EXCLUSIVE: Long-time crime victims advocate, notorious serial killer have interview no one would expect
HOUSTON - At the age of 23, David Richard Berkowitz spent a year terrorizing New York City. From July 1976 through July 1977, he killed six people and wounded seven others.
He gained worldwide notoriety by not only eluding police but mocking them by leaving letters about his deadly crime spree.
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He’s been in prison for 44 years.
"It’s probably the most bizarre partnership," said Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers.
Since 2000, Kahan has led the charge to stop high-profile killers and others from profiting off their deadly deeds.
"I also knew perhaps a lot of the killers, like Berkowitz and others, might not even be aware their stuff was being sold," he said. "I did what you would do, I went fishing."
And he caught a big one.
Kahan sent letters to 20 serial killers. 12 responded.
"And there were two that really stood out," Kahan said. "David Berkowitz was one of them."
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With Berkowitz’s help, Kahan pushed through laws that would bring the profitable murderabilia industry to a screeching halt.
"Ok, he’s a serial killer. He’s someone you watch Netflix shows about and you read about in the news," said Sydney Zuiker, Safe Community Program Director for Crime Stoppers.
Kahan and Zuiker requested and got an interview with Berkowitz for a Crime Stoppers podcast, called The Balanced Voice.
"Crime Stoppers has a unique role in connecting the community to information and stories. Through this podcast, we are talking to notable people near and far about issues they matter to all - with a hope that we learn and grow and do better as a community," shares Crime Stoppers CEO and host Rania Mankarious. "The interview of serial killer David Berkowitz was important. Not only did we discuss the psychology of a killer but we took a look at the role of prison and rehabilitation. As always, we never forgot the victims - everything we do is for them."
They traveled to a prison in upstate New York.
"When you think of a serial killer, you kind of expect when you meet them, they’re going to come in in shackles," Zuiker said. "There’s going to be guards everywhere."
But Berkowitz, Kahan, and Zuiker were all in the same room just a few feet away from each other.
"I’m not absolving him of what he did. He deserves to be where he is and he knows it as well," Kahan said. "As I told him, if you were in Texas, you and I wouldn’t be talking, because you wouldn’t be breathing. That’s just reality."
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Zuiker pinned a microphone on the notorious killer.
"He’s just sitting there and I’m clipping it in, my hands are shaking, I’m like I hope I don’t mess up," she said.
"Nobody would ever dream this was the notorious Son of Sam that caused terror and rampage through the streets of New York City," Kahan said.
"Regardless of what happened with me in the past, which I’m so very sorry for, I’m still a human being, he’s a human being. We have faults, we have emotions, we have concerns, we have regrets. We hit it off, we’re just two Jewish guys," Berkowitz said.
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Berkowitz has no internet access but does have email.
"For many years, I was in the dark ages when it came to electronics," he said. "About maybe a year and a half ago, they finally allowed us to have these small tablets so we can email. That’s how we stay in touch now."
The two-hour discussion includes some surprises.
"I did not know that he had communicated with one of the victim’s families, I was not aware of that," Kahan said.
Berkowitz is a model prisoner. He’s done what society would want an inmate to do.
"This person has a soul too, and what are we asking of them as a violent offender, who needs to stay where he is," Zuiker said.
If you’d like to listen to the podcast:
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Apple Podcast: - The Balanced Voice Podcast