Twelfth Time Unlucky: ‘Son of Sam’ Killer David Berkowitz Denied Parole

ALBANY, N.Y.  – Following his eleventh board appearance, “Son of Sam” killer David Berkowitz—who terrified New York City with his late-night shootings in the 1970s—was refused parole.

According to documents posted on a state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision website, Berkowitz, 70, was turned down following a Board of Parole jail interview on May 14. On Tuesday, representatives from the prisons department declined to offer any further details.

Beginning in July 1976, Berkowitz terrorized the city with a string of gunshots that left seven people wounded and six dead. Couples seated in automobiles and young ladies were the targets of the shooter. He was dubbed the “44 Caliber Killer” in the papers. He named himself “Son of Sam” and claimed to have received death threats from demonic forces in mocking notes addressed to police and a journalist.

A little over a year after the first victim, Donna Lauria, was shot and killed in the Bronx, on August 10, 1977, Berkowitz was taken into custody.

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To find the murderer, the New York Police Department assembled a 200-person task team. After a witness noticed an odd figure on the street close to the last shooting, the case was eventually solved. Police located Berkowitz’s car and residence in neighboring Yonkers by looking through traffic citations that had been issued in the region.

For each of the six killings, Berkowitz received a maximum jail sentence of 25 years to life in 1978. In 2002, he was first qualified for parole.

Since then, Berkowitz has apologized and declared himself to be a born-again Christian. Approximately 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of New York City, in the maximum-security Shawangunk Correctional Facility, is where he is being detained.