David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam” killer who set New York City with late-night shootings in the 1970s, was refused parole following his eleventh board appearance.
According to information on the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision website, the Board of Parole rejected Berkowitz, 70, following a prison interview on May 14. Corrections officials declined to provide any new information on Tuesday.
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Berkowitz terrified the city with a series of gunshots that began in July 1976, killing six and injuring seven. The shooter targeted young women and couples sitting in their automobiles. The newspapers dubbed him the “.44 caliber killer.” In taunting notes to police and a journalist, he referred to himself as “Son of Sam” and claimed he had received demonic commands to kill.
Berkowitz was caught on August 10, 1977, just over a year after the first victim, Donna Lauria, was shot and killed in the Bronx.
The New York Police Department organized a 200-person task group to find the murderer. A witness’s report of seeing a strange man on the street near the final shooting led to the case’s final resolution. Police investigated traffic citations issued in the region and linked them to Berkowitz’s automobile and home in nearby Yonkers.
For each of the six murders, Berkowitz received a maximum jail sentence of 25 years to life in 1978. He was initially eligible for parole in 2002.
Berkowitz has now professed regret and declared himself a born-again Christian. Shawangunk Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison approximately 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of New York City, is imprisoning him.
