Serial Killer Project: David Berkowitz (Son of Sam)

1. Justin Allen Period 4 David Berkowitz- Son of Sam Serial Killer Project:David Berkowitz (Son of Sam)

2. Birth of a Serial Killer • Born on June 1, 1953 • Was born from an affair between Betty Falcoand and a married man Joseph Kleinman • He was immediately put up for adoption once he was born • His adopted parents were Pearl and Nathan Berkowitz

3. Childhood • Raised in a middle class house in the Bronx • Was a loner due to the fact that his parents were not social people • Large for his age throughout his childhood • Felt rejection and scorned for being adopted • Felt uncomfortable around other children his age Map of Bronx

4. Childhood continued • He was an average student and wasn’t great in one particular subject • He developed into a decent baseball player which was his main activity outside • As he got older David got a reputation for being the neighborhood bully • Believed that his natural mother had died giving birth to him and felt an enormous amount of guilt and anger for it Baseball player

5. Pearl B. • He was very attached to his adopted mother Pearl Berkowitz • When Pearl past away from breast cancer in 1967 in had a horrific effect on David • David changed into a different person once she died and it caused his school grades to drop and a lost of faith in God • He believed her death was a plan designed to destroy him

6. Nate B. • David and his father moved into a new apartment after Pearl’s death • In 1971 his father remarried, however his new wife did not get along well with David • When David was 18 years old he was left behind in New York when Nate and his stepmother moved to Florida Picture of the state Florida

7. Army Experience • Once his father and stepmother moved to Florida, David joined the Army • He was in the Army for three years • He was discharged from the Army • He had a disastrous experience in the military United States Army logo

8. His Birth Mother • David had always believed that his birth mother was dead • However once he returned home from the army he found out his birth mother was still alive and that he had a sister • Their was a reunion between the two, but eventually David stopped visiting • It was too late for David because he was in isolation and his delusions were to strong

9. The First Attacks huntingknife • It was on Christmas Eve in 1975 • He believed that “demons” were telling him to kill • He went out into the streets with a hunting knife stabbed two women, killing one and seriously injuring the other

10. The First Attacks Cont. • His second victim was a 15 year old named Michelle Forman • He attacked her when running away from his first attack • He ended up stabbing the young girl 6 times and the girl was treated at a hospital and lived • After the attacks David moved out of the Bronx

11. Yonkers • After quickly moving away from attacking the two women in the Bronx he moved to a home in Yonkers • They say this is the birthplace of the “Son of Sam”

12. The dogs and General Jack Cosmo • Howling dogs in David’s new neighborhood kept him from sleeping • This caused his deranged mind to turn the howls into messages from “demons” • David believed the messages ordered him to kill women and did what they asked in order to keep the demons quiet a dog as Berkowitz sees it

13. The dogs and General Jack Cosmo • The owners of the howling dogs were Jack and NannCassara • They owned a German Shepherd that howled with the other neighborhood dogs • David was then convinced that the Cassaras were apart of the demon conspiracy and that Jack Cassara was General Jack Cosmo, commander in chief of the howling dogs

14. Moving to Pine Street • He moved away form the Cassaras to an apartment on Pine Street • His new neighbor was now Sam Carr , unluckily for David he had a black Labrador retriever named Harvey • David could not escape from the demons because he believed that Harvey, the dog, was possessed Harvey the black lab

15. Pine Street Continued • As a result from David thinking that Harvey was a demon he shot him • However David had also come to believe that Sam Carr was possessed by the most powerful demon • This caused David to go kill for the demons • David ended up taking Sam Carr’s name and called himself the “Son of Sam”

16. Weapon Change • In 1976 when David began his violent killing spree he changed from a hunting knife to a .44 Caliber Pistol • He was not only nicknamed the “Son of Sam” but also the “.44 killer” from the use of the .44 caliber pistol .44 Caliber Charter Arms Bulldog

17. July 29, 1976 • Jody Valenti and Donna Lauria were sitting in their car when all of a sudden David approached the car • When he looked into the car he started shooting them • Jody was hit in the thigh and lived, while Donna got hit in the neck and died • This event began his thirteen month terror through New York

18. Other shootings • October 23, 1976- Carl Denaro was with his female companion sitting in a car. Then David walked up and shot Carl in the back of the head killing him, however his female companion wasn’t hurt • November 26, 1976- Donna DeMasi and Joanne Lomino were sitting in their car like the other previous victims. Then David came up to the car and shot both. Both of the victims survived, but Joanne was paralyzed.

