Netflix uncovers new Son of Sam tapes as serial killer 'possessed by demon dog'

For a year, New York City was gripped by terror as serial killer David Berkowitz prowled its streets, firing his weapon at will. Netflix is now unveiling chilling new recordings in The Son of Sam Tapes documentary series.

The programme delves into Berkowitz’s twisted psyche and disturbing past, featuring previously unheard audio interviews conducted by reporter Jack Jones in 1980 at Attica Correctional Facility in Wyoming County, New York. The three-part series includes interviews with detectives, journalists, and survivors from the community affected by Berkowitz’s reign of terror.

Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated Joe Berlinger, who produced and directed the series, said: “At the heart of Conversations with a Killer lies a commitment to unravelling the complex minds of notorious criminals while providing a space for those closest to the crimes to find closure.

“With The Son of Sam Tapes, we delve into the world of David Berkowitz and his chilling influence on 1970s New York City. These rare tapes reveal unnerving insights into his psyche, shedding light on the intricate details of the case and the pervasive fear that gripped the city. Through these tapes, we hope to not only revisit history, but to bring clarity and depth to a narrative that has long intrigued and unsettled the public.”

Berkowitz took the lives of six people and injured seven more during his killing spree that began in the summer of 1976 and continued into 1977.

Berkowitz was finally caught in August 1977 after sending a series of bizarre letters to the police and press. In these missives, he mocked the authorities for their failure to capture him and vowed to continue his spree of violence, reports the Mirror.

He adopted the chilling nickname Son of Sam, which has since become infamous, and offered a wildly fantastical explanation for his murderous behaviour.

He claimed to be under the influence of a demon inhabiting his neighbour’s dog, Harvey, insisting that he was merely carrying out the demonic orders. Berkowitz identified this neighbour as Sam, the supposed owner of the possessed canine.

In his chilling communications with law enforcement, Berkowitz admitted to being a “monster” but argued that he wasn’t responsible for his actions.

In one unhinged letter, he stated: “I am deeply hurt by your calling me a woman hater. I am not. But I am a monster. I am the Son of Sam. When father Sam gets drunk, he gets mean. He beats his 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 kill’, commands father Sam.”

Berkowitz, adopted by a Jewish couple, had what many would call a “troubled” childhood. He developed an obsession with arson and, in a bizarre diary found after his arrest, he claimed to have started nearly 1,500 fires across New York.

Considered a bully by his peers, his adoptive father misled him into believing his birth mother had died during childbirth.

After leaving the army, Berkowitz met his birth mother, describing the reunion as “wonderful”. Yet, the earlier deceit cast a shadow over much of his life.

Looking back, Berkowitz said: “Looking in retrospect, that characterised much of my life.”

He confessed: “I struggled a lot with depression as a child and obsessions with death because I thought I deserved to die.”

The death of his adoptive mother, with whom he had a close relationship, compounded his teenage years with grief.

Berkowitz reflected: “When you lose someone that you love is a sense of mourning. I tried to put it out of my mind. I was carrying around a lot of guilt. I was carrying around a lot of shame that I deserved to be punished. I can’t explain those things. Maybe I was angry at God and then, well, my birth mother and then, of course, my adoptive mother too. You know I found it very difficult.”

By the mid-1970s, struggling with the circumstances of his illegitimate birth, Berkowitz embarked upon a campaign of escalating violent crimes. On Christmas Eve in 1975, he made his first attempt at murder, though it proved catastrophic.

Wielding a hunting knife, Berkowitz assaulted two women. One victim has tragically never been identified, whilst the other, Michelle Forman, survived despite sustaining serious wounds – Berkowitz escaped without arousing any suspicion.

The crucial moment arrived when a former army colleague presented Berkowitz with a. 44 caliber Bulldog revolver, igniting a sinister obsession.

Berkowitz’s campaign of terror commenced on July 29, 1976, with his first killing. Donna Lauria and Jody Valenti were engaged in conversation inside a vehicle when Donna opened the door, only to face a menacing figure.

That figure was Berkowitz, who produced his weapon from a paper bag, leaned into the car, and opened fire. Donna perished instantly, whilst Jody suffered a leg injury.

Berkowitz disappeared as quickly as he had materialised. Jody survived but could only offer a sketchy description of the perpetrator: a white male in his 30s with short, curly, dark hair.

Three months later, Berkowitz repeated his previous tactics in another assault. Carl Denaro and Rosemary Keenan were chatting in their vehicle when it suddenly “exploded” around them.

Carl took a bullet to the head and required a metal plate insertion, though both remarkably survived without glimpsing their assailant. A month later, teenagers Donna DeMasi and Joanne Lomino were having a chat on Joanne’s front porch after a trip to the cinema.

