The Son of Sam

The Life and Crimes of David Berkowitz

De: Mark Stokes

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

He emerged as the “Son of Sam”—a seemingly unassuming loner whose chilling letters and horrifying crimes turned New York City into a city of fear. The Son of Sam exposes the disturbing dual identities of David Berkowitz: one of quiet, suburban ordinariness, and another of calculated menace. Between 1976 and 1977, Berkowitz embarked on a .44-caliber killing spree, taking six lives and injuring seven more, terrorizing boroughs across the city amid media frenzy and rampant speculation.

Using a variety of sources, The Son of Sam chronicles the unraveling of Berkowitz's twisted saga. From the gruesome crime scenes to the taunting letters signed “Son of Sam,” the narrative draws back the curtains on how he manipulated fear and misinformation to evade capture. A breakthrough—a seemingly innocuous parking ticket—ultimately led to his arrest on August 10, 1977, amid the largest manhunt in New York City’s history.

But this book offers more than a chronicle of horrors—it probes the cultural and legal ripples Berkowitz's actions caused. It examines the origins of the infamous “Son of Sam laws,” enacted to block criminals from profiting off their notoriety—laws whose complex legacy reshaped media, crime, and free-speech debates. By giving voice to survivors and reflecting on how societal blind spots allowed the killings to persist, The Son of Sam transforms a tale of terror into a stark reminder of how ordinary façades can conceal extraordinary evil—and how vigilance, empathy, and justice must always prevail.