Month: March 2021

Born a shame to his religious family on November 24, 1946, in Burlington, Vermont, Ted Bundy would later become an incredibly well-known necrophiliac and rapist who killed 36 women in the 1970s. Bundy never knew who his father was. It could’ve been Penn State graduate and Air Force Veteran, Lloyd Marshall; or a man named Jack Worthington; or even Ted’s grandfather. His father’s name on his birth certificate was written as “unknown”.  Being an illegitimate child, Bundy was raised as an adopted son to his grandparents who told him that his mother was his sister. But in 1951 Bundy’s mother Louise married Johnnie Bundy, who Ted did not respect. He claimed that his stepfather was “too uneducated and working-class”. He grew up an odd child; interested in knives at the age of three and stealing and peeking into windows when he was a young teenager.

Bundy graduated with a psychology degree in 1972 from the University of Washington where he fell in love and later had his heartbroken by the woman who many of his future victims would resemble.

Beginning in 1974, Bundy would lure women to his car by faking an injury and seeking their help carrying his books, then he would knock them unconscious and put them into the backseat of his yellow Volkswagen Beetle.

He was arrested in 1975 for kidnapping Carol DaRonch who luckily escaped, but he escaped prison. He escaped from prison twice more. In 1977 he was sentenced for the murder of a woman in Colorado, but he jumped out of the courthouse library. Then again in December when he climbed out of a hole in the ceiling of his cell.

Bundy was finally convicted in July of 1979 for the murders of two members of Chi Omega at Florida State University, the nail in his conviction being the bite marks he left on the girls’ legs. He was given the death penalty and was executed in the electric chair in 1989.

Ted Bundy murdered 36 women, but police think there were at least 100 deaths.

Source:

https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/ted-bundy

The 1970s was a horrifying period in New York City, with crime skyrocketing and fear riddling the streets. But one man’s presence in the city was feared more than any other. From 1976 to 1977, David Berkowitz killed 6 people and severely injured 7 others. Writing letters to NYPD, taunting them and giving himself the name of “Son of Sam”.

Born June 1, 1953, with the name of Richard David Falco in Brooklyn, New York. Berkowitz was adopted when he was just a few days old. All his life growing up he was a very troubled boy, always fighting in school and causing trouble. And experiencing severe depressive episodes that would cause him to remain silent for days at a time cooped up in his bedroom talking to himself, along with strong suicidal urges that had him sitting on the edge of his 6th story apartment window and the desire to leap in front of moving cars and trains.

Despite all of the struggles during his youth, Berkowitz’s mother remained his rock; so when she died of cancer when he was only 14 years old he unraveled even more.

After barely graduating High School with the help of his father, Berkowitz joined the Army where the structure helped some of the dark emotions that all but consumed his every thought. But he still struggled and after finishing his 3-year enlistment he returned home to New York City.

But when he returned the isolation only continued, for his friends had either gotten married or moved away.

But one night at a party he met a few men who were part of the occult. Which had always fascinated him growing up, so he became heavily involved in it. He started believing in the Satanic Church, and it would be after being caught by the police where he would blame demons for telling him to kill all of those people.

The first of his murdering spree was the night of July 29, 1976, in the Bronx. Two teenage girls, Jody Valenti (right photo) and Donna Lauria (left photo) were sitting in a car in front of Donna’s house when Berkowitz walked up to them and shot them with his .44 Caliber. Donna was killed and Jody was badly injured.

Berkowitz waited only a few months before attacking again. He shot at a couple in a parked car, badly injuring them both.

Then again attacking two teenage girls walking together, leaving one of them paraplegic.

January of 1977, Christine Freund (below) and her fiance were shot in their parked car. Christine was killed.

Virginia Voskerichian (below), a college student, was shot and killed on her way home from a class by Berkowitz that March.

Valentina Suriani and her boyfriend Alexander Esau (both pictured below) were both killed that April. It was at this crime scene where Berkowitz left a letter to the NYPD Captain Joseph Borrelli, where he signed himself as “Son of Sam”. That letter was only the first of several that would be left by his victims’ bodies.

July 31, 1977, marks his last kill. Stacy Moskowitz (left) and Bobby Violante (right) were shot, Stacy was killed and Bobby was blinded in one eye and suffered the loss of most vision in the other.

Authorities were finally able to arrest Berkowitz on August 10, 1977, due to a witness of Stacy and Bobby’s attack who noticed a parking ticket on the car the shooter got into. Police looked at the parking ticket records and found Berkowitz. Through questioning and for the duration of his trial, Berkowitz claimed that his neighbor, Sam Carr, sent messages through Carr’s dog to instruct Berkowitz to kill. The defense was ruled out and Berkowitz was deemed competent to stand trial, he was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences for each murder, resulting in a 365-year sentence.

Berkowitz has been in prison for 40 years now and in the late 80s, he has claimed to have found God. He became incredibly religious and has started his own ministry from prison where he receives letters requesting his ministerial assistance. His supporters run a website in his honor that tells his story and provides video of interviews where he preaches his newfound values.

Sources:

https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/david-berkowitz

Berkowitz’s Website: https://www.ariseandshine.org/testimony-translations.html

https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/berkowitz-victims.htm