David Berkowitz, the convicted serial killer known as the «Son of Sam» who terrorized New York City in the 1970s, has stated that he no longer trusts the media, according to a letter he wrote to a true-crime podcast host. The remarks come nearly 50 years after he began his killing spree that left six people dead and seven others wounded.
Through an intermediary, podcaster Keith Rovere, Berkowitz declined an interview request for a story marking the anniversary of his first murder. In a letter shared with Fox News Digital, Berkowitz wrote, «I don't trust the media. They will twist and distort whatever I say.» He cited a recent instance in which he claimed his words were distorted regarding changes to New York's parole laws.
New York lawmakers are currently considering bills that would create an elder parole system and abolish life without parole. Berkowitz wrote that the media «riled up a victim with false information and a distortion, thus creating the victim needless grief and pain.» He suggested that if journalists want to know about his life in prison, they should visit his website, which he said contains over a thousand pages of his writings and videos.
Berkowitz's criminal spree began on the night of July 29, 1976, when he shot and killed 18-year-old Donna Lauria as she was getting out of a car in the Bronx. Her friend, 19-year-old Jody Valenti, was wounded but survived. The attack was the first in a series of shootings that police initially called the «.44-caliber killings.» For a year, the killings terrified New Yorkers. Young couples avoided sitting in parked cars, and women cut and dyed their hair out of fear that the killer was targeting those with long, dark hair.
Valenti provided a crucial description of the attacker: a White male in his 30s with curly dark hair. However, it took months before police linked the shootings through ballistic evidence. By March 8, 1977, Berkowitz had killed three people and injured four.
During the summer of 1977, Berkowitz began sending taunting letters to newspaper columnist Jimmy Breslin, signing them «Son of Sam.» In one letter, he wrote, «Tell me, Jim, what will you have for July Twenty-Ninth?» He went on to warn that although he had been quiet, he had not been inactive. «I am still here,» he wrote. «Like a spirit roaming in the night. Thirsty, hungry, seldom stopping to rest; anxious to please Sam. I love my work.» The letters showed that Berkowitz was closely following news coverage of the case and mocking police efforts.
Criminal profiler John Kelly, president of STALK Inc., said he believes Berkowitz was motivated by «revenge, jealousy and attention, along with the feeling of power.» Kelly noted that Berkowitz felt unlovable and acted out his rage on couples who could share romantic moments that he believed he could never have.
Although no new victim was attacked on the anniversary of the first murder, a shooting two days later on July 31, 1977, proved key to Berkowitz's arrest. That night, he shot and killed 20-year-old Stacy Moskowitz and wounded her date, Robert Violante, in Brooklyn. Violante survived a gunshot wound to the head; Moskowitz became Berkowitz's final victim.
Investigators, searching for suspicious vehicles in the area, found a parking ticket that led them to Berkowitz's home in Yonkers. He was arrested on August 10, 1977. A search of his house revealed that he had been closely following other crimes as well. According to an FBI publication from July 1980, Berkowitz kept handwritten notes on 1,411 fires near New York City, including details such as weather conditions and firefighter response.
In May, Berkowitz skipped a parole hearing and wrote to the New York Post that he was not trying to get out of prison. «The only place I'm looking forward to going, is to heaven to be with the Lord,» he wrote. The Post asked survivor Robert Violante, now 68, for a reaction. Violante said, «I sincerely doubt he is going to heaven. He is lucky he is not already in hell.»
Rovere, who hosts the «Lighter Side of True Crime» podcast, said he believes Berkowitz is one of the few serial killers who has completely changed his ways. Despite Berkowitz's stated distrust of the media, his website continues to offer public access to his prison writings and statements.