They noticed a man with dark hair, dressed in military garb, emerging from the shadows. He started to ask them something but abruptly pulled out a gun and shot each of them once.

Donna, despite being shot in the neck, survived the attack with non-life-threatening injuries. However, Joanne wasn’t as fortunate; she was shot in the back and left permanently paralysed following the terrifying ordeal.

Berkowitz’s subsequent assault in January 1977 would result in his second murder. Christine Freund and John Diel were sitting in their car after a cinema visit.

They intended to continue their evening when their vehicle was hit by three bullets. John managed to drive away, suffering only minor injuries, but Christine was shot twice and succumbed to her injuries in hospital a few hours later.

Her death marked the first time the police began linking the shootings.

Less than two months later, Virginia Voskerichian was returning home from university when Berkowitz struck again. The 19 year old tried to use her textbooks as a shield, but they were no match for the bullets, and she was tragically killed.

The police were now certain that the shootings were linked and their press conference sent shockwaves of terror throughout the city. In a tragic turn of events in April, Alexander Esau and Valentina Suriani were shot while conversing in a car; Valentina died on the spot, and Alexander succumbed to his injuries hours later in hospital.

Before passing away, Alexander was unable to provide any details about the assailant. It was after this dreadful crime that Berkowitz chillingly dubbed himself Son of Sam, leaving behind a note at the crime scene which stated: “Papa Sam keeps me locked in the attic, too.”

The note continued with eerie detachment: “I can’t get out but I look out the attic window and watch the world go by. I feel like an outsider. I am on a different wave length then everybody else – programmed to kill. However, to stop me you must kill me.”

A psychologist reviewed the letter for the police and suggested that the killer might be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and could believe they were possessed.

Berkowitz’s grim communication didn’t end there; he also penned a letter to Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin, ominously marking the envelope with ‘blood and family, darkness and death, absolute depravity,. 44’.

In his correspondence, Berkowitz wrote: “Hello from the gutters of N.Y.C. which are filled with dog manure, vomit, stale wine, urine and blood.

“Don’t forget Donna Lauria and don’t let the people forget her either. “She was a very, very sweet girl but Sam’s a thirsty lad and he won’t let me stop killing until he gets his fill of blood. ” He even addressed the detectives on the case: “Please inform all the detectives working the slaying to remain.

Please inform all the detectives working the case that I wish them the best of luck.

“Keep ‘em digging, drive on, think positive, get off your butts, knock on coffins, etc. Upon my capture I promise to buy all the guys working the case a new pair of shoes if I can get up the money. Son of Sam.”

The letter was published in the New York Daily News, with Breslin urging the killer to surrender to the authorities.

Yet Berkowitz’s reign of terror was not yet at an end – he was gearing up for another attack. A mere month after his initial taunting message to the police, Berkowitz set his sights on Sal Lupo and Judy Pacido as they sat chatting in their car.

The car was riddled with three bullets.

Sal sustained a gunshot wound to his arm, while Judy suffered injuries to her head, shoulder, and neck. Miraculously, both survived despite not catching sight of their assailant.

However, nearby witnesses did report spotting a dark-haired man lurking near the crime scene. Despite the police stepping up patrols in areas previously haunted by the murderer, Berkowitz switched up his location for his final onslaught in July 1977.

As Stacy Moskowitz and Robert Violante were locked in an embrace in their car, Berkowitz emerged from the darkness and fired four shots into the vehicle. Both sustained head injuries; Robert tragically lost an eye, while Stacy did not survive her injuries.

This attack, however, was witnessed by someone who got a clear view of the assailant.

Cacilia Davis, who was out walking her dog, encountered Berkowitz and received a bone-chilling stare before she walked on, only to hear the sound of gunfire shortly after. Paralysed with fear, it took her four days to gather the courage to report her sighting to the police.

The authorities combed the vicinity for any vehicles that had been issued parking tickets, and Berkowitz’s car was among those listed.

The police patiently staked out his home, preparing to apprehend him and to obtain a search warrant for his apartment and car on August 11, 1977. As Berkowitz stepped out of his flat, Detective John Falotico approached his car.

Inside the car, they found the. 44-caliber Bulldog revolver, and Berkowitz instantly confessed to being “Sam”.

In under 30 minutes of intense interrogation, Berkowitz confessed to his string of murders but insisted that his neighbour’s black Labrador, named Harvey, which he claimed was possessed by an ancient demon, had ordered him to kill. Evaluated by three psychiatrists, he was deemed competent to stand trial, and in May 1978, he pleaded guilty to all the shootings.

He was handed down a 25-year sentence for each murder, with the terms to run consecutively. Berkowitz has been incarcerated continuously since then and is frequently referred to as a “model” prisoner.

Nevertheless, he has persistently refused to apply for parole during his hearings.