On August 10, 1977, the Son of Sam Killer, David Berkowitz was finally caught and arrested after terrorizing New York City for over a year.
In his wake he left six people dead and wounded another seven. Not many people remember he was a serial arsonist first, setting hundreds of fires before turning into a murderer.
After his arrest, Berkowitz claimed that demons and a black Labrador retriever owned by a neighbor named Sam had ordered him to commit the killings.David Berkowitz was brought up by adoptive parents in the Bronx. He was traumatized by the death of his adoptive mother from cancer in 1967 and thereafter became more and more of a loner. In 1971, he joined the army and served for three years, where he distinguished himself as a talented marksman. In 1974, he returned to New York and worked as a security guard. His mental condition began to severely deteriorate in 1975 (he would later be diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic).
I was a teenager during that time and his presence was felt deeply throughout all the boroughs. My girlfriend had blonde hair and she was afraid to go out at night.
I remember reading Jimmy Breslin’s columns at the time since Berkowitz used him as a conduit.
Open thread…
