SATURDAY DIGEST: World's Most Infamous Murders (Day 2)

Good morning LOVELIES, Bet you had a lovely week out there? A lot happened this week from the death of a great actor to Singer Celine Dion losing her husband to the cold hand of death (RIP to Alan Rickman 'Prof Snape' and Rene Angelil) and yes to a national embarrassment  the 'Nigeria's missing 2016 budget or the doctored Budget' that has been trending on social media LOL... It has been a really long week if i must say, so let's get our weekend started here.

And now it's time for our SATURDAY DIGEST and today 'THE SON OF SAM' debuts at number 2 on Duketundesblog World's Most Infamous Murders.

In the year 1977, A cold-blooded serial murderer terrorized New York, killing 6 people and wounding another seven in the same year. David Richard Berkowitz who became known as the 'Son of Sam and the .44 Caliber killer was so feared that clubs and restaurants were deserted as the frightened population made sure they were home before dark.

He allegedly wrote a letter, which police found few yards from the scene where he killed two young lovers. The letter read: 'Dear Captain Joseph Borelli, I am deeply hurt by your calling me a woman hater. I am not. But I am a monster. I am the son of Sam.'

Berkowitz eluded a massive police manhunt while leaving brazen letters that mocked the police and promised further crimes, highly publicized in the press. He terrorized New York and achieved worldwide notoriety.

Berkowitz aka Son of Sam

Berkowitz was arrested by New York City police homicide detectives in August 1977, and was indicted for eight shooting incidents. He confessed to all of them, and claimed to have been obeying the orders of a demon, manifested in the form of a dog ("Harvey") who belonged to his neighbor ("Sam"). Despite his explanation, Berkowitz was found mentally competent and incarcerated in state prison for murder. In the course of further police investigation, Berkowitz was also implicated in many unsolved arsons in the city.

Intense coverage of the case by the media lent almost a celebrity status to Berkowitz, and observers noted indignantly that he appeared to enjoy it. In response, the New York State legislature enacted new legal statutes, known popularly as "Son of Sam laws", designed to keep criminals from profiting financially from the publicity surrounding their crimes. Despite various amendments and legal challenges, the statutes have remained law in New York, and similar laws have been enacted in several other states.

Berkowitz has been imprisoned since his arrest and is serving six life sentences consecutively. In the mid-1990s, he amended his confession to claim that he had been a member of a violent Satanic cult which orchestrated the incidents as ritual murder. He remains the only person ever charged with the shootings, yet some law enforcement authorities have questioned whether Berkowitz's claims are credible. A new investigation into the murders was launched in 1996, but was suspended indefinitely after inconclusive findings.

Reference: Wikipedia