Conversations With a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes - Why did David Berkowitz call himself Son of Sam?

Netflix’s Conversations With a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes revisits one of the most terrifying chapters in New York City history, the summer of 1976, when David Berkowitz roamed the streets with a .44 caliber revolver and randomly shot young people sitting in parked cars.

Directed by Joe Berlinger, Conversations With a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes features never-before-heard audio recordings of Berkowitz from 1980, alongside interviews with survivors, detectives, and journalists who lived through the panic. What sets this three-part series apart is the direct access to Berkowitz’s own voice, which adds a disturbing personal layer to the crimes.

Viewers of Conversations With a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes hear Berkowitz explain his rage, his loneliness, and most bizarrely, the story behind the nickname: “Son of Sam,” that paralyzed the city. For decades, people wondered where the name came from and why he chose it. The show addresses this directly, including the now-famous letter he left for columnist Jimmy Breslin, where he first used the moniker.

But what’s most shocking is the truth behind the name, how it wasn’t based on a real delusion, but something Berkowitz made up to throw everyone off. The docuseries doesn’t just show the killings. It breaks down how he turned himself into a myth, and why.

How David Berkowitz used a fake story to control the investigation in Conversations With a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes

Before anyone knew the name David Berkowitz, New York newspapers called him the .44 Caliber Killer. It was a basic description as his weapon, a .44 caliber revolver, was the only real clue police had. The shootings were random and spaced across several boroughs. But that name didn’t last.

On April 17, 1977, everything changed when police found a handwritten letter near the bodies of Valentina Suriani and Alexander Esau. The note was addressed to journalist Jimmy Breslin and signed by someone calling himself the “Son of Sam.” The name stuck immediately, and the media ran with it.

The phrase itself made no sense at the time. “Sam” wasn’t a victim or someone in the news. That mystery gave it even more power. Once Berkowitz was arrested, the explanation he gave felt straight out of a horror movie. He claimed the name came from his neighbor, Sam Carr, and more specifically, Carr’s black Labrador named Harvey.

According to Berkowitz, the dog was possessed by a demon who ordered him to kill. Since Harvey belonged to Sam, Berkowitz said he was acting as his “son.” The logic was twisted, but it was detailed enough to sound like a real belief.

At the time, people took it seriously. It was the middle of the Satanic panic era. Stories of demonic possession and cults were everywhere. Police didn’t know whether Berkowitz was insane or part of something bigger. Years later, Berkowitz admitted the whole thing was made up.

He never actually believed the dog was talking to him. He created the story to throw investigators off and make himself harder to track. In later interviews, including those featured in The Son of Sam Tapes, Berkowitz says he knew the name would create confusion and help him stay ahead of the police.

The idea worked. The demonic dog story made headlines and distracted investigators, who spent time looking into cults and mental illness angles that led nowhere. Berkowitz controlled the story even while on the run. His fake mythology became part of how people remembered the case.

The letters he sent, especially the one to Breslin, were full of strange phrases, childish nicknames, and bizarre threats. They weren’t the ramblings of a genius, but they were written well enough to feel dangerous.

Conversations With a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes includes audio from Berkowitz himself, recorded in 1980 at Attica prison, where he breaks down why he wrote the way he did. He admits he wanted to seem larger than life. The “Son of Sam” label gave him a weird kind of fame, something he later said he regretted.

But in the moment, he embraced it. That name wasn’t about a belief system; it was about power. It scared the public, confused the media, and gave Berkowitz control over his image.

At the end of Conversations With a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes, “Son of Sam” wasn’t a nickname given by police or newspapers. It was self-made, carefully chosen by the killer himself, and designed to make sure no one ever forgot who he was.

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