Background Information
David Berkowitz was born on June 1, 1953 as Richard David Falco. Berkowitz’s parents were Betty Broder and Joseph Kleinman. Betty Broder was married to Tony Falco at the time the baby was born. When Tony Falco abandoned her, she had an affair with Joseph Kleinman. Becoming pregnant shortly after, Betty Broder was told by Tony Falco to get rid of the baby. She did not and she even listed Tony Falco as the father. Shortly after the birth, Nathan and Pearl Berkowitz adopted him and renamed David Richard Berkowitz. (Murderpedia) Throughout his childhood, Berkowitz lost interest in school even though he was very intelligent. He grew up in suburban part of New York called the Bronx. He enjoyed playing baseball and eventually …show more content…
Six months later in July 1976 Berkowitz shot 19-year-old Jody Valenti and 18-year-old Donna Lauria while the two women were sitting in a car near Lauria’s apartment in the Bronx (Murderpedia). The minor level of the crime did not alarm the police. Later that year in October Berkowitz shoots another two people in a parked car but this time in Queens. The victims were 19-year-olds Carl Denaro and Rosemary Keenan. Fortunately, Denaro survived but Keenan died from the injuries Berkowitz caused. About a month later on November 26, 1976, again in Queens, Berkowitz shoots 16-year old Donna DeMasi and 18-year-old Joanne Lomino outside a movie theatre. Both survived but Lomino was the worse of the two, as she was paralyzed. (Murderpedia) Two months later Berkowitz continues his shootings of groups of two people at a time. On January 30, 1977, 26-year-olds Christine Freund and John Diel, engaged to be married, were fired on in a parked car. Diel lived but his fiancée’s injuries were too much for her to continue living. Bullets found at this specific crime scene led the police to a correlation between Berkowitz’s victims. The .44 caliber bullets that were used on all of Berkowitz victims gave him one of his many nicknames as The .44 Caliber Killer. …show more content…
They were not very far away from the shooting on November 26, 1967. At this crime scene, police found the Son of Sam letter. When Berkowitz writes this, he refers to “Sam” as a drunk who beat his family and keeps Berkowitz either tied to the back of their house or locked in the attic. In the letter he instructs police to either kill him or get out of his way. He believes that he is following the commandment, “Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord giveth thee.” (Exodus 20:12) In the letter Sam is instructing Berkowitz to kill women for Sam, so he can drink their blood. The reference to Sam and the Ten Commandments led psychiatrists to believe he had paranoid schizophrenia. On the same day 17-year-olds, Sal Lupo and Judy Placido, were shot while in their car, but neither were gravely
David Berkowitz was born on June 1, 1953 as Richard David Falco. Berkowitz’s parents were Betty Broder and Joseph Kleinman. Betty Broder was married to Tony Falco at the time the baby was born. When Tony Falco abandoned her, she had an affair with Joseph Kleinman. Becoming pregnant shortly after, Betty Broder was told by Tony Falco to get rid of the baby. She did not and she even listed Tony Falco as the father. Shortly after the birth, Nathan and Pearl Berkowitz adopted him and renamed David Richard Berkowitz. (Murderpedia) Throughout his childhood, Berkowitz lost interest in school even though he was very intelligent. He grew up in suburban part of New York called the Bronx. He enjoyed playing baseball and eventually …show more content…
Six months later in July 1976 Berkowitz shot 19-year-old Jody Valenti and 18-year-old Donna Lauria while the two women were sitting in a car near Lauria’s apartment in the Bronx (Murderpedia). The minor level of the crime did not alarm the police. Later that year in October Berkowitz shoots another two people in a parked car but this time in Queens. The victims were 19-year-olds Carl Denaro and Rosemary Keenan. Fortunately, Denaro survived but Keenan died from the injuries Berkowitz caused. About a month later on November 26, 1976, again in Queens, Berkowitz shoots 16-year old Donna DeMasi and 18-year-old Joanne Lomino outside a movie theatre. Both survived but Lomino was the worse of the two, as she was paralyzed. (Murderpedia) Two months later Berkowitz continues his shootings of groups of two people at a time. On January 30, 1977, 26-year-olds Christine Freund and John Diel, engaged to be married, were fired on in a parked car. Diel lived but his fiancée’s injuries were too much for her to continue living. Bullets found at this specific crime scene led the police to a correlation between Berkowitz’s victims. The .44 caliber bullets that were used on all of Berkowitz victims gave him one of his many nicknames as The .44 Caliber Killer. …show more content…
They were not very far away from the shooting on November 26, 1967. At this crime scene, police found the Son of Sam letter. When Berkowitz writes this, he refers to “Sam” as a drunk who beat his family and keeps Berkowitz either tied to the back of their house or locked in the attic. In the letter he instructs police to either kill him or get out of his way. He believes that he is following the commandment, “Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord giveth thee.” (Exodus 20:12) In the letter Sam is instructing Berkowitz to kill women for Sam, so he can drink their blood. The reference to Sam and the Ten Commandments led psychiatrists to believe he had paranoid schizophrenia. On the same day 17-year-olds, Sal Lupo and Judy Placido, were shot while in their car, but neither were gravely