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Serial Killer David Berkowitz

David Berkowitz killed 6 people and wounded 11 others five decades ago, but he could still be a free man one day.

Better known as Son of Sam, his rampage started when he stabbed two women in the Bronx in December 1975. Both women survived, and Berkowitz switched to a gun as his weapon of choice for future attacks.

Between July 1976 and July 1977, he terrorized several New York City boroughs.

His downfall came when he shot two people near a park on July 31st, 1977. As he returned to his car, he encountered a woman.

She saw a gun in his hand, and as she started running away, she heard gunshots.

She reported this incident to the police four days later, saying that the man was near a vehicle that she had seen get a ticket earlier that night.

Cops looked to see which vehicles got tickets that night, and Berkowitz’s name came up. He quickly became a prime suspect and was arrested on August 10th, 1977.

He confessed the next day.

Berkowitz pleaded guilty to the shootings on May 8th, 1978.

He received six consecutive 25-year-to-life sentences, meaning if he is paroled on one life sentence, he will still have to serve five more.

Parole

He has had 12 parole hearings since 2002, but he has been denied each time.

The 72-year-old feels he is no longer a risk to society but knows that getting out is “unrealistic.”

His last parole hearing was in May 2026. He was denied and remains locked up.