Who were David Berkowitz’s victims?

DURING the 1970s New York was terrorised by serial killer sniper.

David Berkowitz shot his unsuspecting victims with a a .44 caliber Bulldog revolver.

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David Berkowitz is an evil killer[/caption]

Who were David Berkowitz’s victims?

The Sons of Sam is a Netflix documentary series that covers the true story of murderer David Berkowitz.

His year long reign of terror started in the summer of 1976.

Berkowitz killed six people and wounded seven others by July 1977.

Lauria and Valenti shooting (July 1976)

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Donna Lauria was Berkowitz’s first victim[/caption]

The first shooting attributed to the Son of Sam occurred in the Pelham Bay area of the Bronx.

At about 1.10am on July 29, 1976, Donna Lauria, an emergency medical technician, 18, and her friend Jody Valenti, a nurse, 19, were sitting in Valenti’s double-parked Oldsmobile, discussing their evening at Peachtree’s, a New Rochelle disco.

Lauria opened the car door to leave and noticed a man quickly approaching the car, he produced a pistol from the paper bag and aimed his weapon with both hands, and fired.

Lauria was struck by one bullet that killed her instantly.

Valenti was shot in her thigh and survived her injury.

Denaro and Keenan shooting (October 1976)

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Carl Denaro was shot by Berkowitz but survived[/caption]

Most of Berkowitz’s activity was in Queens, though he lived farther north in Yonkers.

On October 23, 1976, a similar shooting occurred in a secluded residential area of Flushing, Queens, next to Bowne Park.

Carl Denaro, a Citibank security guard, 20, and Rosemary Keenan, a Queens College student, 18, were sitting in Keenan’s parked car when the windows suddenly shattered.

Keenan quickly started the car and sped away for help.

The panicked couple did not realise that someone had been shooting at them, even though Denaro was bleeding from a bullet wound to his head.

Keenan had only superficial injuries from the broken glass, but Denaro eventually needed a metal plate to replace a portion of his skull.

DeMasi and Lomino shooting (November 1976)

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Teenager Donna Demasi was shot by Berkowitz[/caption]

High school student Donna DeMasi, 16, and Joanne Lomino, a student at Martin Van Buren High School, 18, walked home from a movie soon after midnight on November 27, 1976.

They were chatting on the porch of Lomino’s home in Floral Park, when a man dressed in military fatigues who seemed to be in his early 20s approached them and began to ask directions.

He quickly produced a revolver and he shot each of the victims once and, as they fell to the ground injured, he fired several more times.

DeMasi had been shot in the neck, but the wound was not life-threatening. Lomino was hit in the back and hospitalized in serious condition she was ultimately rendered paraplegic.

Freund and Diel shooting (January 1977)

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Berkowitz murdered Christine Freund[/caption]

At about 12.40am on January 30, 1977, Christine Freund, a secretary, 26, and her fiancé John Diel, a bartender, 30, were sitting in Diel’s car near the Forest Hills LIRR station in Queens, preparing to drive to a dance hall after having seen the movie Rocky.

Three gunshots penetrated the car and in a panic, Diel drove away for help.

He suffered minor superficial injuries, but Freund was shot twice and died several hours later at the hospital.

Voskerichian shooting (March 1977)

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Uni student Virginia Voskerichian was shot dead[/caption]

At about 7.30pm on March 8, 1977, Columbia University student Virginia Voskerichian, 19, was walking home from school when she was confronted by an armed man.

She lived about a block from where Christine Freund had been shot.

In a desperate move to defend herself, Voskerichian lifted her textbooks between herself and her killer, but the makeshift shield was penetrated, the bullet striking her head and killing her.

Esau and Suriani shooting (April 1977)

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Couple Valentina Suriani and Alexander Esau were shot dead by Berkowitz[/caption]

At about 3am on April 17, 1977, Alexander Esau, a tow truck operator, 20, and Valentina Suriani, an aspiring actress and model, 18, were sitting in Suriani’s car near her home in the Bronx, only a few blocks from the scene of the Lauria–Valenti shooting, when each was shot twice. 

Suriani died at the scene, and Esau died in the hospital several hours later without being able to describe his attacker.

Lupo and Placido shooting (June 1977)

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Sal Lupo survived his attack[/caption]

On June 26, 1977, there was another shooting.

Sal Lupo, a mechanic’s helper, 20, and Judy Placido, a recent high school graduate, 17, had left the Elephas disco in Bayside, Queens, and were sitting in Lupo’s parked car at about 3am, when three gunshots blasted through the vehicle.

Lupo was wounded in the right forearm, while Placido was shot in the right temple, shoulder, and back of the neck, but both victims survived their injuries.

Lupo told police that the young couple had been discussing the Son of Sam case only moments before the shootin.

Moskowitz and Violante shooting (July 1977)

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Stacy Moskowitz was Berkowitz’s final victim.[/caption]

Berkowitz’s final killing happened in Brooklyn.

Early on July 31, 1977, Stacy Moskowitz, a secretary, and Robert Violante, a clothing store salesman, both 20, were in Violante’s car, which was parked under a streetlight near a city park in the neighbourhood of Bath Beach, on their first date.

They were kissing when a man approached within three feet of the passenger side of Violante’s car and fired four rounds into the car, striking both victims in the head before he escaped into the park.

Violante lost his left eye but Moskowitz died from her injuries.

How can I watch The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness on Netflix?

This documentary dropped on Netflix on May 5, 2021.

You can stream all four episodes right now.