Son of Sam serial killer 'possessed by demon dog' as Netflix uncovers new tapes

New York was paralysed by fear for a whole year serial murderer David Berkowitz roamed the city's boroughs, firing his weapon indiscriminately.

Now Netflix is releasing chilling recordings in The Son of Sam Tapes documentary, str

The series explores the mind and Berkowitz's haunting past , featuring newly unearthed audio interviews recorded with him by reporter Jack Jones in 1980 at Attica Correctional Facility in Wyoming County, New York.

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The three-part The Son of Sam Tapes features interviews with detectives, journalists, and survivors of Berkowitz’s attacks community.

Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated Joe Berlinger, who produced and directed the series, said: "“At the heart of Conversations with a Killer lies a commitment to unraveling the complex minds of notorious criminals while providing a space for those closest to the crimes to find closure.

“With The Son of Sam Tapes, we delve into the world of David Berkowitz and his chilling influence on 1970s New York City. These rare tapes reveal unnerving insights into his psyche, shedding light on the intricate details of the case and the pervasive fear that gripped the city. Through these tapes, we hope to not only revisit history, but to bring clarity and depth to a narrative that has long intrigued and unsettled the public.”

Berkowitz claimed the lives of six individuals and wounded seven others during his murderous rampage that began in the summer of 1976 and continued into 1977.

Berkowitz was apprehended in August 1977 following a string of peculiar letters he sent to the police and journalists. In these letters, he taunted the authorities and promised more carnage as they had failed to catch him. He gave himself the moniker Son of Sam, a sinister alias that remained, and concocted an utterly outlandish reason for his crimes.

Berkowitz alleged he was under the control of a demon, which had taken over his neighbour's dog, Harvey. This ruthless murderer maintained he was merely executing the demon's commands. According to Berkowitz, Harvey the dog was owned by his neighbour, whom he referred to as Sam.

In some of his eerie correspondence with the police, Berkowitz confessed to being a "monster" but claimed he wasn't in charge of his actions.

In one deranged message, he wrote: "I am deeply hurt by your calling me a woman hater. I am not. But I am a monster. I am the Son of Sam. When father Sam gets drunk, he gets mean. He beats his family. Sometimes he ties me up to the back of the house. Other times he locks me in the garage. Sam loves to drink blood. 'Go out and kill', commands father Sam."

Berkowitz was adopted by a Jewish couple and his childhood has often been described as "troubled". He harboured an obsession with arson and in a peculiar diary uncovered post-arrest, he claimed to have ignited nearly 1,500 fires across New York. Described by peers as a bully, his adoptive father deceived him into believing his birth mother had died during childbirth.

Upon leaving the army, Berkowitz reunited with his birth mother, an encounter he recalled as "wonderful". However, the deception tainted much of his life. Reflecting on his past, Berkowitz remarked: "Looking in retrospect, that characterised much of my life."

He admitted: "I struggled a lot with depression as a child and obsessions with death because I thought I deserved to die." His teenage years were further marred when his adoptive mother died; they had shared a close bond, and her loss left him struggling.

Berkowitz said: "When you lose someone that you love is a sense of mourning. I tried to put it out of my mind. I was carrying around a lot of guilt. I was carrying around a lot of shame that I deserved to be punished. I can't explain those things. Maybe I was angry at God and then, well, my birth mother and then, of course, my adoptive mother too. You know I found it very difficult."

By the mid-1970s, grappling with being born out of wedlock, Berkowitz began a spree of increasingly violent offences. On Christmas Eve in 1975, he attempted his first murder, but it ended disastrously. Armed with a hunting knife, Berkowitz attacked two women. One victim has tragically remained unidentified, while the other, Michelle Forman, managed to survive despite severe injuries – Berkowitz evaded any suspicion.

The turning point came when an old army mate gifted Berkowitz a. 44 caliber Bulldog revolver, sparking a dark fixation. Berkowitz's reign of terror began on July 29, 1976, with his inaugural killing. Donna Lauria and Jody Valenti were deep in conversation inside a car when Donna opened the door, only to be confronted by a threatening figure.

That figure was Berkowitz, who brandished his gun from a paper bag, leaned into the vehicle, and fired. Donna died on the spot, while Jody sustained a leg wound. Berkowitz vanished as swiftly as he had arrived. Jody lived but could only provide a vague description of the assailant: a white man in his 30s with short, curly, dark hair.

Three months on, Berkowitz replicated his earlier method in another attack. Carl Denaro and Rosemary Keenan were talking in their car when suddenly it "exploded" around them. Carl suffered a headshot and required a metal plate implant, though both miraculously survived without catching a glimpse of their attacker.

