'The Sons Of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness' - A Netflix series featuring the real story of serial killer David Berkowitz

Netflix is back with another gut-wrenching docuseries based on America’s famous serial killer. The show is titled “The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness.” Before streaming, readers should dig into a bit of history on the manslaughterer.

“The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness” dives into the life of the notorious mass murderer David Berkowitz, who terrified New Yorkers in the summer of 1976. The serial killer cemented his identity by leaving letters at crime scenes signed the “Son of Sam.”

Berkowitz terrorized New York City for over a year, murdering six people and injuring many more. His modus operandi of using a .44 revolver made him a media sensation and earned him the nickname "44-caliber killer."

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David Berkowitz coined his own serial killer name

Berkowitz hadn’t conceived his ill-famed name during the first year of his killing spree. He gave himself the title after murdering Alexander Esau and Valentina Suriani. The note he left at the scene read:

"I am deeply hurt by your calling me a wemon [sic] hater. I am not. But I am a monster. I am the Son of Sam. ‘Sam loves to drink blood. “Go out and kill” commands father Sam."

On August 10, 1976, Berkowitz was finally arrested when the killer was caught leaving his Yonkers home. The murderer eagerly admitted to being the Son of Sam.

The six women murdered by David Berkowitz (Image via Netflix)

While questions arose about whether Berkowitz was considered mentally sane to stand trial, the killer withdrew an insanity defense and pleaded guilty.

He was charged with six counts of murder and was given the maximum penalty (at the time) of six consecutive life sentences. He was also denied the possibility of parole. Berkowitz is still in prison for his actions.

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"The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness" explores the investigation into a cult involvement

“The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness” is based on the examination of Journalist Maury Terry, whose works weren’t considered during the criminal investigation.

The four-part episode uses archive footage to show Terry’s journey in exploring Berkowitz's involvement in the murders and his belief that a larger cult was responsible for the actions.

Netflix's "The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness" dives into the cult conspiracy. It claims that the media and public narrative about Berkowitz's motive were skewed towards the notion of a lone serial killer rather than that of an organized clan.

True crime fans can stream “The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness” on Netflix now.