Harvey Schlossberg was the founder of the New York Police Department Psychological Services Unit. The Son of Sam killer killed 6 people and injured 7 in 1975 to 1977. Thousands of women cut their hair short, dyed their hair, and bought wigs as he primarily targeted long-haired brunette women. Schlossberg gave the NYPD a profile of the Son of Sam killer, which proved to be dead on. Harvey Schlossberg profiled the killer as: in his late 20’s to early 30’s, lives alone, sexually inadequate, has access to a weapon, schizophrenic, sloppy apartment, not a well-adjusted person. The killer was relatively intelligent and not insane. He knew what he was doing. The Son of Sam Killer was David Berkowitz. Let’s look at his history: David Berkowitz was born Richard David Falco on June 1, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York. Within days of his birth, his biological mother, Elizabeth "Betty" Broder, gave him away for adoption. Betty had an affair with a married man, Joseph Klineman, which resulted in David’s birth. Betty was a poor waitress who had married Tony Falco earlier. After less than 4 years, Falco left her for another woman. David Berkowitz was adopted by Pearl and Nathan Berkowitz and was raised by the Jewish American couple in the Bronx. They worked in a hardware store and were of modest means. David was their only child. His adopted parents told David his mother died in birth. David said he felt guilty as a child that he had killed his mother. At age 8, they told him truth. David was disruptive in school. He had severe bouts of depression and met with a psychiatrist weekly for 2 years. “I was a very moody and spiteful child. I remember my dad crying and telling me, David you’re my son and I love you so much, but you don’t talk to me. I don’t know what the problem was. I don’t know why I was so mean.” David Berkowitz As a child David had a fascination with death. His adoptive mother, Pearl, had a parakeet. David slowly poisoned her parakeet with cleaning fluid because he felt Pearl paid too much attention to the bird and not enough attention to him. He responded by engaging in petty larceny and by starting fires. Pearl died of cancer when David was 14, which was very hard on David. He was a loner in high school. At 17, David entered the army and served at Fort Knox and did a tour in South Korea. After receiving an honorable discharge in 1974 he tracked down his birth mother. David was deeply disturbed when he learned of the circumstances of his birth. He had assumed his mother’s ex-husband was his father. He was further angered when he discovered Betty had a daughter, Rosilyn, she raised, after she adopted him out. He attended Bronx Community College for 1 year in 1975. In 1976, he worked as a driver for Co-op City Taxi Company. His father remarried and moved to Florida, leaving David on his own. David was employed as a letter sorter for the US Postal Service at the time of his arrest. Co-op City, Bronx, New York 1975 At age 22, Berkowitz committed his first attack when he stabbed 2 women with a hunting knife on Christmas Eve in Co-op City. The 1st victim (Hispanic) was never publicly identified by the police. The 2nd victim, 15-year-old Michelle Forman was a sophomore at Truman High School. She was stabbed 6 times on a bridge. Michelle was hospitalized for a week. David Berkowitz was not suspected, and he moved to Yonkers. Berkowitz made a decision to switch to using a .44 caliber gun from this point forward. His goal was to kill. His targets were often brunette women, sometimes with a partner, sometimes alone. He didn’t sexually assault his victims. 1976 A man threw a motive cocktail in Yonkers into the backyard of Sam Carr. Sam has a daughter named Wheat (This will later be significant.) Sam received a letter complaining about Sam's dog’s incessant barking. (The dog’s name was Harvey.) In September, the dog was shot, but survived. The letter complained that the dog was ruining his life. Sam Carr and his dog, Harvey Jody Valenti Donna Lauria July 29, 1976. Saturday Night Fever had just come out and the New York City boroughs were known as “disco central.” Valenti recalled, “Everybody was going to clubs at night and dancing, and no one was afraid to go anywhere.” David Berkowitz made the decision to shoot his first victims when he was driving through the Pelham Bay area of the Bronx in New York and saw an open parking spot. David said, “That (the open parking spot) was my sign.” At about 1:10 a.m. Donna Lauria (18), an emergency medical technician, and her friend Jody Valenti (19), a nurse, were sitting in Jody’s car. The car was double-parked while Donna and Jody discussed their evening at Peachtree’s discotheque. When Donna opened the car door, she noticed a man quickly approaching. Angered, she said, “Now what is this?” Berkowitz pulled a gun from a paper bag and fired. Donna was struck with 1 bullet that killed her instantly. Jody was shot in the thigh, and a 3rd shot missed both. Berkowitz then turned and walked away. Jody gave a good description of Berkowitz and witnesses agreed that they had seen the man cruising the area for hours before the shooting. Unfortunately, there were 16 million people in New York City at that time. No arrests were made. Street corner where Donna and Jody were shot. October 23, 1976 The 2nd shooting occurred in a secluded residential area of Flushing, Queens, next to Bowne Park. Carl Denaro, age 20, a Citibank security guard, and Rosemary Keenan, age 18, a Queens College student, were sitting in Keenan's parked car when the windows suddenly shattered. "I felt the car explode [sic]," Denaro said