The ".44 Caliber Killer"

David Berkowitz, better known as Son of Sam, is an infamous 1970s New York City serial killer who killed six people and wounded several others. His crimes became legendary because of the bazarre content in the letters that he wrote to the police and the media and his reasons for commiting the attacks. With the police feeling the pressure to catch the killer, "Operation Omega" was formed, which was comprised of over 200 detectives – all working on finding the Son of Sam before he killed again.


Berkowitz was eventually caught after receiving a parking ticket at the time and near the place of his last murder. That evidence along with letters he wrote, his military background, his appearance, and an arson incident, led police to his door. When he was arrested he immediately surrendered to police and identified himself as Sam.

And what America saw was a paunchy, moon-faced, nerdy-looking man of 24 who had methodically shot 13 people in a reign of terror that set off the greatest manhunt in New York City history.




Inside Berkowitz's battered car they found a Charter Arms Bulldog .44-caliber weapon and a fully loaded semiautomatic rifle, simulated to look like a submachine gun, along with a letter he planned to send to Suffolk police. Sam had already picked out his next target — the Hamptons.

Here is an updated version of Charter Arm's Bulldog .44SPL "Pug".

Did I mention Berkowitz claimed his orders to kill, came from his neighbor Sam Carr's black Labrador retriever named Harvey?