David Berkowitz "Son of Sam" True Crime Documentary (2010)
David Berkowitz "Son of Sam" True Crime Documentary (2010)
Unsmiling and haggard, David Berkowitz stood in a jammed Brooklyn courtroom yesterday and pleaded guilty to the Son of Sam murders and maimings, telling three justices, in separate hearings, that when aimed at his victims, his purpose was “to kill.”
The familiar empty smile was missing from the face of the 24-year-old former postal clerk as he admitted the killing of five young women and a young man, and the attempted murders of seven other young people during his year of slaughter in New York City.
Some of the parents of his victims were in the heavily guarded courtroom and heard Berkowitz revealed not only as a confessed murder, but as an arsonist believed responsible for more than 2,000 fires, most of them in the Bronx.
They also heard him tell one justice: “I’m an excellent shot.”
They heard no talk of the demons and monsters who Berkowitz had said drove him to the murders. But over and over they heard these questions from the justices, and these answers from the blue-suited defendant:
“Did you aim your gun?”
“Yes.”
“After you aimed, what did you do?”
“I pulled the trigger.”
“What was your purpose?”
“To kill her” or “to kill them.”
“And did you know and appreciate your conduct was wrong?”
“Yes.”
And they heard Berkowitz tell the justices, who set his sentencing for May 22, that he knew the penalties he faced for his crimes: a maximum of 25 years to life for the second-degree murders, 15 years for the attempted second degree murders, 15 years for criminal possession of weapons.
In a striped shirt open at the throat under a sky-blue suit, Berkowitz was brought in handcuffs at 10:05 a.m. into the courtroom of Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Joseph Corso, where his trial was to begin for the murder of Stacy Moskowitz and the attempted murder of Robert Violante.
Appearing at least 30 points lighter than when he was arrested last Aug. 10, Berkowitz was surrounded by five uniformed guards. In the courtroom, uniformed and plainclothes officers stood in the aisle and in the rear of the crowded room, and others sat with the press and spectators.
Justice Corso set the pattern for the proceedings, unique in judicial history here, at which the defendant was able to plead not only to the Moskowitz and Violante crimes, but to killing an woundings in Queens and the Bronx.
Berkowitz sat at the defense table his handcuffs removed, and stared solemnly at his judge as his lawyer, Leon Stern, rose and told Corso:
“Mr. Berkowitz has indicated to counsel that he wishes to interpose a plea of guilty to his indictment. I want to make it absolutely clear and on the record… that this plea is of his own choosing and is contrary to the advice of his counsel.”
Stern said that he and co-defense counsel Ira Jultak “believe he has a meritorious and valid defense: not guilty by reason of insanity. We have informed him in no uncertain terms that he is entitled to his day in court… under the Constitution of the United States and under the Constitution of New York State.”
Stern - who made essentially the same remarks to Bronx Justice William Kapelman, who followed Corso to the bench, and to Queens Justice Nicholas Tsoucalas, who followed Kapelman - then said:
“We are of the opinion, and it is our considered judgment, predicated on many months of contact with this defendant, that he is not competent to stand trial, that he is not competent to enter a plea of guilty.”
Corso had declared Berkowitz competent last month. He was told by Stern: “We have taken exception to Your Honor’s ruling.”
The lawyer also said that Berkowitz “still suffers from such mental disease and defect he cannot make such a judgement.”
Jultak then rose and told Corso:
“I am informed by David Berkowitz he wishes to address you.”
The dark-haired defendant rose and Corso began the same questioning which was followed by the two other justices in their proceedings:
Q. What is your name? A. David Berkowitz.
Q. How old are you? A. 24.
Q. What is your education? A. High school and some college. One year.
Berkowitz then was told “to pay close attention to what I saw, and if you don’t understand, stop me and ask,” and Corso then asked:
Did he know his lawyers? Was he satisfied with their representation? Had they advised him of the various pleas? Was the guilty plea being made without coercion, without promises, without force? Did he understand he was giving up his right to a jury trial, his right to be confronted by witnesses, his right to a plea of innocent by reason of insanity?
Berkowitz answered with “yes” and “not”, his voice firm.
He then was told by Corso that he now would be asked questions he did not have to answer, because he had a right not to implicate himself.
Corso then read the indictment charging Berkowitz with the July 31, 1977 murder of Moskowitz, the attempted murder of Violante, assault on Violante, and criminal possession of a weapon.
