David Berkowitz: the Son of Sam or the .44 caliber Killer

On the summer night of July 29, 1976 shots rang out in a New York City neighborhood. This marked the beginning of the .44 caliber or the Son of Sam murders. His reign of terror would grip this city and its surrounding areas for over a year. Sadly the Son of Sam whom was eventually identified as David Berkowitz a severely disturbed young man that fell under the several theories of crime causation. In his early life he felt awkward and scorned by his peers because of being adopted and his appearance. These feelings would later follow him into his adult life and as referred by Bardsely (n.d.)”, he would be creating fantasies that would crowd out reality and eventually David …show more content…

Then in August of 1977 Operation Omega, which was the task force assigned to the Son of Sam murders, caught a break. First they had an eye-witness at the latest scene of David’s murderous assault on a couple. Then they began connecting the dots between the killing of Cassara’s German Sheppard and Sam Carr’s Labrador. After their pets had been murdered they both received odd and disturbing anonymous letters. They both reported these happenings to the police but no notice was taken till David was tied in to knowing them both. The biggest break that they found was through a simple traffic citation that turned everything full circle. The night of his latest murder David Berkowitz of Yonkers received a traffic citation at the scene of the crime. He was curiously tied to these two men and had an uncanny resemblance to the description of the man which the eye-witness saw that night stalking around the area. Once it was all connected and the case that was to be brought forward again David Berkowitz was solid the Police took action on August 10, 1977. They put David’s neighborhood under surveillance. They waited patiently for hours. As the hours passed the show of force grew with their anticipation. Everyone wanted to apprehend this man who had alluded the police for so long. Finally he emerged from the apartment building with his signature brown paper bag that held