Here's How Many Victims Son Of Sam Really Had

Serial killers, in general, are the worst. That's why it's so weird when some of them actually become ingrained in popular culture, and achieve a measure of fame. Fortunately, in the case of David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz, said fame leans heavily toward the side of infamy. His reign of terror certainly held an entire city in panic, and as Christopher Hooton of NME notes, he captivated the press by claiming that his murders were inspired by a neighbor's dog that was possessed by the devil. He eventually revealed that he had been telling tall tales all along, and his depictions in movies and TV have generally been ... well, let's just say less than Jack the Ripper-y. Spike Lee's Summer of Sam kept the killer out of the spotlight and focused on the fear-laden environment his actions created, and even Berkowitz's appearance on Mindhunter season 2 saw his self-imposed aura of demonic mystery swiftly stripped away in an interrogation scene. 

Still, while future generations may remember Berkowitz as a dude who lied that a dog told him to kill people, that doesn't take away the fact that he was a ruthless serial killer. But how many victims did he actually have?

As Biography tells us, David Berkowitz's reign of terror took place in New York City, and started on July 29, 1976, when he fatally shot the teenage Donna Lauria and wounded her friend, Jody Valenti. Some time later, he opened fire at a couple sitting in their car, badly injuring the man. In November, he shot at yet another pair of girls, one of whom was left paraplegic by the attack. 

Unfortunately, he was just getting started. In January 1977, the police finally connected the serial killer dots after another parked car attack killed a young woman called Christine Freund. Two months later, he shot Virginia Voskerichian, a college student on her way home. After that, he murdered Valentina Suriani and Alexander Esau in their car. His final attck came in July 31, 1977, when he mortally shot Stacy Moskowitz and injured Bobby Violante. After this, Berkowitz was finally caught when a dog walker spotted him as the suspicious creep that he was and called the police, who tracked the killer down using a parking ticket he'd been issued during his final attack. In total, the Son of Sam killed six people and wounded seven during his reign of terror, for which he is serving six life sentences.