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Unsmiling and haggard, David Berkowitz stood in a jammed Brooklyn courtroom yesterday and pleaded guilty to the Son of Sam murders and maimings, telling three justices, in separate hearings, that when aimed at his victims, his purpose was “to kill.”
The familiar empty smile was missing from the face of the 24-year-old former postal clerk as he admitted the killing of five young women and a young man, and the attempted murders of seven other young people during his year of slaughter in New York City.
Some of the parents of his victims were in the heavily guarded courtroom and heard Berkowitz revealed not only as a confessed murder, but as an arsonist believed responsible for more than 2,000 fires, most of them in the Bronx.
They also heard him tell one justice: “I’m an excellent shot.”
They heard no talk of the demons and monsters who Berkowitz had said drove him to the murders. But over and over they heard these questions from the justices, and these answers from the blue-suited defendant:
“Did you aim your gun?”
“Yes.”
“After you aimed, what did you do?”
“I pulled the trigger.”
“What was your purpose?”
“To kill her” or “to kill them.”
“And did you know and appreciate your conduct was wrong?”
“Yes.”
And they heard Berkowitz tell the justices, who set his sentencing for May 22, that he knew the penalties he faced for his crimes: a maximum of 25 years to life for the second-degree murders, 15 years for the attempted second degree murders, 15 years for criminal possession of weapons.
In a striped shirt open at the throat under a sky-blue suit, Berkowitz was brought in handcuffs at 10:05 a.m. into the courtroom of Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Joseph Corso, where his trial was to begin for the murder of Stacy Moskowitz and the attempted murder of Robert Violante.
Appearing at least 30 points lighter than when he was arrested last Aug. 10, Berkowitz was surrounded by five uniformed guards. In the courtroom, uniformed and plainclothes officers stood in the aisle and in the rear of the crowded room, and others sat with the press and spectators.
Justice Corso set the pattern for the proceedings, unique in judicial history here, at which the defendant was able to plead not only to the Moskowitz and Violante crimes, but to killing an woundings in Queens and the Bronx.
Berkowitz sat at the defense table his handcuffs removed, and stared solemnly at his judge as his lawyer, Leon Stern, rose and told Corso:
“Mr. Berkowitz has indicated to counsel that he wishes to interpose a plea of guilty to his indictment. I want to make it absolutely clear and on the record… that this plea is of his own choosing and is contrary to the advice of his counsel.”
Stern said that he and co-defense counsel Ira Jultak “believe he has a meritorious and valid defense: not guilty by reason of insanity. We have informed him in no uncertain terms that he is entitled to his day in court… under the Constitution of the United States and under the Constitution of New York State.”
Stern - who made essentially the same remarks to Bronx Justice William Kapelman, who followed Corso to the bench, and to Queens Justice Nicholas Tsoucalas, who followed Kapelman - then said:
“We are of the opinion, and it is our considered judgment, predicated on many months of contact with this defendant, that he is not competent to stand trial, that he is not competent to enter a plea of guilty.”
Corso had declared Berkowitz competent last month. He was told by Stern: “We have taken exception to Your Honor’s ruling.”
The lawyer also said that Berkowitz “still suffers from such mental disease and defect he cannot make such a judgement.”
Jultak then rose and told Corso:
“I am informed by David Berkowitz he wishes to address you.”
The dark-haired defendant rose and Corso began the same questioning which was followed by the two other justices in their proceedings:
Q. What is your name? A. David Berkowitz.
Q. How old are you? A. 24.
Q. What is your education? A. High school and some college. One year.
Berkowitz then was told “to pay close attention to what I saw, and if you don’t understand, stop me and ask,” and Corso then asked:
Did he know his lawyers? Was he satisfied with their representation? Had they advised him of the various pleas? Was the guilty plea being made without coercion, without promises, without force? Did he understand he was giving up his right to a jury trial, his right to be confronted by witnesses, his right to a plea of innocent by reason of insanity?
Berkowitz answered with “yes” and “not”, his voice firm.
He then was told by Corso that he now would be asked questions he did not have to answer, because he had a right not to implicate himself.
Corso then read the indictment charging Berkowitz with the July 31, 1977 murder of Moskowitz, the attempted murder of Violante, assault on Violante, and criminal possession of a weapon.
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