later. Rosemary Keenan quickly started the car and sped away for help saving their lives. They didn’t realize someone had been shooting at them until they arrived at the hospital and realized Carl Denaro was bleeding from a bullet wound to his head. Rosemary escaped with only superficial injuries from the broken glass. Carl needed a metal plate to replace a portion of his skull. Neither saw the attacker. Flushing, Queens, New York Police determined that the bullets embedded in Keenan's car were .44 caliber, but they were so deformed they couldn’t be linked to a particular weapon. Rosemary Keenan's father was a 20-year veteran police detective of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), causing an intense investigation. Many details of the Denaro–Keenan shooting were very similar to the Lauria–Valenti case, but police did not initially associate them, partly because the shootings occurred in different boroughs and were investigated by different police precincts. In 1976 ,on an average date in New York City, 1798 felony crimes were committed. (An average of 75 every hour.) It’s important to note that ballistics aren’t the exact science DNA is. When bullets are damaged, as they often are, matches can’t be made. “I was walking on air.” David Berkowitz’ description of how he felt after the second shooting. He drove to White Castle and ate after. Carl Denaro would later write a book, The Son of Sam and Me: The truth about why I wasn’t shot by David Berkowitz, suggesting that Berkowitz was working with a group. After reviewing the evidence investigators believe Berkowitz acted alone. We have come to learn in recent years that single shooters can do a lot of damage. Berkowitz was difficult to track because he had no motive, beyond killing people, and he didn’t know his victims. Berkowitz said Sam Carr’s dog, named Harvey, was telling him through barking to go out and kill people. “I was never able to relate to people. I was always a loner. This was another thing that led to my downfall… I had no defenses against a demonic attack.” David Berkowitz. November 27, 1976 High school students Donna DeMasi (16) and Joanne Lomino (18) walked home from a movie shortly after midnight. They were on the porch of Joanne’s home talking in Floral Park. A man in military fatigues asked in a high-pitched voice, "Can you tell me how to get...", and then he pulled out a revolver. He shot each of the victims and continued firing as they fell to the ground. Donna had been shot in the neck, but the wound was not life-threatening. Joanne was hit in the back and hospitalized in serious condition and was ultimately rendered paraplegic. Christine Freund and John Diel January 30, 1977 At about 12:40 a.m. Secretary, Christine Freund, age 26 and her fiancé, bartender John Diel, age 30, had just left the movie Rocky and were sitting in Diel's car in Queens. Three gunshots penetrated the car. In a panic, John Diel drove away for help. He suffered minor superficial injuries, but Freund was shot twice and died at the hospital. Neither had seen their attacker. The 1st public connection between the shootings is announced. Police officers from precincts in New York are talking to each other about a killer using a high-power handgun (.44 caliber). The killer doesn’t seem to have a motive. He targets young women with long dark hair. The shooter simply approaches and fires. Virginia Voskerichian was only 19 years old. She spoke 5 languages and had hoped to work as a translator. Her brother, Deek, said, “She loved music and reading, art and fashion.” Deek acknowledged, “It was such a senseless thing. He [Berkowitz] was such an imbecile.” I concur. March 8, 1977 At 7:30 P.M. Barnard College student, Virginia Voskerichian, age 19, is walking home from school when Berkowitz approaches. When he pulls out his gun Virginia attempts to create a makeshift shield with her books. Berkowitz fires a shot which goes through her textbook, into her forehead and kills her. (This is 1 block away from the previous shooting.) Prior to this shooting it was always a woman enjoying herself with another person. This was the first time Berkowitz targeted a single woman. Police confirm Virginia was one more woman killed by the same .44 bulldog revolver. The Son of Sam killings are now on the front page of the newspapers every day. A task force is created to find the Son of Sam killer. April 17, 1977 At 3:00 a.m. Alexander Esau age 20, a tow truck operator, and Valentina Suriani age 18, a Lehman College student and aspiring actress were sitting in a car on the Hutchinson River Parkway service road in the Bronx. (About a block from Suriani's home and only a few blocks away from the Lauria–Valenti shooting.) A resident of a nearby building heard 4 shots and called the police. Valentina Suriani, who was sitting on the driver's seat, was shot once and Alexander Esau twice, both in the head. Valentina died at the scene, and Alexander died at the hospital. Police determine that the weapon used for the crime was the same as the one used in the earlier shootings. June 26, 1977 Sal Lupo age 20, mechanic, and Judy Placido age 17, a recent high school graduate, had left the Elephas discotheque in Bayside, Queens, and were sitting in Lupo's parked car at about 3:00 a.m. when three gunshots blasted through the vehicle. Sal Lupo was shot in the right arm, while Placido was shot in the right temple, shoulder, and back of the neck. Both survived, but neither Judy nor Sal saw the shooter. They had been discussing the Son of Sam case only moments before being his next victims. Two witnesses reported seeing a tall, dark-haired man in a leisure suit fleeing from the area and one of the witnesses supplied a partial plate number. 