‘I am here on Earth to create havoc and terror.’ Son of Sam: The Hunt for a Killer I, Discovery 2020
New York 1977: a gunman is targeting young couples. The NYPD believe a serial killer is on the loose but they have no leads … The attacks have a lot in common, including the appearance of the victims. ibid.
Police now have an unprecedented lead – communication directly from the killer. ibid.
The summer of 1977 and New York is gripped by terror: a serial killer calling himself the Son of Sam is stalking young couples. And his threatening notes to the police and the press make it clear he is calling the shots. Son of Sam: The Hunt for a Killer II
‘Well, you got me. What took you so long?’ ibid. Son of Sam to rozzers on arrest
As they sat talking outside Donna’s apartment, a man approached and fired five times into their car. Donna died instantly and Jodie was seriously wounded. The gunman was 23-year-old David Berkowitz, a delusional loner who christened himself the Son of Sam … a serial killer who had an obsession with the occult, he murdered and maimed 13 young people in just over a year. World’s Most Evil Killers: David Berkowitz, Sky Crime 2020
Berkowitz was disappointed that his first killing didn’t make headlines in the press. ibid.
A pattern was emerging of a killer who had a hatred for women. ibid.
A wave of hysteria that New York had never seen. ibid.
In the summer of 1976 the Son of Sam was hunting couples on the streets of New York. But according to the latest Netflix docu-series The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness, David Berkowitz wasn’t hunting alone. True Crime Recaps: Arlis Perry’s Murder Connected to the Sons of Sam? Youtube 20.48, 2021
The surprising connection between that violent rampage that took the lives of six people and left seven wounded in New York and a brutal slaying in California that went unsolved for 44 years. ibid.
[Joshua Zeman] In the summer of 2017 I received three boxes from an investigative journalist named Maury Terry. Maury spent his life delving into the darkest corners of true crime. Yet one case continued to haunt him. It was one of the most terrifying crimes in New York City history. The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness I: Hello from the Gutters, Netflix 2019
From the beginning I knew something was very wrong with the case against David Berkowitz. ibid. Maury
The scope of what he was doing – just nonchalantly walking up to cars and blowing people’s brains out – there was no rhyme nor reason to it. ibid. comment
‘No One Is Safe’ From Son Of Sam. ibid. New York Post 1st August 1977
I’d like to see him tortured for what he did. ibid. young lady TV interview
His answer was, No, I’m the Son of Sam. You’ve got me. ibid. rozzer
Comparing his likeness to the sketches, it didn’t make sense. ibid. Maury
My gut was telling me there was more to this demon dog story. But how exactly did the Carrs fit into the puzzle? ibid.
John Wheat Carr who lived at the same address as Sam Carr. The name rang a bell. I looked back at the Son of Sam letter sent to Jimmy Breslin and there it was: “JOHN ’WHEATIES”. I was floored. Could this John Wheat Carr and the John Wheaties be one and the same? A few days later a friend gave me a photo of John Carr. Putting the photo and the sketch together I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. And what the police had missed. ibid.
What if there was more to the story? What if John Wheat Carr, the real-life son of Sam Carr, was involved? And what if this nightmare was just beginning? ibid.
That’s the part that doesn’t make sense to me. Why? The Son of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness II: Catch .44, man
I didn’t think it was David Berkowitz then, and I don’t think it’s him now. ibid. Tommy Zaino, witness to shooting
The police it seemed had cut corners at every turn. Despite all the references in the letters, they never once interviewed John Carr, the actual Son of Sam. ibid. Maury
They called this place the Devil’s Cave. It was rumoured to be the meeting place of a group that called themselves The Children. ibid.
The path between Berkowitz’ and Carr’s homes led to the cult meeting place. ibid.
That boy you’ve been looking for – John Carr – he’s dead. ibid. Maury gets news
The Post loved the John Carr story and gave it the front page. ibid. Maury
John Carr was dead under suspicious circumstances. ibid.
All suspects dying ‘accidentally’. ibid. comment
The articles had just lit the fuse. ibid. Maury
What I didn’t know was just how far this cult would reach. ibid.
The case was closed. It isn’t any more. The Son of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness III: The Ultimate Evil, TV interview of Maury
We went and looked at the the pump house. And it was covered with satanic symbols. ibid. investigator
I would embark on a deeper probe of the other real-life Son of Sam, the enigmatic Michael Carr. Before his death, I learned that Michael Carr had a number of drug and alcohol related issues, and first became active in the Church of Scientology. ibid. Maury
Another cult emerged just north of New York City. A group we now know as The Children. ibid.
It [letter] was from Berkowitz, the Son of Sam himself. ‘I’m guilty of these crimes’, wrote Berkowitz, ‘but I didn’t do it all’. He went on to admit he was part of a cult and there were others behind the Son of Sam murders. ibid.
A trail that led from the gutters of New York City to the snow-covered fields of North Dakota. From the hushed silence of a church in Stanford to the decadent mansions of Long Island. All to uncover a horrifying truth: behind the Son of Sam case was a coast-to-coast conspiracy of murder that led from Manson to Berkowitz. ibid.
For nearly 16 years I had undertaken a harrowing investigation into the Son of Sam killings. The Son of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness IV: Rabbit Hole
And sure enough out he walks. ibid. Maury gets interview with Berkowitz
I took an oath and made a little blood pact that I would serve the devil. ibid. Berkowitz
Maury Terry believed they were killed over a snuff film. ibid. man
Almost everyone in those crimes, Mary Terry had investigated. ibid.
‘I had made a pact with the devil. And I felt these paranormal powers. And I felt somehow invincible. And I was slowly being led down the path of destruction.’ Very Scary People s2e1: David Berkowitz, CI 2020
Berkowitz taunted police and the citizens of New York … How did he allude investigators for so long? ibid.
‘It took me 24 years to erupt, to explode like a volcano. It took me 24 years before I reached the ultimate destiny – Murder.’ ibid. Berkowitz
Between July of 1976 and June of 1977 David Berkowitz was busy making nightmares a reality maiming and killing 11 innocent victims. Very Scary People s2e2: David Berkowitz II