A month later, Donna DeMasi and Joanne Lomino were chatting on Joanne's front porch post-cinema trip. The two teenagers spotted a dark-haired man emerging from the shadows in military attire. He began to ask them a question but before he could finish, he drew a gun and shot both victims once.

Despite being shot in the neck, Donna's injuries were not life-threatening. However, Joanne had been shot in the back and was left permanently paralysed after the horrifying incident. Berkowitz's next attack would result in his second murder in January 1977. Christine Freund and John Diel were sitting in their car following a cinema trip.

They were planning to carry on with their night out when their car was struck by three gunshots. John managed to drive away and had only suffered minor injuries but Christine had been shot twice and passed away in hospital a few hours later. Her death marked the first time police began to connect the shootings.

Less than two months later Virginia Voskerichian was walking home from college when Berkowitz once again appeared out of nowhere. The 19-year-old attempted to use her textbooks as a shield but they proved ineffective against the bullets and she was killed.

Police were now convinced the shootings were connected and held a press conference, causing a wave of fear to sweep through the city. In April, Alexander Esau and Valentina Suriani were once again sitting and chatting in a car when they were both shot twice. Valentina was declared dead at the scene while Alexander died a couple of hours later in hospital.

He was unable to describe their attacker before he died. It was after this heinous act that Berkowitz infamously coined his chilling moniker, leaving a note at the scene of the crime signed as Son of Sam. In the letter where he referred to himself as a monster, it read: "Papa Sam keeps me locked in the attic, too.

"I can't get out but I look out the attic window and watch the world go by. I feel like an outsider. I am on a different wave length then everybody else - programmed to kill. However, to stop me you must kill me." Upon examining the letter, police had a psychologist assess it, who concluded that the murderer likely suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and believed they were possessed.

Yet, this was merely the beginning of Berkowitz's correspondence. He also sent a missive to Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin, marking the envelope with 'blood and family, darkness and death, absolute depravity,. 44'. Berkowitz wrote in the letter: "Hello from the gutters of N.Y.C. which are filled with dog manure, vomit, stale wine, urine and blood.

"Don't forget Donna Lauria and don't let the people forget her either. "She was a very, very sweet girl but Sam's a thirsty lad and he won't let me stop killing until he gets his fill of blood." He even addressed the detectives on the case: "Please inform all the detectives working the slaying to remain. Please inform all the detectives working the case that I wish them the best of luck.

"Keep 'em digging, drive on, think positive, get off your butts, knock on coffins, etc. Upon my capture I promise to buy all the guys working the case a new pair of shoes if I can get up the money. Son of Sam." The letter was published in the New York Daily News, with Breslin urging the killer to surrender to the authorities.

Yet Berkowitz's reign of terror was not yet at an end – he was gearing up for another attack. A mere month after his initial taunting message to the police, Berkowitz set his sights on Sal Lupo and Judy Pacido as they sat chatting in their car. The car was riddled with three bullets.

Sal sustained a gunshot wound to his arm, while Judy suffered injuries to her head, shoulder, and neck. Miraculously, both survived despite not catching sight of their assailant. However, nearby witnesses did report spotting a dark-haired man lurking near the crime scene. Despite the police stepping up patrols in areas previously haunted by the murderer, Berkowitz switched up his location for his final onslaught in July 1977.

As Stacy Moskowitz and Robert Violante shared a kiss in their car, Berkowitz materialised from the shadows and unleashed four shots into the vehicle. Both were struck in the head; Robert tragically lost an eye, and Stacy succumbed to her wounds. This time, however, there was a witness who got a good look at the perpetrator.

Cacilia Davis, out walking her dog, crossed paths with Berkowitz who gave her a chilling stare before she continued on, only to hear gunshots moments later. Overwhelmed by fear, it took her four days to muster the courage to inform the police of her encounter. Officers scoured the area for any cars that had been ticketed nearby, and Berkowitz's vehicle was on the list.

The police bided their time outside his residence, waiting to nab him and to secure a search warrant for his flat and car on August 11, 1977. Emerging from his apartment, Berkowitz was met by Detective John Falotico who decided to make a move towards his car. Inside the vehicle, they discovered the. 44-caliber Bulldog revolver, and Berkowitz immediately owned up to being "Sam".

Within just half an hour of intense questioning, Berkowitz spilled the beans about his killing spree but claimed his neighbour's black Labrador, Harvey, was inhabited by an ancient demon that commanded him to commit the murders. After being assessed by three medical experts, he was found fit to stand trial and in May 1978, he entered a guilty plea for all the shootings.

He received a sentence of 25 years for each murder, to be served one after the other, and has remained behind bars ever since. Berkowitz is often cited as a "model" prisoner, yet he has consistently declined to seek parole at his hearings.