David Berkowitz’s Motive Explored: Where Is The Son of Sam Now?

The Son of Sam Tapes takes us back to the mid-1970s, when New York City was going through a phase of transition. There was a fire epidemic that was taking place in the city, with arson cases increasing with every passing day, and unfortunately it had become the center of every kind of unlawful activity. There were budget cuts made by the authorities, a lot of police officers and firemen had been discharged, and there was an increase in the number of people breaking the law. It was a strange period when a sense of anarchy pervaded society, and even the world of cinema reflected that aspect, as we saw a surge in characters that were labelled as anti-heroes, harboring anti-establishment sentiments, being written by the filmmakers. This was the same period when Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver was released, and it had a very strong link with the Son of Sam murders. I feel that the criminals whose actions are not backed by concrete motives are the most difficult to catch. This is because they do not have any relationship with their victim; they have not suffered any personal damage or loss because of them, and their actions stem purely from a deep-rooted trauma, which is why it becomes almost impossible for the authorities to catch them. 

Richard David Falco, aka David Richard Berkowitz, who later came to be known as the Son of Sam killer, wreaked havoc on the streets of New York City, killing several young men and women. Though he was arrested by Edward Zigo, John Falotico, and Sergeant William Gardella on August 10th, 1977, nobody could ever understand why he killed all those people. He was sentenced to 25 years to life for each victim after he pled guilty, but his mind, like those of many other serial killers, remained an enigma for many. So let’s find out the motive behind the Son of Sam murders: why David Berkowitz killed all those people, if he was actually possessed by a demon, or if he was suffering from some acute mental health issue. 

David, after being arrested, told the authorities that he was part of a Yonkers-based satanic cult and that it was the devil who forced him to kill all those innocent people. David stated that a man named Sam Carr was his neighbor when he lived on Warburton Avenue in Yonkers. He said that Sam’s dog was a personification of the devil. He said that even Sam’s sons, John and Michael Carr, were a part of the cult, and that they killed many civilians together. People love a good conspiracy theory, and the moment David said all those things, rumors started to float around about him having accomplices. Some said that, just like Jekyll and Hyde (characters of a novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson), David had a two-sided personality—one good and one evil. 

The mystery thickened when the police found out that one of the survivors who had apparently seen the Son of Sam killer got a sketch made that resembled John Carr. David stated that John was the one who had shot Joanne Lomino and Donna DeMasi on November 27th, 1976, at Floral Park, Queens. John Carr had been killed in 1978 in North Dakota, and obviously the claims made by David could never be substantiated. Another interesting thing that happened was that David often disassociated himself from his actions, especially in the letters he wrote to the well-known journalist Jimmy Breslin, who was known for his working man’s columns, published in a New York City daily. David stated how the devil had this bloodthirst, and he had to obey every order, as he was a part of the satanic cult. Breslin was one of those who refuted the claims and said that David was just concocting a story so that he could defend his actions and get his sentence reduced. He said that David remembered the details of each and every murder that he committed, and so unless and until John Carr had gone back and described everything to him, it was not possible for him to recall it during the investigation.

I think the sadistic approach, the bloodlust, and the barbarity that David Berkowitz showed stemmed from a deep-rooted trauma that found its origin in his childhood. Also, there were many other things that inspired him when he grew up, and I believe validated his feelings and pushed him to the edge. David’s biological mother, Betty Broder, had given him up for adoption only 3 days after he was born. David obviously didn’t know about this fact, and he’d had a very happy, content life with his adoptive parents, Nathan and Pearl Berkowitz. But then one day, I don’t know what came into Nathan’s mind, and he told David that his mother had died while giving birth to him, and his father didn’t want to keep him since his presence made him feel guilty for not being able to save his wife. I don’t know why Nathan did that. I mean, if wanted to tell his son he was adopted, then he should have told him the truth or at least told him in a manner so that it wouldn’t have affected him adversely.

Obviously, it came as a shock to the young boy, and he didn’t know how to react to it. He felt that he deserved punishment, and so he started doing things intentionally so that he would be given some sort of punishment. David wanted to know more about his mother, and so he went on a quest to find her, and it was then that he learned that Nathan had lied to him and that his mother was still alive. He found out that the reason he was given up for adoption was that he was born out of wedlock. David’s biological father was married to somebody else, and his mother didn’t want her reputation to be tarnished in society. I believe that revelation played a crucial role in framing his sensibilities. His fragile ego was bruised, and he found it difficult to get over that morass of lies and deceit that was a part of his life now. Also, his adoptive mother was diagnosed with cancer, and the only person who loved him unconditionally left him. His girlfriend also cheated on him, and he started to despise women. He felt that he needed to take out his rage upon couples who engaged sexually with each other because he felt that people like him became victims of it later. He started shooting at couples who were spending private time in their cars. He had made himself believe that their actions were morally wrong, and somehow he associated his own trauma with their actions. In his mind, those couples deserved the fate he brought on them. You can say he did it with a feeling of revenge, or maybe his savior complex made him take that extreme step. 

Eventually, the man started enjoying the fame and attention he got. His writing a letter to Jimmy Breslin was proof of the fact that he wanted to engage in banter with the man so that the world would talk about him. He loved taunting the authorities, and it gave him a heightened sense of superiority. He felt involved, even if it was a short period of time. Many officers and experts who were a part of the entire investigation stated that David was an extremely narcissistic man. He felt ecstatic when he saw his name in the newspaper. He made sure that the authorities caught him. David said that he intentionally parked the car at a no parking spot in Bensonhurst so that the authorities gave him a ticket and his name was entered into the database. In the documentary, David stated how the film Taxi Driver had a huge impact on him and how he related to the character of Travis Bickle. He makes a mention of the iconic mirror scene of Taxi Driver where the protagonist points a gun at his reflection in the mirror and talks to himself. David was also quite impressed by the impact that serial killers like the Boston Strangler and Jack the Ripper had on society. 

As of today, the man is incarcerated at the Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Wallkill, New York, and he does accept that whatever he did back in the day was wrong, and apparently, in his words, he repents his actions. He is currently 72 years old and will spend the rest of his remaining life in the penitentiary.