{"id":1598359,"date":"2022-08-10T07:35:06","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T11:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1598359"},"modified":"2022-08-10T07:35:51","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T11:35:51","slug":"david-berkowitz-the-son-of-sam-killer-serves-six-life-sentences-by-serving-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/david-berkowitz-the-son-of-sam-killer-serves-six-life-sentences-by-serving-others\/","title":{"rendered":"David Berkowitz, The \u2018Son Of Sam\u2019 Killer, Serves Six Life Sentences By Serving Others"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdavid-berkowitz-the-son-of-sam-killer-serves-six-life-sentences-by-serving-others%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1598359&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Forty-five years ago today, August 10, 1977, Son of Sam\u2019s year-long reign of terror on New York City ended with the arrest of a 24-year-old postal worker David Berkowitz. Throughout a year of carnage that resulted in the shooting deaths of six people and the maiming of seven more, the shooter snuck up on his victims in the dark. Nobody knew where he\u2019d strike; everyone feared they could be next.<\/p>\n<p>Adding to the terror were taunting letters to the police where he branded himself \u201cSon of Sam.\u201d \u201c\u2018Go out and kill\u2019 commands father Sam,\u201d he wrote to New York Daily News journalist Jimmy Breslin. \u201cHe\u2019s the only killer I ever knew who knew how to use a semicolon,\u201d Breslin commented.<\/p>\n<p>A parking ticket led to his eventual arrest. The following day, the police and media revealed the face of \u201cSon of Sam\u201d as David Berkowitz. With his chilling grin, shock of unruly hair and piercing eyes, we expected to see a monster and we did.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps our first impression would have been different if we had seen his picture in another context without the \u201cSon of Sam\u201d label. We\u2019d observe a shy, pleasant young man, maybe a bit awkward, with soulful, intelligent eyes, someone with more depth than his appearance would suggest. That is the David I have come to know.<\/p>\n<p>In May 1978, Berkowitz calmly pleaded guilty at his trial. But at his sentencing hearing a few weeks later, all hell broke loose as he had to be carried from the courtroom screaming, \u201cI\u2019d kill them all again!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He was sentenced to serve six consecutive life sentences and went inside only to re-emerge some 20 years later to appear on \u201cThe Larry King Show\u201d in 1999 and proclaim he was a new man in Christ.<\/p>\n<p>The interview was replayed in 2002 to a much larger audience after random sniper attacks gripped the Washington, D.C. area. That later broadcast profoundly affected me and, most especially my husband, born one month before David in 1953 and also raised in the New York area by loving, adoptive Jewish parents before becoming Christian.<\/p>\n<p>King introduced the segment with the tease, \u201cWhat makes someone become a mass murderer?\u201d But he didn\u2019t get the answer he wanted. Quite the contrary, King talked with a perfectly reasonable, thoughtful man who had no interest in titillating the audience with stories of his crimes. All David wanted to talk about was the redemption he\u2019d found in Christ. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve learned to just be content and accept the fact there are things that happened in the past that I deeply regret with all my heart. I know I can\u2019t change those things,\u201d he said. \u201cI have to accept the punishment that was meted out to me. And God has given me the strength to endure from day to day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When asked about the clich\u00e9 that all prisoners find religion, David answered, \u201cI\u2019m sure there will be doubters.\u201d He refused to go where King wanted to lead him and doubled down on his message of God\u2019s forgiveness for all who repent of their sins and rest in the assurance of Jesus.<\/p>\n<p>Compared with interviews we see today on cable television, David\u2019s appearance on \u201cLarry King\u201d was unremarkable, many would say boring, but not to those of faith.<\/p>\n<p>My husband and I began corresponding with David several years ago after discovering his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ariseandshine.org\/\">Arise and Shine website<\/a> where he has posted regularly since 2004. \u201cHaving this platform has allowed me to show both people of faith and anyone else who might be interested in what God is doing behind prison walls,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>From \u2018Son of Sam\u2019 to \u2018Son of Hope\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>David continues to have no interest in talking about SOS \u2013 the acronym for his past self. Instead, he only wants to share the Good News from the \u201cSon of Hope,\u201d his new identity in Christ.<\/p>\n<p>God placed him in prison for a reason. It\u2019s his appointed mission field filled with people who need to know God\u2019s love, he says.<\/p>\n<p>Working from inside prison walls, David serves in ways that those of us on the outside can never do. He\u2019s walked a painful journey of regret, shame, and remorse while carrying a heavy cross of the harm he did to many. And their pain is much harder for him to bear than the temporary inconvenience of being locked up for the rest of his natural life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am haunted by what happened and how I wish from my very soul that those crimes and the loss of life could be undone,\u201d he shared. He is particularly troubled that SOS continues to get so much airplay in crime shows, which routinely are broadcast around the anniversary dates of the crimes.