My name is T.J. Raphael. I'm the host of Liberty Lost, a new podcast about who gets to be a mother

and the control of young women hidden behind the veil of faith. Binge all episodes of Liberty Lost

ad free right now on Wondery Plus. Hi, I'm Misha Brown and I'm the host of Wondery's podcast, The Big Flop.

Each episode, comedians join me to chronicle one of the biggest pop culture fails of all time

and try to answer the age-old question, who thought this was a good idea?

Follow the big flop wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome back for another episode of reality. wherever you get your podcasts. The amazing Kate Casey.

Welcome back for another episode of Reality Life, KKC, and I've got a true crime episode for you today.

My guest today is Emmy winning an Academy Award nominated director, Joe Berlinger,

one of the most influential voices in true crime storytelling.

He joins me to discuss his latest Netflix docu series, Conversations with a Killer,

The Son of Sam tapes, a three-part deep dive into one of the most terrifying chapters in New York City's history. The series revisits the case of David Berkowitz, better known as the son of Sam,

who paralyzed the city with fear between 1976 and 1977. Over the course of a year, Berkowitz

shot 13 people, killing six in seemingly random nighttime attacks targeting young women and couples parked in cars.

Born Richard David Falco in 1953, and adopted shortly after birth by Nathan and Pearl Berkowitz,

David grew up in the Bronx. He struggled with feelings of abandonment, social isolation,

and anger from a young age.

After the death of his adoptive mother, whom he was very close to, his mental health rapidly declined.

Berkowitz later claimed that he was driven to kill by demonic voices, including one that came

from a neighbor's possessed dog.

His letters to the press taunted police and sparked panic,

while his erratic and symbolic messages suggested a mind unraveling. Diagnosed with paranoid,

...