David Berkowitz Power Point by Brad and Jon

David Berkowitz AKA Son of Sam: 

David Berkowitz AKA Son of Sam By Brad Walsh And Jon George

Slide 2: 

David Berkowitz: Then and Now

Personal information and early life: 

Personal information and early life David was born June 1 st , 1953. Birth mother’s name Betty Broder and father, Joseph Kleinman. David grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Immediately was put up for adoption after birth. Was antisocial as a child because he believed his birth mother died during child birth which made him very upset. When David’s adopted mother, Pearl Berkowitz, died in 1967 due to breast cancer, he became highly depressed at age 14. When his father and “new” mother abandoned him at age 18, he joined the army and was eventually discharged for disciplinary problems

The crimes Part 1: 

The crimes Part 1 1. July 29 th , 1976 It was roughly 1 am when Jody Valenti and Donna Lauria were sitting in their parked car outside Donna's apartment. David walked up to the car and opened fired with a .44 revolver. Laurie was killed and Donna had an injured thigh. 2. October 23 rd , 1976 Early in the morning Carl Denaro and Rosemary Keenan were sitting in Denaro’s parked car when they were fired upon by an unknown assailant. Fortunately, both men survived. Eventually, police learned that David fired upon the two men because he originally thought that Carl Denaro was a female because of his long hair.

The Crimes Part 2: 

The Crimes Part 2 3. November 26 th , 1976 Donna DiMasi and 18-year-old Joanne Lomino were chatting on the steps outside of a house when David walked up to them and opened fire. Donna escaped into the house but Joanne was hit in the back of the head, which paralyzed her from the waist down. 4. January 30 th , 1977 26-year-old Christine Freund and her fiancé John Diel were leaving a bar around 12:30am when Berkowitz approached them while they sat in their car and open fired through the wind shield. Christine was shot in the head and died on her way to the hospital. John escaped without injury.

The Crimes Part 3: 

The Crimes Part 3 5. March 8 th , 1977 19-year-old Virginia Voskerichian was walking home alone around 7:30pm when she was ambushed by Berkowitz just half a block from where Christine Freund was found . Virginia attempted to shield her face with the text book but the bullets ripped right though the pages, killing her instantly. Police were able to link her murder to the previous 3 using ballistics reports. 6. April 17 th , 1977 18-year-old Valentina Suriani and her 20-year-old boyfriend Alexander Esau, were sitting in their car around 3am when Berkowitz approached the couple and shot each person twice. They both died instantly from their wounds. Berkowitz left a letter signed 'The Son of Sam' addressed to Joe Borelli at the scene.

The Crimes Part 4: 

The Crimes Part 4 7. June 26 th , 1977 17-year-old Judy Placido and Sal Lupu were gunned down while sitting in a parked car just after leaving a disco. They both survived the attack with multiple gun shot wounds . The couple were ironically talking about how scary the streets were with the 'Son of Sam' roaming around New York just moments before they were shot. 8. July 31 st , 1977 Bobby Violante and Stacy Moskowitz were approached by Berkowitz and gunned down while making out beside a local park. Stacy died from a gunshot wound a couple days after the shooting and Bobby lost his vision in one eye and partial vision in the other. This was Berkowitz's last killing before he was caught. He parked his car in front of a fire hydrant and received a parking ticket which eventually led to his capture.

Son of Sam letters: 

Son of Sam letters Letter 1 Letter 2

More Son of Sam letters: 

More Son of Sam letters Letter 3 Letter 4

Capture and Sentencing: 

Capture and Sentencing Arrested on August 10 th , 1977 Confessed to being the Son of Sam on August 11 th Pleaded guilty in order to receive life sentence instead of death penalty. The name Sam came from his former neighbor and said that his black Labrador was possessed by evil demons that told Berkowitz to kill women. Berkowitz was deemed mentally stable to stand trial. On June 12th 1978, David was sentenced to 25-to-life imprisonment leaving his maximum term in prison at 365 years if not granted parole. He was placed in Attica's Maximum Correctional Facility located in Attica, New York.

David Berkowitz’s Car (Image): 

David Berkowitz’s Car (Image)

David Berkowitz’s Car: 

David Berkowitz’s Car The car contained a Commando Mark III rifle, a duffel bag full with ammunition, and a letter to Sgt. Dowd of the Omega Task Force (responsible for the investigation of the 'Son of Sam' killings) threating more deaths and maps of the crime scenes. The police waited for Berkowitz to return to his car rather than approach him in his small narrow apartment on Pine St. in Yonkers, New York. Berkowitz left his apartment around 10pm with a paper bag in his hands that contained the .44 caliber Bulldog Revolver . Police watched David enter his car then approached and placed him under arrest with no resistance. The police then searched his apartment and found satanic writings all over the walls and a diary claiming to over 1400 arsons throughout the New York area.

How police found the car: 

How police found the car A woman named Cacilia Davis who witnessed David removing a parking ticket from his car outside her home near the Moscowitz crime scene. She stated he was glaring at strangers and acting out of place for several hours as people passed by before actually removing the ticket for parking in front of a fire hydrant . The police initially considered Berkowitz to be a witness and it was not until August 9th 1977 that NYPD detective James Justis contacted Yonkers police department to schedule an interview with David.

Berkowitz Today: 

Berkowitz Today During 1979, there was an attempt on Berkowitz's life which left him with 52 stitches and a permanent scar. Berkowitz never identified the perp. In 1987 Berkowitz became a 'born again Christian' after reading Pslam 34:6 from a pocket bible given to him from another inmate David keeps denying his own parole saying that he should stay in jail and be punished for his sins. David Berkowitz currently resides at Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsberg , New York and has an official website that a church group maintains for him as he is not aloud internet access.

References: 

References http://www.nydailynews.com/features/sonofsam/letter.htmlhttp://www.ariseandshine.org / http :// www.biography.com/notorious/crimefiles.do?action=view&profileId=262883&catId=259456 http :// crime.about.com/od/murder/p/sonofsam.htm http ://home.cogeco.ca/~ mrcarle/SONOFSAM.HTM http ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Berkowitz#Justice_system http://www.fortunecity.com/roswell/streiber/273/berkowitz_cf.htm

Links: 

Links David Berkowitz’s Church Website: www.ariseandshine.org David Berkowitz’s Wiki space by Brad and Jon: http ://davidberkowitz.wikispaces.com/