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From Son of Sam to Son of Hope: The Redemption of David Berkowitz, Study notes of Autobiography Writing

David berkowitz shares his personal story of transformation from a notorious murderer and satan worshiper to a man of faith and hope. Discover how jesus christ brought forgiveness, healing, and change into his life.

What you will learn

  • How did Berkowitz come to find faith in Jesus Christ while in prison?
  • What led David Berkowitz to become involved in the occult and commit murder?
  • What has Berkowitz been doing since his conversion to help others?

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My Testimony
by David Berkowitz
Personal Message from David Berkowitz
I am not sharing this message simply to tell you an interesting story. Rather I want
you to taste the goodness of God in the life of a man who was once a Satan-
worshiper and a murderer, to show you that Jesus Christ can bring about
forgiveness, hope, and change.
I was involved in the occult and I got burned. I became a cruel killer and threw
away my life as well as destroying the lives of others. Now I have discovered that
Christ is my answer and my hope. He broke the chains of sin, self-will, and
depression that had me bound. He has turned me from a path leading to eternal
damnation in the lake of fire to the blessed assurance of eternal life in heaven.
God has miraculously transformed "Son of Sam" into "Son of Hope." He wants to
perform the same kind of transformation in your heart and life today!
Here’s David Berkowitz’s story:
May God bless everyone who is reading this message. My name is David Berkowitz and I am a prison inmate
who has been incarcerated for more than 22 years. I have been sentenced to prison for the rest of my life. I was
the notorious murderer known as "Son of Sam."
It was 11 years ago, when I was living in a cold and lonely prison cell, that God got hold of my life. Here is my
story of hope.
Childhood
Ever since I was a small child my life seemed to be out of control. I was like a wild and destructive animal. My
mother had no control over me. My father had to pin me to the floor until I calmed down. When I was in public
school, I was so violent and disruptive that a teacher had to grab me in a headlock and throw me out of his
classroom. I got into a lot of fights. Sometimes I started screaming for no reason. I was plagued with bouts of
severe depression. Eventually my parents were ordered by the school officials to take me to a child psychologist,
or else I would be expelled. I had to go to the psychologist once a week for two years, yet the therapy sessions had
no effect on my behavior.
Thoughts of Suicide
Thoughts of suicide often came into my mind. Sometimes I spent time sitting on a window ledge with my legs
dangling over the side. We lived on the 6th floor of an old apartment building. When my dad saw me doing this he
would yell at me to get back inside. I had no idea what to do and neither did my parents. They had me talk to a
Rabbi, teachers, and school counselors, but nothing worked.
The Death of My Mother
When I was 14, my mother was stricken with cancer. Within several months she was dead. I had no other brothers
or sisters, so it was just my dad and me. He had to work 10 hours a day, six days a week. We spent very little time
together.
For the most part, my mother had been my source of stability. With her now gone, however, my life quickly went
downhill. I was filled with anger at the loss of my mom. I felt hopeless, and my periods of depression were more
intense than ever. I also became even more rebellious and began to cut out of school.
My dad tried to help as best he could. He managed to push me through high school. The day after I graduated, I
went into the Army. Even in the service I had trouble coping, though I did manage to finish my three-year
enlistment.
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My Testimony

by David Berkowitz

Personal Message from David Berkowitz I am not sharing this message simply to tell you an interesting story. Rather I want you to taste the goodness of God in the life of a man who was once a Satan- worshiper and a murderer, to show you that Jesus Christ can bring about forgiveness, hope, and change. I was involved in the occult and I got burned. I became a cruel killer and threw away my life as well as destroying the lives of others. Now I have discovered that Christ is my answer and my hope. He broke the chains of sin, self-will, and depression that had me bound. He has turned me from a path leading to eternal damnation in the lake of fire to the blessed assurance of eternal life in heaven. God has miraculously transformed "Son of Sam" into "Son of Hope." He wants to perform the same kind of transformation in your heart and life today! Here’s David Berkowitz’s story: May God bless everyone who is reading this message. My name is David Berkowitz and I am a prison inmate who has been incarcerated for more than 22 years. I have been sentenced to prison for the rest of my life. I was the notorious murderer known as " Son of Sam ." It was 11 years ago, when I was living in a cold and lonely prison cell, that God got hold of my life. Here is my story of hope. Childhood Ever since I was a small child my life seemed to be out of control. I was like a wild and destructive animal. My mother had no control over me. My father had to pin me to the floor until I calmed down. When I was in public school, I was so violent and disruptive that a teacher had to grab me in a headlock and throw me out of his classroom. I got into a lot of fights. Sometimes I started screaming for no reason. I was plagued with bouts of severe depression. Eventually my parents were ordered by the school officials to take me to a child psychologist, or else I would be expelled. I had to go to the psychologist once a week for two years, yet the therapy sessions had no effect on my behavior. Thoughts of Suicide Thoughts of suicide often came into my mind. Sometimes I spent time sitting on a window ledge with my legs dangling over the side. We lived on the 6th floor of an old apartment building. When my dad saw me doing this he would yell at me to get back inside. I had no idea what to do and neither did my parents. They had me talk to a Rabbi, teachers, and school counselors, but nothing worked. The Death of My Mother When I was 14, my mother was stricken with cancer. Within several months she was dead. I had no other brothers or sisters, so it was just my dad and me. He had to work 10 hours a day, six days a week. We spent very little time together. For the most part, my mother had been my source of stability. With her now gone, however, my life quickly went downhill. I was filled with anger at the loss of my mom. I felt hopeless, and my periods of depression were more intense than ever. I also became even more rebellious and began to cut out of school. My dad tried to help as best he could. He managed to push me through high school. The day after I graduated, I went into the Army. Even in the service I had trouble coping, though I did manage to finish my three-year enlistment.

