David Berkowitz was one of New York's most feared killers in the 1970s. His crimes left six people dead and seven others injured. His crimes have become legendary due to the bizarre content of the letters he wrote to the police and the media and the reasons that led him to commit the attacks. David Berkowitz, better known as Son of Sam, is a man with a difficult childhood and upbringing. From his many “parental figures” to the belief that dogs were telling him to kill. During his reign as a killer, the police felt pressure to arrest David. “Operation Omega” was created, consisting of over 200 detectives, all working to find the Son of Sam before he kills again. He is currently serving a 365-year sentence at Sullivan Correctional Center in Fallsburg, New York, and became eligible for parole in 2002. David Berkowitz was born on June 1, 1953. His birth name was Richard David Falco. His mother, Betty Broder Falco, was born in 1914 and raised in Brooklyn. She had an affair with a man named Joseph Kleinman, who eventually got her pregnant with David. When she was told she was pregnant, he told her to get rid of the baby. So, when he was born, he was immediately put up for adoption. When he was a few days old, he was adopted by Nathan and Pearl Berkowitz, a Jewish couple from the Bronx. They reversed the order of his first names and named him David, he would be their only child. Little is known about David's early childhood, but it is known that he was a lonely child. He enjoyed playing cowboys and Indians, war games and other childhood games. He was a chubby kid and we made fun of him a lot. He was also very intelligent in 1960; he took an IQ test and got a 118, a “superior” level. One of his elementary school teachers described him as a “moody kid, very easily upset.” David liked to hide; his father gave him various nicknames like Sneaky, Snoop and Spy. David loved sneaking around the house trying to be invisible. In 1967, Pearl Berkowitz died of breast cancer. She was the second mother he had lost. He was 14 at the time and was devastated by her death. When asked how he felt about her death years later, he responded "both happy and sad." It was freedom. She was sometimes harmful... middle of paper ......ly, then she would shoot them. Donna survived without suffering permanent physical damage, but Joanne was left paralyzed for life. • January 30, 1977 – Christine Freund, 26, and her fiancé John Diel were shot to death while sitting in a parked car. Christine died and John Diel survived the attack. • March 8, 1977 – Virginia Voskerichian, an honor student at Barnard College, was shot and killed while walking home from class. • April 17, 1977 – Valentina Suriani, 18 years old, and her 20th birthday. Alexander Esau, her year-old boyfriend, were both shot twice. Both died from gunshot wounds. Berkowitz left a letter at the scene, signed “Son of Sam.” • June 26, 1977 – Judy Placido and Sal Lupu were shot while leaving a nightclub. Both survived, although Judy was shot three times. • July 31, 1977 – Bobby Violante and Stacy Moskowitz were shot to death in their car while parked in a lovers' driveway. Stacy died from a gunshot wound to the head and Bobby lost vision in one eye and partial vision in the other eye. Site: www.about.com - David Berkowitz - Sam's sonSite: www.captaincynic.com - Lost Soul: David BerkowitzSite: www.freeinfosociety.com - The free information societySite: www.carpenoctem.tv - Killers, David Berkowitz