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Killer Psyche

David Berkowitz: The Son of Sam

Killer Psyche

Wondery | Treefort Media

True Crime, Exhibit C

4.64.2K Ratings

🗓️ 22 July 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the season finale of Killer Psyche, retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong dives into the infamous case of David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam.” Between 1976 and 1977, Berkowitz wreaked havoc on the boroughs of New York with a string of shootings that took the lives of six people and wounded several others. Even more shocking was his motive: a demonic dog told him to kill. But was David Berkowitz truly psychotic, or was his claim of insanity all an act? Candice delves into the rage and resentment brewing in Berkowitz from early in his life, and shares fascinating details from his interviews with FBI profiling pioneers Robert Ressler and John Douglas.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi there. Want to know what drives someone to kill? Join Wondery Plus for early access, exclusive episodes that unpack the psychology of the crime, and it's all ad-free. Start your free trial of Wondery Plus now.

0:17.0

A listener note, this episode contains adult content and is not suitable for everyone.

0:23.5

Please be advised.

0:32.0

Famous Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung believed that every one of us has a shadow,

0:39.4

a dark hidden self made up of the thoughts and feelings

0:43.2

we repress, rage, shame, envy, and cruelty.

0:49.2

It waits beneath the surface wearing our face,

0:52.6

but thinking darker thoughts. Most people keep it buried.

0:58.0

David Berkowitz did not. In the sweltering summer of 1977, New York City was paralyzed by fear.

1:09.0

A faceless killer was stalking the streets. Young couples were gunned down

1:14.7

at random. The press called him the 44 caliber killer. Then he gave himself a name. He called

1:24.7

himself the son of Sam.

1:28.3

He left letters behind, riddled with a blood-soaked fantasy, an apocalyptic delusion.

1:35.3

He claimed demons spoke to him, that a dog, his neighbor's dog, was a vessel for Satan.

1:49.2

But when he was finally caught, Berkowitz admitted something else.

1:51.6

It was all a lie.

1:54.2

The demons, the dog. It was a performance crafted by a man who hated the world

1:58.9

and wanted the world to know his name.

2:03.6

This is the story of David Berkowitz, of the quiet boy who became one of the most notorious serial killers in modern day history,

2:13.6

and of the rage he could not contain and the shadow he let win.

2:20.3

You've been through one diet after another, maybe for years.

2:30.3

You've counted calories, pushed through workouts, cut carbs, and still the weight came back.

...

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