1977 Jack Cassara receives a get-well card from Sam Carr. The concerning piece is that Jack isn’t sick. Jack and Sam get together and see the letters were written by the same person—David Berkowitz. Both are familiar that David Berkowitz does not like dogs. When the killer refers to himself as the Son of Sam, Sam Carr tells police thinks this could be the guy. Nothing was done with this report. When the police later realize that Sam Carr lives on Wicker Street, they are reminded of an early letter where Berkowitz referred to himself as “The Wicked King of Wicker.” “I felt like something else was controlling it. Controlling me.” David Berkowitz July 31, 1977 Unaware of Berkowitz’s previous stabbing, the press announces the 1st anniversary of the Son of Sam killings is approaching. The Bronx and Queens areas are flooded with police, so Berkowitz strikes in Brooklyn. Stacy Moskowitz, Secretary, age 20, and Robert Violante, clothing salesman, age 20, were on their first date, sitting in Robert’s car. The car was parked under a streetlight near a city park in Bath Beach and were sharing a kiss. Berkowitz came within 3 feet of the passenger side of the car and fired four rounds. He shot both victims in the head before he escaped into the park. Robert lost his left eye; and Stacy (the only blonde victim of Berkowitz), died. Despite all of the press and the tips, the case was solved by a parking ticket. Cacilia Davis was walking her dog when she saw a police officer ticketing a car parked by a fire hydrant. After police left a man walked past her to the car, carrying a “dark object.” She ran home and heard shots fired behind her in the street. Cacilia waited for four days before she contacted the police. Investigators didn’t have a ticket turned in for that area. They contacted police officers who worked that night and an officer stated he still had the ticket. He commented that after the murder the ticket didn’t seem significant. The ticketed car belonged to David Berkowitz. August 9, 1977 NYPD Detective, James Justis, called the Yonkers police department to set up an interview with David Berkowitz. The dispatcher who answers the call, happens to be Wheat Carr. Wheat is the daughter of Sam Carr. (Remember Berkowitz shot their dog.) She tells the investigator that she believes Berkowitz is the Son of Sam killer. When they discover Sam Carr lived on Wicker Street, a line in a Berkowitz letter hits home. He had referred to himself as the “The Wicked King Wicker”. Berkowitz had also used the term “Wheaties” in a letter. August 10, 1977 Police search David Berkowitz’s car, which was parked outside his apartment building in Yonkers. They find the .44 caliber gun in the back seat, a duffel bag filled with ammunition, maps of the crime scenes, and a threatening letter addressed to Inspector Timothy Dowd of the Son of Sam task force. Police decided to wait for Berkowitz to leave the apartment rather than risk a violent confrontation in the building's narrow hallway. The arresting detective remembered the big smile on Berkowitz’s face when he admitted, “I’m Sam.” The walls in David Berkowitz’s apartment were covered with Satanic graffiti. He had notes on hundreds of arsons he claimed to have set throughout New York City. Berkowitz claimed that Sam Carr’s dog demanded the blood of pretty young girls. Investigators who interviewed him stated that you didn’t have to talk to Berkowitz long before you realized he was crazy. His attorneys advised him to take the insanity plea. Instead, David Berkowitz pled guilty. June 12, 1978, At sentencing David Berkowitz attempted to jump out of a window of the seventh-floor courtroom. He bit officers and after he was restrained, repeatedly chanted, "[his last victim] was a whore" and shouted, "I'd kill her again! I'd kill them all again!" The court ordered another psychiatric examination before sentencing could proceed. During the evaluation, Berkowitz drew a sketch of a jailed man surrounded by numerous walls. At the bottom he wrote, "I am not well. Not well at all". Berkowitz was found competent to stand trial. and was sentenced to 25 years to life, for every murder, to be served consecutively. Berkowitz was ordered to serve his time in Attica, a supermax prison in upstate New York. David Berkowitz has made claims that he was part of a satanic cult that committed the murders, he had information on other murders, and he is now a reformed Christian. One investigator noted that Berkowitz is still always talking about himself, rather than people who have been hurt by his behavior. And keep in mind, he is mentally ill. A man who killed innocent people because he believed a dog told him to do so, who shouted in court he’d kill them all again, doesn’t seem like a good source of believable information. On the upside, there were 1,969 murders in New York city in 1976. That number was reduced to 485 last year. Thanks for listening, Frank Thank you for the kind support and the great book sales. Here is what’s on the horizon:
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AuthorFrank F. Weber is a forensic psychologist specializing in homicide and sexual and physical assault cases. He uses his unique understanding of how predator’s think, knowledge of victim trauma, actual court cases, and passion for writing true crime thrillers. His Award Winning books include "Murder Book" (2017) "The I-94 Murders" (2018) "Last Call" (2019) and "Lying Close" (September 2020). Archives
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