Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Mindhunter: The real story of season 2 serial killer Son of Sam

Actor playing bears striking resemblance to real-life murderer he plays in crime series

Maisie Harvey,Jacob Stolworthy
Saturday 17 August 2019 14:28 BST
Comments
Mindhunter season 2 trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

The second season of crime series Mindhunter has been released on Netflix and one of the serial killers featured in new episodes is David Berkowitz, best known as Son of Sam".

Berkowitz is notorious for shooting and killing six people and wounding seven more in New York between 1976 and 1977. His preferred targets were young couples sat in their cars.

When arrested by New York City homicide detectives, the killer confessed all. He later claimed, though, that his neighbour Sam’s dog was actually a demon manifesting as a canine and had ordered him to carry out murders.

At the scenes of some of his crimes, Berkowitz left letters in an attempt to taunt the police and the press.

In his first letter, he wrote: 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’.”

He later claimed he never thought his neighbour's dog was possessed and admitted his story was a hoax.

Berkowitz was sentenced to life in prison and, now aged 66, remains in New York's Shawangunk Facility.

Actor Holt McCallany, who plays Bill Tench in the Netflix show, told The Independent Berkowitz, a born-again Christian now calling himself the “Son of Hope”, recently turned down the chance to meet him at the last minute.

Oliver Cooper plays the killer in the series and viewers are noticed how much the two resemble each other.

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

Mindhunter is inspired by real-life criminal profilers, who interviewed America’s most notorious serial killers as part of the FBI’s behavioural science unit in a bid to understand their psyches and solve pending investigations.

You can read The Independent's full interview with McCallany here.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in