Ed Gein
Paranoid loner David Richard Berkowitz, known as Son of Sam and the .44-Caliber Killer, terrorized New York City from July 1976 to August 1977, claiming six innocent lives and wounding several others as he satiated his hatred for women. The police search for the serial killer was known as the greatest manhunt in New York City's history.
Early Days
Born out of wedlock, Berkowitz was given up for adoption shortly after his June 1, 1953, birth in Brooklyn, N.Y. Psychiatrists who later examined him believe trauma caused by his birth mother's decision instilled his hatred for the opposite sex and caused his aberrant behavior as he grew older, according to court records. Although possessing above-average intelligence, Berkowitz suffered from low self-esteem and engaged in arsonist activities as a child and teenager. He joined the Army in 1971 and was honorably discharged in 1974. He later worked for the U.S. Postal Service but remained withdrawn and continued his downward spiral into paranoid delusions.
Knife to a .44 According to Berkowitz's admission, his first attacks involved knife assaults on two women on Christmas Eve 1975. Fortunately, both victims survived. By the following summer, he traded his knife for a .44-caliber Bulldog revolver. He shot two victims on the night of July 29, 1976, while they sat in a parked car after approaching them on foot and keeping his gun concealed in a paper bag. One survived. Witnesses reported seeing a man sleeping inside a yellow car before the shootings, parked near the crime scene. Other witnesses reported seeing a yellow compact car cruising the area for hours before the shooting.
Berkowitz struck again nearly three months later, on the night of Oct. 23, 1976, when he again approached on foot and shot at a man and a woman in a parked car in Flushing, N.Y. Neither was killed. On Nov. 26, 1976, he walked up and shot two women from a distance of about 10 feet (3 meters) on the front stoop of a house in Queens. Both survived, but one of the women was left paralyzed. Although the manhunt for the elusive shooter was massive, he struck again on Jan. 30, 1977, in New York City's Ridgewood neighborhood, killing a woman as she sat in a parked car. On March 8, he claimed another female victim in Forest Hills, and on April 17 he shot and killed a man and a woman as they sat in a car in the Bronx.
Son of Sam
Berkowitz left a letter at the April 17, 1977, murder site in which he claimed he received his orders to kill from barking dogs that he believed were demons. One of the dogs, he wrote, was named Sam, and it was possessed by his father's spirit. He signed the letter Son of Sam. Son of Sam taunted police by sending letters warning of future attacks. On June 26, 1977, he made good on his promise by shooting a man and a woman in a parked car in Queens, N.Y., leaving them wounded but alive. On July 31, he shot another man and woman in a parked car in Brooklyn. The woman died, but the man survived.
Capture and Conviction
A woman walking her dog near the July 31, 1977, crime scene saw a man hurriedly drive off in a Ford Galaxy after a policeman ticketed it for being parked illegally. She reported the incident to police, and the car was traced via the ticket to Berkowitz. He was arrested on Aug. 10, 1977, and told the arresting officer, Inspector Timothy Dowd, "You finally got me." A jury rejected Berkowitz's insanity defense, and he was sentenced to 365 years in prison at Attica Correctional Facility. He was later transferred to Sullivan Correctional Facility, also a maximum security prison, at Fallsburg, N.Y., where he remains to this day.
http://listverse.com/2007/08/22/top-10-evil-serial-killers/
Paranoid loner David Richard Berkowitz, known as Son of Sam and the .44-Caliber Killer, terrorized New York City from July 1976 to August 1977, claiming six innocent lives and wounding several others as he satiated his hatred for women. The police search for the serial killer was known as the greatest manhunt in New York City's history.
Early Days
Born out of wedlock, Berkowitz was given up for adoption shortly after his June 1, 1953, birth in Brooklyn, N.Y. Psychiatrists who later examined him believe trauma caused by his birth mother's decision instilled his hatred for the opposite sex and caused his aberrant behavior as he grew older, according to court records. Although possessing above-average intelligence, Berkowitz suffered from low self-esteem and engaged in arsonist activities as a child and teenager. He joined the Army in 1971 and was honorably discharged in 1974. He later worked for the U.S. Postal Service but remained withdrawn and continued his downward spiral into paranoid delusions.
Knife to a .44 According to Berkowitz's admission, his first attacks involved knife assaults on two women on Christmas Eve 1975. Fortunately, both victims survived. By the following summer, he traded his knife for a .44-caliber Bulldog revolver. He shot two victims on the night of July 29, 1976, while they sat in a parked car after approaching them on foot and keeping his gun concealed in a paper bag. One survived. Witnesses reported seeing a man sleeping inside a yellow car before the shootings, parked near the crime scene. Other witnesses reported seeing a yellow compact car cruising the area for hours before the shooting.
Berkowitz struck again nearly three months later, on the night of Oct. 23, 1976, when he again approached on foot and shot at a man and a woman in a parked car in Flushing, N.Y. Neither was killed. On Nov. 26, 1976, he walked up and shot two women from a distance of about 10 feet (3 meters) on the front stoop of a house in Queens. Both survived, but one of the women was left paralyzed. Although the manhunt for the elusive shooter was massive, he struck again on Jan. 30, 1977, in New York City's Ridgewood neighborhood, killing a woman as she sat in a parked car. On March 8, he claimed another female victim in Forest Hills, and on April 17 he shot and killed a man and a woman as they sat in a car in the Bronx.
Son of Sam
Berkowitz left a letter at the April 17, 1977, murder site in which he claimed he received his orders to kill from barking dogs that he believed were demons. One of the dogs, he wrote, was named Sam, and it was possessed by his father's spirit. He signed the letter Son of Sam. Son of Sam taunted police by sending letters warning of future attacks. On June 26, 1977, he made good on his promise by shooting a man and a woman in a parked car in Queens, N.Y., leaving them wounded but alive. On July 31, he shot another man and woman in a parked car in Brooklyn. The woman died, but the man survived.
Capture and Conviction
A woman walking her dog near the July 31, 1977, crime scene saw a man hurriedly drive off in a Ford Galaxy after a policeman ticketed it for being parked illegally. She reported the incident to police, and the car was traced via the ticket to Berkowitz. He was arrested on Aug. 10, 1977, and told the arresting officer, Inspector Timothy Dowd, "You finally got me." A jury rejected Berkowitz's insanity defense, and he was sentenced to 365 years in prison at Attica Correctional Facility. He was later transferred to Sullivan Correctional Facility, also a maximum security prison, at Fallsburg, N.Y., where he remains to this day.
http://listverse.com/2007/08/22/top-10-evil-serial-killers/