Netflix's 'The Sons of Sam' Docuseries Suggests Killer David Berkowitz Had Accomplices
The notorious Son of Sam killing spree took place between 1976 and 1977 in New York City.
Netflix has shared the official trailer of its upcoming true crime documentary series, The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness.
The four-part docuseries is helmed by director Joshua Zeman and suggests that David Berkowitz, the only convicted Son of Sam behind the year-long killings, was aided by many other Sons of Sam:
“The hunt for the “Son of Sam” captivated the world in the late 1970s, but the story behind one of America’s most notorious serial murderers is all but forgotten — until now. While the arrest and conviction of David Berkowitz brought the nightmare to an end for many New Yorkers, for journalist and Ultimate Evil author Maury Terry, the real mystery was just beginning. Terry, convinced Berkowitz had not acted alone, would go on to spend decades attempting to prove that the web of darkness behind the murders went deeper than anyone imagined – and his pursuit of that elusive truth would eventually cost him everything. Filmmaker Joshua Zeman (CROPSEY, MURDER MOUNTAIN) draws on archival news footage, conversations with the people closest to the investigation, and Terry’s own words and case files to tell a cautionary tale of a man who went down a rabbit hole and never came out. But was Maury Terry just chasing ghosts – or are the true Sons of Sam still out there…”
The notorious Son of Sam killing spree took place between July 1976 and 1977 in New York City, with Berkowitz taking the lives of six people and injuring 10 more. First known as the .44 Caliber Killer, he first introduced himself as the Son of Sam in handwritten letters addressed to the police that he left next to the body of two victims, 20-year-old Alexander Esau and 18-year-old Valentina Suriani.
Berkowitz was eventually apprehended in early August 1977 and confessed that the “Sam” in his pseudonym was his former neighbor, Sam Carr, and that Carr’s black Labrador Retriever, Harvey, was possessed by a demon that ordered him to kill people. He further stated that there were other Sons on the run, but two years later confirmed that the story about Harvey was simply a hoax.
In the mid-90s, while serving his six consecutive life sentences, Berkowitz claimed that his membership in a Satanic cult was the reason behind the killings. Several law enforcement authorities thought his claims could have credibility and a new investigation was opened in 1996, but it was suspended indefinitely after its results were labelled as inconclusive.
Watch the full trailer above. The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness premieres May 5 on Netflix.
In other entertainment news, Netflix reportedly purchased a Kanye West documentary for $30 million USD.
