Did David Berkowitz, aka the ‘Son of Sam’, act alone when he shot 13 young couples, killing 6, from 1976 and 1977 in New York City? Or was Berkowitz part of a satanic cult in Yonkers, where he lived, and did two other men from Yonkers play a role in the shootings that terrorized millions of New Yorkers for 13 months?
A new Netflix True Crime documentary, The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness, makes the case that two young men from Yonkers who lived close to Berkowitz’s apartment on 42 Pine Street ,were not only involved in some of the shootings, but one was the real Son of Sam.
I was 10 years old when The Son of Sam, or the 44 Caliber Killer, began his rampage, always shooting couples in a car very late at night. Usually at Lovers Lane locations across New York City, the shooter would walk up to the car and begin firing, usually at the heads of the unlucky couples. And while the crimes were happening in New York City, In Yonkers and in Westchester, the fear of the shooter was just as great. We were all reading the NY Post and Daily News and listening to the local news every night, and the NYPD couldn’t crack the case.
The four part documentary is narrated by Paul Giamatti, directed by Joshua Zeman, and is based on the book by author and Yonkers resident Maury Terry. Terry’s book The Ultimate Evil, outlines his theories on the case, which are that Berkowitz was part of a Satanic cult that played a major role in the killings.
Terry became obsessed with the Son of Sam story and began a decade long investigation, in which he penned stories for the Herald Statesment (Journal News today), NY Post and others before publishing the book. Terry believed that David Berkowitz was involved in a satanic cult that met at Untermyer Park and other secluded locations in northwest Yonkes. In the 1970’s Untermyer Park was run down and in disrepair and looked nothing like it does today.
Members of the cult aided Berkowitz in the Son of Sam killings, according to The Ultimate Evil. Two Yonkers brothers, Michael and John Carr, fit the description. Both knew Berkowitz and their father was Sam Carr, so his two sons could indeed be the Sons of Sam.
When Berkowitz was arrested after the NYPD followed up on a traffic tickets issued near one of the shootings, he confessed, explaining that his neighbor Sam Carr sent messaged through his dog. The NYPD and NYC Mayor Abe Beame wanted the Son of Sam case closed after 13 months of fear and front page stories, so no other suspects were considered after Berkowitz confessed.
But several questions remained. Why did none of the police sketches from witnesses and victims look like Berkowitz? Some victims and witnesses insisted that Berkowtiz was not the shooter, yet nobody was charged in the Son of Sam shootings and killings other than Berkowitz, who confessed to them and pled guilty. He continues to serve a lifetime sentence and is said to have become a Christian.
Terry visited Berkowitz before he died in 2015 and told him that his theory about John and Michael Carr was correct and they had done several of the shootings that he had confessed to.
Two familiar faces in the documentary are former Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone and Kay Amicone, who is the sister of Maury Terry. LoHud recently wrote about the work of two Yonkers police officers, Peter Intervallo Sr. and his partner Thomas Chamberlain, who were convinced that Berkowitz was the Son of Sam 8 months before he was arrested after investigating the shooting of two dogs near Berkowitz’s apartment.
The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness is a great, four-part documentary, and a must watch for many of our Yonkers readers. Much more of this story in the days to come, and for anyone in Yonkers with some details, please email us at dmurphy@risingmediagroup.com