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Dedicated to a Life of Service<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In prison, David deals with many men at various stages of the same journey he\u2019s been on. He finds the media\u2019s portrayal of the incarcerated as people who hate society and the police to be \u201cexaggerated\u201d and \u201cto a degree, done in ignorance.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cGuys in here play the macho role but go through tremendous struggles inwardly. A lot of guys cry on their pillow at night,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>Once sentenced to prison, people are forced to reflect on what they\u2019ve done to themselves and others, he said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ve thrown away their lives, destroyed their relationship with family. And that\u2019s when regret sets in and they seek an understanding of why they are in the mess they\u2019re in. Here\u2019s the chance to share the Gospel because the Bible says Jesus came not for the righteous but the sinners,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>David knows that it is not through works that he is saved, but through God\u2019s grace. Yet he faithfully does \u201cgood works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,\u201d as recorded in Ephesians 2. For the past 35 years as a believer, he counsels and ministers to fellow prisoners and reaches out to the wider world via the internet, his active correspondence, and through occasional presentations, like a keynote address before the Annual Suffolk, Virginia Leadership Prayer Breakfast.<\/p>\n<p>In reading a recent post about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ariseandshine.org\/june-2022\/a-place-to-rest\">his life behind bars<\/a>, he describes it as one simply devoted to God, prayer, and service.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur fellowship loves our country and when we gather for our prayer meetings, Bible studies, and weekend worship services, we pray for our leaders, for crime victims, for the military, and for America\u2019s streets to be safe,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>His mission field is important not just for those like himself who are paying a lifelong penance to society, but for others who will eventually leave prison.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe success of prison ministries is not only in the saving of that individual\u2019s soul, but must be measured by how much is saved when he or she reenters society and hopefully never reoffends,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen an incarcerated person becomes \u2018born again\u2019 and repents from and renounces their criminal ways, they can go on to become a productive, law-abiding person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey will reenter society as a changed individual and not re-offend, thus saving the government not having to rearrest, indict and reincarcerate them. And it will spare many from becoming future victims,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Content in All Circumstances<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>David Berkowitz has long accepted the consequences of his crimes and continues to suffer the trials and tribulations of prison life. Yet he is content in his circumstances and rewarded by fulfilling the work that God has given him.<\/p>\n<p>Whether one is confined in jail or walking free, David\u2019s journey in faith speaks to us all. \u201cI was actually in prison before I came to prison. I was in mental and spiritual bondage,\u201d he said, reflecting that this is the condition of any unrepentant sinner.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m the first to say I don\u2019t deserve forgiveness. I don\u2019t deserve mercy. I deserve death,\u201d he shared. \u201cI\u2019m just trusting what the Bible says and putting my trust in the Lord Jesus and His promise of eternal life and forgiveness of sins.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  Pamela Danziger is a market researcher specializing in the study of consumer behavior and motivation. Author of ten books, she shares insights as a senior contributor on Forbes.com. And as a Christian, she is co-founder of Faith Underground. She holds an M.L.S. from University of Maryland and B.A. in English Literature from Penn State.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-comments mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-comments-container d-flex flex-column align-items-center py-30\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/fdrlst-mark.svg\" class=\"img-fluid mb-20\" alt=\"The Federalist logo eagle mark\" \/>    <\/p>\n<p>Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/plans\/pricing\/\" class=\"btn btn-on-white\">Subscribe<\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Forty-five years ago today, August 10, 1977, Son of Sam\u2019s year-long reign of terror on New York City ended with the arrest of a 24-year-old postal worker David Berkowitz. Throughout<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":552,"featured_media":1897919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1598359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_finder_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/08\/10\/david-berkowitz-the-son-of-sam-killer-serves-six-life-sentences-by-serving-others\/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=david-berkowitz-the-son-of-sam-killer-serves-six-life-sentences-by-serving-others","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1598359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/552"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1598359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1598359\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1897919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1598359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1598359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1598359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}