David Berkowitz, the infamous serial killer known as Son of Sam, opted out of his latest parole hearing for more “meaningful” work inside the walls of the Shawangunk Correctional Facility. The 72-year-old inmate, who has spent 48 years behind bars for a killing spree that terrorized New York City in the 1970s, stated that he has no interest in seeking freedom. Instead, he insists that his current mission involves preaching to a congregation of fellow inmates.
Of course, this wasn’t always the case, as he had petitioned for a release before. According to the NY Post, the man who once held the Big Apple in a grip of fear now claims he is already free. “My home is in heaven, not in the Bronx,” Berkowitz wrote from the maximum-security prison in Ulster County. He claims that he is “already free” and that “the only place I’m looking forward to going, is to heaven to be with the Lord.”
This assertion, that he is on the way to heaven, sparked intense anger from one of his surviving victims. Robert Violante, who was shot in the head by Berkowitz in 1977 while sitting in a car with his date, Stacy Moskowitz, mocked the killer’s spiritual claims. “That takes some pair of balls, to say the least,” Violante said in an interview on Tuesday. “I sincerely doubt he is going to heaven. He is lucky he is not already in hell.”
Considering Berkowitz’s history, this reaction isn’t surprising
Per CBS News, Berkowitz was denied parole following his last, 12th board appearance in 2024. In fact, the board has consistently rejected his requests for release since he first became eligible in 2002. Berkowitz was sentenced in 1978 to 25 years to life for each of the six murders he committed, resulting in a total sentence of 547 years.
His reign of terror began on July 29, 1976, when he attacked Jody Valenti and Donna Lauria, leaving Lauria dead. Over the next year, he targeted couples and young women in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens, leading the press to label him the .44 Caliber Killer.
During his rampage, Berkowitz taunted the police and the public with letters, famously claiming that a demonic dog belonging to his neighbor, Sam Carr, instructed him to kill. He was eventually captured on August 10, 1977, after a parking ticket placed near the scene of his final attack led detectives to his home in Yonkers.
Since his incarceration, though, Berkowitz claims to have become a born-again Christian. In a 2017 interview, he noted that he “started to get into a lot of satanic stuff” during the time he carried out the killings but had experiences changed: “I’ve apologized many times and I just always sort of let them [the victims] know that I’m very sorry for what happened and, eh, I wish I could go back and change things.”
To match these claims of remorse, his latest actions suggest he is settling into his role as an elder within the prison system. Berkowitz told the board that he views his imprisonment as a higher calling.
“My work is in prison where God has His people confined,” he wrote. “These men need guidance, help, and encouragement. I’m an elder, and this is my calling.”
When asked by the press what he would do if he were granted freedom, he doubled down on his religious conviction. “I’m already free. Jesus, who is my lord and Messiah, has already set me free from the power of sin and Satan,” he stated.
For victims like Violante, who lost sight in one eye and estimates that 90% of his vision is gone due to the shooting, these words provide little comfort. Violante remains firm in his assessment of the man who shattered his life. “He is only going to go to hell one day,” Violante said. “And that’s it.”
Interestingly, there was a lot of fear that a new bill would allow Berkowitz to just walk. After all, most people believe that serial killers, even ones caught recently, are best locked away. So, I must admit to some amount of morbid curiosity to see what Berkowitz would do outside of a parole hearing he knows won’t go his way.
Published: May 22, 2026 03:54 pm