13 Bizarre Facts About David Berkowitz, AKA The Son of Sam

Who was David Berkowitz? A serial killer better known as the Son of Sam, he was also called The .44 Caliber Killer. Born Richard David Falco, David Berkowitz terrorized New York City in the 1970s, killing six people and wounding seven more before he was caught. He targeted couples and young women with long, dark hair, a decision many link to his obsessions surrounding his absent birth mother and deceased adoptive mother, as well as his inability to meet women. About women, he said, "I didn't want to hurt them, I only wanted to kill them."

The Son of Sam is famous for believing he was controlled by his neighbor's dog, but there are many more Son of Sam facts that are less well-known today, including the fact that he is now believed to be a Christian prophet by fringe believers today. Read on for more facts about this mysterious and misunderstood serial killer.

Among Berkowitz's many stated reasons for why he committed his crimes, one stands out - he once claimed that his neighbor's dog contained the soul of a 6,000 year old man named Sam. "He told me [to kill] through his dog, as he usually does," David wrote. 

After his incarceration, Berkowitz became a born-again Christian - but not just any born-again Christian. He now claims that Satan and God are at war over his soul, and a group of Christian believers holds him up as proof that even the most apparently evil people can be saved. In fact, some call him an "apostle," comparing him to the Biblical Paul, who was also a murderer before being saved.

After his arrest, Berkowitz claimed to be a member of an occult group that worshipped Satan. Other members of his supposed cult included John Carr, the owner of the "possessed" dog, and his son Michael. Berkowitz carried this idea with him into the present, telling a reporter in 1993 that, "We made a pact, maybe with the devil, but also with each other... We were going to go all the way with this thing. We’re soldiers of Satan now. I was just too far in, too loyal, too much playing the role of the soldier and trying to please people." 

Berkowitz's birth parents were Joseph Kleinman and Betty Broder. At the time of his birth, Broder was married to a man named Tony Falco. Falco had abandoned her and their daughter, but she never divorced him, despite having an affair with Joseph Kleinman, who was also married. Because of this, Broder listed Falco as the father on Berkowitz's birth certificate. He was later adopted by Nathan and Pearl Berkowitz. 

For reasons that are still not completely understood, Berkowitz targeted young women in their 20s that had long, dark hair. This might have something to do with his only known sexual encounter - with a Korean prostitute who gave him VD. After his victim profile made the news, many women in the New York City area cut their hair and dyed it other colors in order to ensure their safety.

Berkowitz later said, "I was literally singing to myself on my way home, after the killing. The tension, the desire to kill a woman had built up in such explosive proportions that when I finally pulled the trigger, all the pressures, all the tensions, all the hatred, had just vanished, dissipated, but only for a short time."

After a several psychiatrists analyzed a letter than he had left near his victims, they believed that Berkowitz had paranoid schizophrenia. Parts of the letter (including lines like "When father Sam gets drunk he gets mean. He beats our family. Sometimes he ties me up to the back of the house. Other times he locks me in the garage. Sam loves to drink blood. 'Go out and kills' commands father Sam") led them to think that he suffered from delusions. However, Berkowitz underwent a thorough mental evaluation after his arrest, and was found mentally fit. 

Berkowitz targeted couples in cars. He once stated that, "The girls call me ugly and they bother me the most." It is believed that he was jealous of the couples, since he had a hard time attracting and dating women. He targeted three different couples during his killing spree; in most cases, wounding one and injuring the other. 

Although the Hall and Oates album containing the song "Rich Girl" didn't come out until roughly a month after Berkowitz started killing, he still claimed to be influenced by the lyrics.

After killing Alexander Esau and Valentina Suriani on April 16, 1977, Berkowitz left a letter near their bodies. It was addressed to "Captain Joe Borelli of Operation Omega"and in it, he claimed to be "the Son of Sam." This new moniker stuck with him as Berkowitz continued his killing spree. 

Berkowitz started out his criminal career as an arsonist. He set a reported 1,488 fires in New York City and dutifully recorded each one in his journal - all before he ever killed his first victim.