10 Terrifying Facts About the Son of Sam Serial Killer

10 Terrifying Facts About The Son of Sam Serial Killer

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were looking at ten of the creepiest and most unsettling facts about David Berkowitz, AKA The Son of Sam.

He Said He Was Directed By a Demon

Have you ever wondered who this Sam actually was? According to David Berkowitz, it was an ancient demon said to be speaking through his neighbors Labrador retriever. After his arrest on August 10, 1977, Berkowitz told investigators that he had simply been obeying the orders of the demon, kickstarting one of the most famous aspects of the case and a serious study into Berkowitzs mental health. At the time, the story of the demonic dog grabbed massive media attention, not just because its inherently creepy, but because the pop culture of the time leaned heavily into possession and demonic themes. Coincidence?

He Made the Dog Story Up

No, it was not a coincidence. He knew what was hot at the time and played directly into it. Berkowitz never heard demonic voices, and he made the whole dog story up for a variety of practical and psychological reasons. For one thing, he hoped to appear mentally ill, as insanity defenses are a well-known tactic in avoiding the death penalty. It also guaranteed a media frenzy, and Berkowitz was fascinated by the attention and may have enjoyed fueling his own legend. Finally, it allowed Berkowitz to mask his true motives, which were painfully ordinary - feelings of rejection and anger at a world, specifically its women, that didnt seem to want him.

He Was a Prolific Arsonist Before the Murders

New York City was in a desperate state in the 1970s, on the verge of bankruptcy, riddled with crime, and in some places looking like a warzone. During that time, police were trying to find a noted arsonist who was responsible for countless fires around New York. Well give you three guesses who it was. After his August 1977 arrest, police raided Berkowitzs apartment and found a series of notebooks in which he extensively detailed hundreds of fires. When pressed, Berkowitz admitted that he had started well over 1,000 fires throughout the early 70s. Berkowitz has said in interviews that it gave him a sense of release, and arson is often interpreted as part of a psychological buildup toward more violent acts - like murder.

He Stabbed Two Women Before the Shootings Began

Most people remember Son of Sam for his infamous shooting spree that left six people dead and many more wounded. But his violent streak began a bit earlier, in December of 1975. On Christmas Eve of that year, Berkowitz stabbed two people with a hunting knife. The first was never properly identified by police. The second was 15-year-old Michelle Forman, who was stabbed six times and was hospitalized for a week afterwards. These early knife attacks seem to reflect Berkowitzs descent into violent obsession, graduating from arson to attempted murder. However, he reportedly found the knife attacks too messy and intimate, which may have pushed him toward using a gun in his later, more famous, crimes.

He Left Behind Chilling Letters

Like other famous serial killers, Berkowitz relished in the attention and believed he was of a superior intellect. And, like other famous killers, he left behind some calling cards in a desperate attempt to boast. After killing Alexander Esau and Valentina Suriani in April 1977, Berkowitz left behind a letter taunting the police, calling himself a monster, and discussing Sams influence. This chilling letter was crudely written, a grammatical mess with countless spelling mistakes. He then sent a personal letter to Jimmy Breslin, a columnist at the Daily News, this one far more poetic and with correct spelling. Its unclear why the letters were so different in nature, with some theorizing mental illness or the idea that Berkowitz was putting on an act.

People Changed Their Appearance to Avoid Him

As The Son of Sams body count rose, people began to notice a pattern. By the spring of 1977, The Son of Sam had been active for nearly a year, and all of his female victims had long, dark hair. Naturally, it seemed like the killer was working with a physical motive. When the public got wind of this, pandemonium broke out as women desperately attempted to camouflage themselves so as not to become another victim. Beauty stores quickly sold out of wigs, women cut their hair short, and others dyed their hair bright colors like blonde or red. Paranoia was rampant in The Big Apple throughout the summer of 77.

He Planned to Commit Terrorism

If The Son of Sam wasnt caught, then his violence may have escalated into outright terrorism. Police observed Berkowitzs belongings and found heavy weaponry, including a shotgun and a submachine gun. He told investigators that he planned on using this gun at a Long Island nightclub in order to go out in a blaze of glory. But thats not all. They also found rambling notes in which Berkowitz wrote of his desire to kill at least twelve more victims. And if that didnt suffice, he would then plant explosives inside the World Trade Center and mow people down with a machine gun as they ran out of the building. Lets be thankful that he was caught when he was.

It Took the Largest Manhunt in New Yorks History to Catch Him

To this day, many people consider the hunt for The Son of Sam to be the largest manhunt in the history of New York. No other criminal has gripped the city quite like him. The seemingly random nature of the shootings made it hard to establish a pattern, and the fact that they occurred in different boroughs complicated response coordination. When it became obvious they were dealing with a serial killer, the NYPD formed a dedicated 200-person task force called Operation Omega, which conducted stakeouts and used early computerized data systems to manage the flood of information. In fact, when Berkowitz was finally arrested, he reportedly asked what took so long.

His Apartment Was Covered in Satanic Graffiti

When the NYPD searched Berkowitzs apartment, they found it in disarray, with the walls covered in Satanic-style graffiti scrawled in red paint or marker. There were also various holes punched through the walls and bizarre messages such as Hi my name is Mr. Williams and I live in this hole. According to news accounts at the time, the graffiti included references to Sam, tying into the bizarre narrative that Berkowitz had spun about the demonic dog. While some have theorized that Berkowitz was part of a Satanic cult, there is no credible evidence linking him to any broader group, and most experts believe that the graffiti stemmed solely from his own disturbed psyche and constructed mythology.

His Publicity Forced a New Law

Almost immediately upon his arrest, people speculated that Berkowitz would go to hungry filmmakers and book publishers in an effort to sell his story. So a new law was swiftly passed, which is now known as the Son of Sam law. This new law prevented criminals from making money off the publicity of their crimes, say through books, movies, and interviews. Instead, all income earned through these revenue streams would be turned over to the families of the criminals victims. While the intentions were good, the law proved controversial and was later deemed unconstitutional. They were eventually rewritten, and dozens of states now have some form of Son of Sam law, though their scope and enforceability vary.

Do you know of any other creepy facts? Be sure to tell us about them in the comments below!