Nearly 50 years have passed since David Berkowitz, aka the notorious ‘Son of Sam,’ embarked on his 13-month killing spree, gripping the whole of New York in terror. But for the survivors of the serial killer, the wounds are as deep as they were all these years ago. With Netflix’s new docuseries, the attention has once again shifted to one of the darkest chapters in NY, sparking curiosity about Berkowitz and his reign of terror. And what about those who made it out alive after encountering the infamous ‘Son of Sam’?

Between 1976 and 1977, David Berkowitz, infamously known as the ‘Son of Sam’ and the ‘.44 Calibre Killer,’ went on a deadly rampage across New York City, leaving a trail of dead bodies and the city reeling in fear. The American serial killer primarily targeted young couples in parked cars, often focusing on women who were young, white, and had long dark hair. While most attacks occurred at night, some victims were shot in broad daylight. Berkowitz used a powerful .44 Bulldog revolver and left bizarre letters, claiming the Devil commanded him to kill.

Throughout his 13-month killing spree, David Berkowitz reportedly killed six victims and left seven others injured and traumatised for life. Decades after his reign of terror, Netflix has released a docuseries, Conversations With a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes, where the surviving victims finally opened up about the physical and emotional scars and the memories that haunt them to this day. Take a look at where these victims are now.

Wendy Savino, David Berkowitz’s first shooting victim

It was officially confirmed in 2024 that Savino was the first-ever shooting victim of Berkowitz, months before his killing spree even began. She was shot five times and survived with an eye permanently lost. In 1977, she had immediately identified Berkowitz. However, her case had gone unacknowledged, and it wasn’t until nearly five decades later that Savino was recognised as a victim. 

Jodi Valenti, the first recorded attack victim of the ‘Son of Sam’

Valenti was one of Berkowitz’s first recorded victims who witnessed the murder of her friend, Donna Lauria. Only 19 years old back then, Valenti and Lauria (18) were shot while they sat in Valenti’s car. Valenti survived with a gunshot to the thigh, but her friend died before her eyes. 

After years of trauma, Valenti is now employed in healthcare and lives with her furbabies. In a 2016 interview with the New York Post, Valenti shared:

“It took probably about six years of my life to be able to get in a car at night. It took a long time to be able to deal with the sounds of popping fireworks and stuff like that…But I faced my fears.”

Carl Denaro, one of Berkowitz’s earliest survivors

On October 23, 1976, 20-year-old Carl Denaro was shot five times while sitting in a car with 18-year-old Rosemary Keenan, two of David Berkowitz’s earliest victims. While Keenan survived with minimal injuries, doctors had to attach a metal plate to Denaro’s skull to save his life. However, that ordeal didn’t end there. In the new Netflix docuseries, Denaro, now an outspoken advocate for reopening the case, questions whether Berkowitz acted alone.

In a 2017 interview with PEOPLE, Denaro had asked for the case to be reopened, claiming that it was not Berkowitz, but a woman, who had pulled the trigger on them. He was quoted as saying:

“I believe other people were involved. He [Berkowitz] had help, and I am not alone in thinking this. Berkowitz, in an interview, comes right out and says he did not shoot Carl Denaro and claims that it was a woman.”

Donna DeMasi and Joanne Lomino

Only a month after Denaro, on November 27, 1976, high school students Donna DeMasi (16) and her best friend Joanne Lomino (18) were attacked when they were hanging out by Lomino’s stoop in Bellerose, Queens. Despite being shot in the neck, DeMasi recovered, but Lomino was left paralysed from the waist down. The latter battled serious health issues related to the injuries for years before eventually passing away. 

Lomino had told The NY Times in 1977, ‘Jail is too good for him,’ adding that the cold-blooded murderer should ‘suffer a lot and then he should die.’

Robert Violante

Robert was Berkowitz’s final victim before he was arrested. On July 31, 1977, the ‘Son of Sam’ shot Violante and his girlfriend, Stacy Moskowitz, when they were parked and kissing. The attack left Violante blind in one eye and legally blind in the other, and his girlfriend couldn’t be saved. 

After the fatal incident, Violante was left with lifelong vision loss and traumatised for several years. In a 2006 interview with the New York Post, Violante admitted that he had psychological issues with dating for several years after that. Now, as one of the survivors featured in the new docuseries, Violante can be heard saying:

“Unfortunately, the victims do get forgotten, and the criminals just keep getting sensationalised. I just want the victims to know that I’m here to speak out so we aren’t forgotten.”

Berkowitz’s surviving victims, Judy Placido and Sal Lupo

Judy Placido was 17 when she and her boyfriend, Sal Lupo, 20, were shot as they hung out in a car parked outside a Queens nightclub. As reported by The New York Times, Placido sustained three gunshot injuries in her shoulder, temple, and back of the neck, whereas Lupo survived with an injury in the forearm. 

Although she survived the incident, it left her traumatised for years, allegedly suffering episodes of panic attacks for more than two decades after the deadly encounter. She went on to become a legal assistant, is now married, and has a son. Speaking to the NY Post in 1999, Placido said:

“How can I hate him? He was deranged!”

Where is Berkowitz now?

Now 72, David Berkowitz is serving six consecutive life sentences in the Shawangunk Correctional Facility, New York. As a born-again Christian, Berkowitz calls himself ‘Brother Dave’ and claims to have renounced the ‘Son of Sam’ name. After being denied parole 12 times, he reportedly no longer wants to be released.

Conversations With a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes brings a long-overdue attention to the traumatised survivors of David Berkowitz, many of whom have spent decades in unbearable silence. The docuseries is already streaming on Netflix.

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