Today in History—August 10: The Night the Son of Sam Was Arrested

Just after 10 pm on this day in 1977, police arrested a 24-year-old postal worker who called himself the Son of Sam.

“What took you so long?” he reportedly asked arresting officers.

It was a quiet end to a year of fear.

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This man, David Berkowitz, had terrorized the city, murdering six people and injuring seven more in a series of eight shootings—while taunting investigators and journalists with cryptic letters. One of the city’s largest—and most frustrating—manhunts was over.

Two people were especially relieved—and they shared an address with the killer. Craig Glassman, a nurse and volunteer deputy sheriff, lived in the apartment below Berkowitz. He’d received four threatening letters and even had a fire started outside his apartment. Sam Carr, a telephone operator and another of the building’s residents, had received two unsettling letters. Their complaints brought local authorities to their building and provided a valuable lead as the investigation narrowed on Berkowitz.

The first few shootings had seemed unconnected: too random, too far apart. It wasn’t until the fourth and fifth murders that ballistics linked the crimes, and police realized they were chasing a serial killer who targeted young women and couples sitting in parked cars at night.

After the final attack on July 31, a witness reported a creepy encounter with a man later identified as Berkowitz, and detectives learned that a Ford Galaxie had been ticketed for parking too close to a fire hydrant in the vicinity. The car was registered to Berkowitz.

When they found the car, detectives spotted a gun and a letter that matched ones the killer had sent police. They waited until Berkowitz exited the building and climbed into his car before they surrounded him.

He was carrying a .44-caliber Charter Arms Bulldog revolver in a manila envelope. That gun tied Berkowitz to every shooting. He did not resist, and he talked openly about his crimes, confessing in full.

He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 365 years in prison. He has since been denied parole 13 times. The next hearing is in 2028.

Famous Birthdays

1810: Camillo Benso, count di Cavour—Piedmontese statesman who helped unify Italy

1952: Carla Hayden—First woman and first African American to serve as the Librarian of Congress

1999: Ja Morant—American basketball player

2000: Sophia Smith—American professional football (soccer) player