Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Thursday, January 26
    Trending
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on January 26th
    • History Short: Who is the Octomom?
    • This Day in History on January 25th
    • History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh
    • Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!
    • Headlines: 2023 Oscar Nominations Released!
    • This Day in History on January 24th
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Society»Crime»July 29, 1976: “Son of Sam” Makes His First Kill
    Crime

    July 29, 1976: “Son of Sam” Makes His First Kill

    Major DanBy Major DanJuly 29, 2016Updated:April 30, 2020No Comments3 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On July 29, 1976, the homicidal lunatic known to the tabloid press as “Son of Sam” murdered his first victim and wounded another in the first of 8 shooting attacks by David Berkowitz of New York City.

    Digging Deeper

    Berkowitz, also called “The .44 Caliber Killer” because his murder weapon was a “Bulldog” revolver in .44 Special caliber, eventually killed 6 people and wounded another 7 in the 8 attacks that spanned about a year.  During his spree, he left messages taunting the police and telling of being told by a “demon” to commit the crimes.

    The “demon” was his neighbor Sam’s dog, Harvey, which is the origin of the “Son of Sam” name for the serial killer.  Readily confessing to the crimes when finally captured, Berkowitz was convicted of the murders and sentenced to 6 life terms, which he is currently serving.  He later (1990) added a wrinkle to his story by saying he was part of a satanic cult that planned the attacks, but an investigation was unable to find any proof of this conspiracy.

    Berkowitz was apparently some sort of misfit woman hater that targeted attractive women with dark hair, often in the company of a boyfriend.  His earlier life included a stint in the Army (Honorable Discharge) and he was actively employed by the Post Office during his crime spree.  It is believed Berkowitz also committed several arsons and  knife attacks (prior to) in addition to his shooting rampage.

    The fame (infamy) Berkowitz received due to his murderous crimes resulted in many laws being passed throughout the country to prevent a criminal from profiting from the notoriety of his crimes.  These laws call for the government seizing such royalties and turning the money over to the victims.  Of course, Berkowitz predictably became a Born Again Christian in prison, but has been denied parole several times.

    Note:  Not to be confused with the powerful .44 Magnum caliber, Berkowitz’s Charter Arms 5 shot “Bulldog” revolver fired the .44 Special round, capable of a respectable 755 feet per second with a 246 grain bullet or 870 feet per second with a 200 grain bullet, both sufficient to deliver over 300 foot pounds of energy, a considerable amount (similar to a .45 Auto) but far less than a .44 Magnum which delivers 740 to 1500 foot pounds of energy!

    Question for students (and subscribers): What would be an appropriate sentence for Berkowitz?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Brody, Paul and LifeCaps.  Son of Sam: A Biography of David Berkowitz.  CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012.

    White, David.  David Berkowitz: The Son of Sam (True Crime Shorts Book 15).  2016.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleJuly 28, 1935: Greatest Bomber Ever? First Flight of the B-17
    Next Article July 30, 1965: President Johnson Signs Medicare and Medicaid into Law
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    History Short: Who was the First National Leader Assassinated by Firearm?

    January 23, 2023

    History Short: Athletes and PEDs

    January 17, 2023

    History Short: What is the Most Popular Rifle in America?

    January 13, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 26th

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: Who is the Octomom?

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 25th

    January 25, 2023

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.