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I'm Brittany Ransom, and this
has been when killers get
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00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:24,360
caught.
If you want more deep dives into
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00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:26,080
the minds behind the most
extreme crimes and the
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00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:28,400
investigations that caught them,
you can subscribe to our
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00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:30,680
Patreon.
Join me for our next story.
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You are always welcome to send
me your own ideas for stories
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00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,400
because I do read my emails.
Send that to
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00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:40,560
caseclosersubmissions@gmail.com.
And if it's something
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00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:42,960
interesting and I can find
enough sources about it, I will
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00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:45,200
absolutely talk about it.
One of the future podcasts.
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00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:46,760
Thanks for listening.