19. More Shootings • January 29, 1977- Christine Freund was shot and killed by David while sitting in her car with her boyfriend, John Diel , who survived • March 8, 1977- Virginia Voskerichian was shot and died instantly while walking home from class • April 16, 1977- ValentinaSuriani and boyfriend, Alexander Esau, were both shot by David while in a car. Valentina and Alexander died from the wounds and since David felt he wasn’t getting enough attention he left a letter signed “Son of Sam”

20. More Shootings • June 26, 1977- Judy Placido and Sal Lupu were leaving a disco when David approached them and shot Sal once, but Judy three times. Both survived • July 30, 1977- Stacy Moskowitz and Robert Violante were shot by David while parked in a car. Stacy died from the gunshot wound while Robert was blinded in one eye and partially in another. However, their was witness that saw David leave the scene and drive away in a vehicle with a parking ticket.

21. The Arrest Handcuffs • Police started to trace the ticket on David’s get away vehicle after his attack on July 30 • David was eventually arrested on August 10, 1977 at his apartment in Yonkers • Once the police arrested him he immediately began confessing to his murders • He told investigators that the demons told him to kill the people through Carr’s dog Harvey and that he invented the “Son of Sam” letters to prove he was insane

22. The Sentencing • David was not given an insanity plea after doctors and court evaluated him • He stated that his main drive to kill was from his hatred and failures with women • This was the reason he mainly targeted women and that six women were killed • David was sentenced to 365 years at Attica Prison and is currently a model prisoner The front entrance of Attica Prison

23. Works Citied • Ghare, By Madhavi. "List of Famous Serial Killers." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/list-of-famous-serial-killers.html>. • America’s Famous Serial Killers!" Directory Journal Web Directory. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://www.dirjournal.com/info/americas-famous-serial-killers/>. • "David Berkowitz: Son of Sam." Essortment Articles: Free Online Articles on Health, Science, Education & More.. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://www.essortment.com/all/sonsamberkowit_rosa.htm>. • Montaldo, By Charles. "David Berkowitz - The Son of Sam Killer David Berkowitz." Crime and Punishment Home Page. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://crime.about.com/od/murder/p/sonofsam.htm>.

24. Summaries David Berkowitz (Son of Sam): The New York City serial killer used a .44 caliber pistol to kill six people and wound many others. He became famous because of the letters he wrote with the reason of the crimes to the media and police. The main reason he stated for his killings was that he wanted to keep the demons quiet and that dogs were the demons. Berkowitz was adopted and was told that his natural mother died giving birth to him, which probably led to his aggressive behavior. He received a 365 year prison sentence. Jeffery Dahmer: Was a gruesome murderer that tortured his victims, dismembered them, and ate his victims. Dahmer was from Milwaukee who only killed children of African and Asian descent. In 1991 there was a story about a 14 year old boy that almost got away from Dahmer, but when police came Dahmer convinced them that the boy was 19 and his partner. As a result the boy was killed and was added to his list of 15 or more murders. Dahmer was sentenced to prison for 15 life terms and ended up getting beaten to death by his inmate.

25. Summaries Continued Gary Ridgway (The Green River Killer): Ridgway’s victims were all prostitutes because he believed that they were easier to pick up without being noticed. He would rape and strangle all of his victims to death and leave the bodies in clusters as landmarks so he could easily find whenever he drove by. There was a taskforce that was formed in 1984 called the Green River Taskforce to try to hunt down Ridgway. Once they caught Ridgway he pleaded guilty to 48 charges, but said that he killed around 71 women and was sentenced to 48 life sentences and is currently at the Washington State Penitentiary. Richard Angelo: Angelo is not the typical serial killer because of his different mindset from all the other killers. He had always desired to be considered a hero and always tried to do good things and help others. However this is what made him dangerous because he worked the graveyard shift at a hospital and would inject drugs into the patients. The drugs that he injected into the patients would constrict their breathing and lose their ability to communicate to doctors. Then Angelo would try to save his victims and impress the doctors and nurses, but ended up killing 25 people. He was charged with second degree murder and sentence to 61 years of life imprisonment. Edward “Ed” Gein: He is said to be the inspiration of the killer in the movie Psycho and as Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lamb. They say he became fascinated with the female body and would dig up graves of dead bodies and perform experiments. He had the desire to become a woman and would create breasts from dead bodies and wear it. His killing spree started once he needed more fresh bodies for his sex change. Once the police caught up to Gein they found hanging corpses, skulls, jewelry of human skin, masks of facial skin, and many more gruesome sights. Instead of going to prison he was admitted to a mental hospital and eventually died at the age of 78.