I felt this was one of the more interesting Biographiy episodes because of all that preceded the main story and was tacked on at the end, about a man who terrorized New York City in the mid 1970s.
David Berkowitz, a.k.a. Son Of Sam and a.k.a. The .44 Calibre Killer, certainly doesn't look and talk like the same man he was in the 1970s. He is one of the few murderers who sounds legit when he talks about his conversion to Christianity. I rarely believe those guys, but Berkowitz convinced me. Does mean he should be released? No, of course not, and he admits it, too. The point is, it was interesting to see and hear him today, some 30 years after he made national headlines with his killing spree.
Berkowitz's childhood, and one reason why he turned out as he did, centered around the fact that he was adopted. Years ago, that was a big deal and often a sore spot among kids. Other kids would taunt you about it. It's hard to believe, but it's true. Horrified by this, David wound up a mama's boy, a loner, a child who poisoned the family parakeet so he could get more attention. At 10, he saw a child psychologist, but it didn't help. He was a "closed book," very private. Biography goes on to explain his life in the military, and how Berkowitz's insecurity got worse all the time, how he thought he was worthless. The program then details his quest to find out who his real parents were and how that didn't turn out well, either. He finally met his birth mother and was very disappointed. He turned to Satanic cults. Mentally, things go worse and by 1976, he had come to the conclusion he needed to kill a woman to make up for the suffering his real mom and other women had given him.
So in July of 1976, the killings began. Oddly, the TV program notes that Berkovitz - while cruising the city nightly for good places to kill people - also carried with his first aid equipment because he wanted to be a hero! (I told you his story here was fascinating.) Anyway, after the fifth killing, a new American citizen female from Bulgaria, police knew they had a crazed killer on their hands and dubbed him "the .44 caliber killer." By the sixth murder, Berkowitz leaves police a note and refers to himself as "Son of Sam." It goes on until a parking ticket, of all things, leads to his arrest. It was almost anti-climactic. The cops didn't even know who they had when they arrested him. Berkowitz told them, "Well, you finally got me." "Who do we have?" "You have 'the Son of Sam.'" He didn't go easily after the trial, claiming he only killed three people that the Satanic cult did the rest.
He seems to have peace with himself now, though. In 2005, David Berkowitz wrote a book called "Son Of Hope." Amazon reviewers give it five stars.
David Berkowitz, a.k.a. Son Of Sam and a.k.a. The .44 Calibre Killer, certainly doesn't look and talk like the same man he was in the 1970s. He is one of the few murderers who sounds legit when he talks about his conversion to Christianity. I rarely believe those guys, but Berkowitz convinced me. Does mean he should be released? No, of course not, and he admits it, too. The point is, it was interesting to see and hear him today, some 30 years after he made national headlines with his killing spree.
Berkowitz's childhood, and one reason why he turned out as he did, centered around the fact that he was adopted. Years ago, that was a big deal and often a sore spot among kids. Other kids would taunt you about it. It's hard to believe, but it's true. Horrified by this, David wound up a mama's boy, a loner, a child who poisoned the family parakeet so he could get more attention. At 10, he saw a child psychologist, but it didn't help. He was a "closed book," very private. Biography goes on to explain his life in the military, and how Berkowitz's insecurity got worse all the time, how he thought he was worthless. The program then details his quest to find out who his real parents were and how that didn't turn out well, either. He finally met his birth mother and was very disappointed. He turned to Satanic cults. Mentally, things go worse and by 1976, he had come to the conclusion he needed to kill a woman to make up for the suffering his real mom and other women had given him.
So in July of 1976, the killings began. Oddly, the TV program notes that Berkovitz - while cruising the city nightly for good places to kill people - also carried with his first aid equipment because he wanted to be a hero! (I told you his story here was fascinating.) Anyway, after the fifth killing, a new American citizen female from Bulgaria, police knew they had a crazed killer on their hands and dubbed him "the .44 caliber killer." By the sixth murder, Berkowitz leaves police a note and refers to himself as "Son of Sam." It goes on until a parking ticket, of all things, leads to his arrest. It was almost anti-climactic. The cops didn't even know who they had when they arrested him. Berkowitz told them, "Well, you finally got me." "Who do we have?" "You have 'the Son of Sam.'" He didn't go easily after the trial, claiming he only killed three people that the Satanic cult did the rest.
He seems to have peace with himself now, though. In 2005, David Berkowitz wrote a book called "Son Of Hope." Amazon reviewers give it five stars.