5 harrowing details from Conversation with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes, the serial killer who terrorized New York

In the late '70s, New York City wasn’t just battling crime—it was unraveling. Entire neighborhoods were falling into disrepair, firebombed buildings dotted the skyline, and the police force was stretched so thin it was practically see-through. In the middle of all this, a man named David Berkowitz began shooting young couples in parked cars. He didn’t rob them. He didn’t know them. He just pulled the trigger and walked away.

The manhunt was relentless. The city was on edge. And when Berkowitz was finally caught in August 1977, the relief was short-lived. That’s because the story he told was somehow even more terrifying than the murders themselves. He wasn’t acting alone, he claimed. He said he was following orders… from a demon that lived inside his neighbor’s dog.

Netflix’s Conversation with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes digs into this unbelievable chapter of New York history, not just the killings, but the strange mythology that grew around Berkowitz, and how his case became a magnet for conspiracy theories, media obsession, and questions we still don’t have clean answers to. Here are five disturbing details from Conversation with a Killer: The Son of Sam that still haunt us nearly 50 years later.

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1. He claimed a demon dog told him to kill

After his arrest, Berkowitz told police he was under orders from a satanic force that spoke to him through his neighbor’s black Labrador, Harvey. According to him, the dog’s barks were actually commands to murder. The neighbor, Sam Carr, became the namesake for Berkowitz’s infamous moniker: the “Son of Sam”.

In interviews and letters, Berkowitz expanded this into a full-blown narrative involving a cult that worshipped demons and conducted blood sacrifices. He even claimed Carr’s sons, John and Michael, were also involved in the killings. None of this has ever been legally proven, but the cult angle fed into a wave of hysteria and tabloid frenzy.

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2. He insisted he didn’t act alone

The cult theory wasn’t just idle talk; it became a cornerstone of Berkowitz’s narrative. He claimed he was just one member of a larger network and that others were responsible for some of the shootings attributed to him.

A particularly murky detail often cited in conspiracy circles involves a police sketch released after the shooting of Joanne Lomino and Donna DeMasi in 1976. Some believe the sketch bore a resemblance to John Carr rather than Berkowitz himself. However, this resemblance has never been officially confirmed, nor has any victim ever publicly identified Carr. The theory remains speculative, and investigators at the time stated they lacked enough evidence to pursue it further.

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3. He was obsessed with Taxi Driver

Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver wasn’t just a cultural touchstone—it was practically a mirror for Berkowitz. He identified deeply with Travis Bickle, the disillusioned loner who spirals into violence while trying to "clean up" the city. In The Son of Sam Tapes, Berkowitz recalls watching the film multiple times and being struck by Bickle’s infamous mirror monologue:

“You talkin’ to me?”

The way he internalized that character, seeing himself as a vigilante targeting morally “corrupt” couples, speaks volumes about his distorted view of justice. It wasn’t random violence in his mind. It was retribution.

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4. He targeted couples for symbolic reasons

Most of Berkowitz’s victims were young couples parked in cars, classic “lover’s lane” setups. At first glance, it looked random. But The Son of Sam Tapes digs into how he viewed these couples as stand-ins for everything he felt cheated by: intimacy, love, and connection.

After a string of personal rejections—an absent birth mother, the death of his adoptive mom, a breakup—Berkowitz’s resentment festered. Killing couples wasn’t just opportunistic; it became a form of warped revenge against people who had what he didn’t.

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5. He wanted to be caught

This may be the most chilling detail of all. Berkowitz wasn’t hiding in the shadows, and by the end, he was practically waving red flags. When police tracked him down, it was partly because he had parked his car illegally in front of his own apartment in Bensonhurst. Inside the car were maps of the crime scenes and a rifle.

According to his later confessions, Berkowitz wanted to get caught. The game had gone on long enough, and the attention had already made him a household name. Writing taunting letters to journalist Jimmy Breslin, Berkowitz seemed to enjoy his moment in the spotlight just as much as the killings themselves.

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Final thoughts on Conversation with a Killer: The Son of Sam

Conversation with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes doesn’t provide closure—but it does shine a disturbing light on a man whose mind was a minefield of trauma, delusion, and ego. His claims about cults and demonic influences remain, at best, unproven. At worst, they’re distractions from the real damage he inflicted.

As of now, David Berkowitz is serving multiple life sentences at Shawangunk Correctional Facility. He’s publicly stated that he has found God and regrets his actions. Whether or not that’s true is something only he knows. What remains undeniable is the fear he unleashed, and the questions that still hover around the case.