Involvement in the Occult I got out of the service in 1974 to start life again as a "civilian." All my friends that I knew before had either married or moved away. So I found myself alone and living in New York City. In 1975 I met some guys at a party who, I later found out, were heavily involved in the occult. I had always been fascinated with witchcraft, Satanism, and occult things since I was a child. When I was growing up, I watched countless horror and Satan-type movies, some of which totally captivated my mind. Now I was 22 and the forces of Satan were becoming more and more evident in my life. I felt as if something was trying to take control of my life. I began to read the Satanic Bible by the late Anton LaVey who founded the Church of Satan in San Francisco in 1966. I began, innocently, to practice various occult rituals and incantations. I am utterly convinced that something satanic had entered into my mind and, looking back at all that happened, I realize that I had been slowly deceived. I did not know that bad things were going to result from all this, yet over the months the things that were wicked no longer seemed to be such. I was headed down the road to destruction and I did not know it. Maybe I was at a point where I just didn't care. The Horror Begins Eventually, I crossed that invisible line of no return. After years of mental torment, behavioral problems, deep inner struggles, and my own rebellious ways, I began committing horrible crimes. Looking back, it was all an awful nightmare and I would do anything if I could undo everything that happened. Six people lost their lives. Many others suffered at my hand and will continue to suffer for a lifetime. I am sorry for this. In 1978 I was sentenced to about 365 consecutive years, virtually burying me alive behind prison walls. When I first entered the prison system I was placed in isolation. I was then sent to a psychiatric hospital because I was declared temporarily insane. Eventually I was sent to other prisons including the infamous "Attica." Hope Appears Ten years into my prison sentence, when I was feeling despondent and without hope, another inmate came up to me as I was walking the prison yard one cold winter's evening. He introduced himself and began to tell me that Jesus Christ loved me and wanted to forgive me. Although I knew he meant well I mocked him because I did not think that God would ever forgive me or that He would want anything to do with me. Still this man persisted, and we became friends. His name was Rick, and we would walk the yard together. Little by little he would share with me about his life and what he believed Jesus had done for him. He kept reminding me that no matter what a person did, Christ stood ready to forgive if that individual would be willing to turn from the bad things he was doing and would put his full faith and trust in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross--dying for our sins. He gave me a Gideon Pocket Testament and asked me to read the Psalms. I did. Every night I would read from them. It was at this time the Lord was quietly melting my stone-cold heart. A New Life Begins One night I was reading Psalm 34. I came upon the 6th verse which says, "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles." It was at this moment, in 1987, that I began to pour out my heart to God. Everything seemed to hit me at once--the guilt of what I had done and the disgust at what I had become. Late that night in my cold cell I got down on my knees and began to cry to Jesus Christ.

assurance of eternal life with Christ (John 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) in heaven, at which time your growth in holiness and moral likeness to Christ will be complete: "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" ( 1 John 3:2). Concluding Comments I am not sharing this message simply to tell you an interesting story. Rather I want you to taste the goodness of God in the life of a man who was once a Satan-worshiper and a murderer, to show you that Jesus Christ can bring about forgiveness, hope, and change. I was involved in the occult and I got burned. I became a cruel killer and threw away my life as well as destroying the lives of others. Now I have discovered that Christ is my answer and my hope. He broke the chains of sin, self- will, and depression that had me bound. He has turned me from a path leading to eternal damnation in the lake of fire to the blessed assurance of eternal life in heaven. God has miraculously transformed "Son of Sam" into "Son of Hope." He wants to perform the same kind of transformation in your heart and life today! Thank you for reading this. May God bless you. Love in Christ, David Berkowitz, March 1999