David Richard Berkowitz (born Richard David Falco; June 1, 1953), also known as Son of Sam and the .44 Caliber Killer, is an American serial killer convicted of a series ofmurders that began in July, 1976. Perpetrated with a .44 caliber Bulldog revolver, the killings continued for over a year, leaving six victims dead and several others wounded. The highly publicized shootings terrorized New York City and achieved worldwide notoriety.

 

After his arrest by New York police in August, 1977, Berkowitz was indicted for eight separate shooting incidents. Berkowitz confessed to all of them and claimed that he was commanded to kill by a demon that possessed his neighbor's dog. He subsequently confessed to multiple acts of arson in the city, all previously unidentified with him.

 

Berkowitz has been imprisoned since his arrest and is serving a sentence of 365 years. In the mid-1990s, he amended his confession to claim that he had been a member of a violent Satanic cult that orchestrated the incidents as ritual murder. Though he remains the only person ever charged with the shootings, some law enforcement authorities have argued that Berkowitz's claims are credible. A new investigation into the murders was launched in 1996 but suspended indefinitely after inconclusive findings.