David Berkowitz (left) was finally caught after evading New York’s biggest manhunt (Picture: Robert R.McElroy/Getty Images)
A serial killer terrorised New York City in the 1970s targeting young women – and it became very close that he was never caught.
The twisted murderer David Berkowitz, who became known as the ‘Son of Sam’ after a terrifying letter to the detectives trying to catch him, killed six people in New York City.
Berkowitz, now aged 71 and incarcerated, terrorised the city between July 1976 and 1977 by attacking his victims with a knife and later by shooting.
But how was he able to evade capture for so long?
When the identity of ‘Son of Sam’ serial killer was revealed as David Berkowitz, then aged 24 (centre right) (Picture: Stan Wolfson/Newsday RM via Getty)
The hunt for the ‘Son of Sam’ killer
The postal worker, then in his twenties, attacked mainly in Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, where he prowled the streets for brown-haired women to target.
After the first murders, hairdressers reportedly became inundated with requests from women desperate to change their look after reports that the killer was going after brunettes.
The first person Berkowitz killed was on July 29, 1976. He shot Donna Lauria, 18, and injured her friend, Jody Valenti, 19, who survived but could not recognise the killer.
He used a specific kind of handgun which gave him the initial nickname .44 Calibre Killer.
Berkowitz then went on to kill five more young people in a year – Christine Freund, 26, Virginia Voskerichian, 19, Valentina Suriani, 18, and Alexander Esau, 20, and Stacy Moskowitz, 20.
His crimes led to the biggest manhunt in NYC history with hundreds of officers chasing leads.
Hundreds of officers were involved in the ‘Son of Sam’ manhunt across New York City and Yonkers (Picture: Bettmann Archive)
Only some of the survivors were able to describe the suspect who struck often in the early hours of the morning and out of nowhere, with one witness describing him as blond while another sketch showed the shooter as black-haired.
A month after tow truck operator Esau and Suriania, a student and an aspiring actress and model, were killed, the police revealed the infamous ‘Son of Sam’ letter that had been left near the bodies.
In the letter – which was leaked to the media – Berkowitz identified himself as a ‘monster,’ ‘a brat’ and ‘the Son of Sam,’ but he denied being a ‘woman hater.’
The dark and unhinged message described how ‘Sam’ ‘loves to hunt’ on the street ‘looking for fair game – tasty meat.’
At the same time, Berkowitz’s mental state was said to be deteriorating, and he was hallucinating that his neighbour’s Labrador Sam was telling him to kill.
Another letter was also sent to a newspaper columnist Jimmy Breslin in May, signed by Son of Sam.
How the killer was caught
While the letters gave more clues, and fuel to the rumour mill surrounding the murders, it would take four more incidents before Berkowitz was captured.
Salvatore Lupo, 20, and Judy Placido, 17, were both shot but survived. StacyMoskowitz, 20, and Robert Violante, 20, were on their first date on July 31, 1977, when they were shot. Violante reportedly lost his eye while Moskowitz, the only blonde victim, died from the wounds.
Detectives search a car on July 31, 1977, after Robert Violante was shot in the eye, which was permanently blinded, and his date, Stacy Moskowitz, was killed (Picture: AP)
A note found in David Berkowitz’s car when he was arrested on August 10, 1977 as he sat in the car in front of his Yonkers, New York, home (Picture: Bettmann Archive)
It was a simple parking ticket and one survivor who helped to connect Berkowitz to the killings.
Cacilia Davis was walking her dog at the scene of the Moskowitz and Violante when she came almost face to face with a creepy young man whose car had been ticketed by a traffic officer just moments before.
Davis ran to her home, but she heard shots ringing through the air as she was being fired at.
Berkowitz’s yellow 1970 Ford Galaxie was found to be one of the ticketed cars, do the police decided to pay him a visit on August 10, 1977.
Serial killer David Berkowitz during an interview at Attica Prison on February 22, 1979 (Picture: AP)
David Berkowitz’s mugshot in March 2003 (Picture: Donaldson Collection/Getty Images)
When taking a look inside his parked car, officers spotted a handgun on the back seat along with ammunition, maps and a threatening letter to one of the inspectors.
To avoid a potentially violent confrontation, officers waited until Berkowitz exited before arresting him whilst he was sat inside his car.
This put an end to the killings, but the survivors and victims’ families still had to endure the trial, during which Berkowitz was eventually found guilty and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Could David Berkowitz be freed soon?
Despite objections, Berkowitz could apply for parole after 25 years in prison.
Berkowitz went on a spree of parole applications, lodging 12 requests, with the latest one submitted as recently as May this year.
His latest parole appeal was rejected on May 14, the CBS reported citing the state corrections agency.
David Berkowitz, who claims he has converted to Christianity, pictured in the 2000s (Picture: Alamy)
The agency did not provide any further reasons, and the serial killer reportedly continues to be locked up at Shawangunk Correctional Facility. Inmates are entitled to a parole hearing every two years, meaning his next chance for one is in May 2026.
In early 2018, Berkowitz reportedly underwent a second heart surgery after previously suffering a cardiac arrest.
According to his long-term lawyer, Berkowitz had gained weight, the New York Post reported.
The murderer said he became an evangelical Christian in the late 1980s and he now refers to himself as the ‘Son of Hope.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.