In the early hours of July 29, 1976, 18-year-old medic-in-training Donna Lauria and her friend Jody Valenti, then a 19-year-old nurse, were sitting in Valenti's blue two-door Oldsmobile Cutlass in the Bronx, after a night dancing at a disco. Without warning, a man approached their vehicle, pulled a gun from a paper bag, and fired multiple shots, striking Lauria in the back and killing her instantly. Valenti was shot and wounded in her leg, but survived the attack. This brutal and seemingly random crime marked the beginning of a violent spree of attacks that would keep a terrified New York on edge for more than a year until David Berkowitz, originally known as the ".44 Caliber Killer" because of his weapon of choice, was captured by authorities in August 1977.Berkowitz later became notoriously known as the "Son of Sam" serial killer, after the pen name with which he signed letters he left at the scenes of his crimes for police or mailed to journalists. In 1978, he was convicted of the murders of two men and four women, ranging in age from 18 to 25, and sentenced to six consecutive life sentences in prison, which he is still serving.Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes, the fourth chapter in the Conversations with a Killer series, is available on Netflix beginning July 30th, and revisits the killings that haunted New York during an already tumultuous period of crime and underinvestment. The series delves into the mind and troubled past of Berkowitz, featuring newly unearthed audio interviews recorded with him by reporter Jack Jones in 1980 at Attica Correctional Facility in Wyoming County, New York.Alongside interviews with detectives, journalists, and survivors of Berkowitz's attacks, the three-part series offers new insights into the investigation and the enduring impact of Berkowitz's crimes on the local community. The series is directed and produced by Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated director Joe Berlinger (Cold Case: Jon Benet Ramsey, Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields, and Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial)."At the heart of Conversations with a Killer lies a commitment to unraveling the complex minds of notorious criminals while providing a space for those closest to the crimes to find closure," Berlinger tells Netflix. "With The Son of Sam Tapes, we delve into the world of David Berkowitz and his chilling influence on 1970s New York City. These rare tapes reveal unnerving insights into his psyche, shedding light on the intricate details of the case and the pervasive fear that gripped the city. Through these tapes, we hope to not only revisit history, but to bring clarity and depth to a narrative that has long intrigued and unsettled the public."WATCH THE TRAILER:Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLENEDZK3h4 


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