"There's No Way God Loves Someone Like Me": David Berkowitz and Crime Stoppers, 2021

Name: "There's No Way God Loves Someone Like Me": David Berkowitz and Crime Stoppers, 2021
Uploaded: 2021-10-06
Duration: 5 min
Description: In a 2021 FOX 26 Houston report, David Berkowitz sits face to face with Houston victims' advocate Andy Kahn and speaks of the attack that nearly killed him, his remorse and his work in prison.

In a 2021 FOX 26 Houston report, David Berkowitz sits face to face with Houston victims' advocate Andy Kahn and speaks of the attack that nearly killed him, his remorse and his work in prison.

Subject: David Berkowitz
Recorded: about 2021
Runtime: 5:00

The Interview

Andy Kahn, a long-time victims' advocate with Crime Stoppers of Houston, met David Berkowitz in prison (the report does not give the date of the meeting) and recorded the conversation for the organisation's *Balanced Voice* podcast. FOX 26 Houston reporter Randy Wallace built a two-part report around it. This is the second part. It contains about forty-five seconds of Berkowitz speaking: about the 1979 prison attack that left a scar on his neck, about his religious conversion and remorse, and about his work helping disabled prisoners.

Historical Context

Between July 1976 and July 1977, Berkowitz shot young people in New York City, killing six and wounding seven, and taunted police and the press in letters signed "Son of Sam". He was arrested on August 10, 1977, and in June 1978 was sentenced to six terms of 25 years to life. In 1979 another prisoner at Attica cut his throat. He later became a born-again Christian and has repeatedly been denied parole, or declined to seek it.

Circumstances of the Interview

Kahn, who says he has attended eight executions with victims' families, campaigns against "murderabilia", the sale of items connected with notorious killers. The report says Berkowitz was "a huge ally" in that campaign. The meeting took place face to face, without a glass partition; the reporter remarks that Berkowitz reached over and touched Kahn.

What the Interview Covers

Berkowitz says the attacker missed an artery in his neck "by just a hair's breadth". He recalls another prisoner telling him that God loved him, and his reply that God could not love "someone like me". He says he is sorry he hurt his parents and "innocent people". He describes his work as a "mobility assistant" for disabled prisoners. Kahn says Berkowitz has found a way to thrive in a controlled environment, and in a later clip, apparently also Kahn's, says that while he should stay in prison he is "kind of a success story".

What Makes the Recording Significant

The report captures Berkowitz in his late sixties, in an unusual setting: talking with a victims' advocate who has attended eight executions with victims' families and who nonetheless describes him as an ally.

Archival Importance

The report records how Berkowitz presented himself more than forty years into his sentence, and points to a longer source, the Crime Stoppers *Balanced Voice* recording, which may hold the full conversation.

Important Caveats

The video is a news report; Berkowitz's own words make up only a small part of it. His remorse and conversion are his own statements. The report's "six consecutive life sentences" is the station's wording: the sentence was six terms of 25 years to life, and sources differ on whether they run consecutively. "Up for parole again next year" refers to 2022.

Anchor: Switching gears tonight, we continue our only-on-FOX look at an unprecedented meeting: a longtime local crime victims' advocate with one of the nation's most infamous serial killers, sitting face to face. And FOX 26's Randy Wallace joining us live from southwest Houston with more of this exclusive conversation. Randy?

Randy Wallace: Caitlin, Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz is a good example of a model prisoner, but most people say he should never be paroled.

Archive News Audio: [unclear: "I want Stacy's killing"] ... The Son of Sam. The Son of Sam, David Berkowitz. [unclear: "is the Son of Sam" / "the Son of Sam"], David Berkowitz. The Son of Sam.

Randy Wallace: 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. He's been in prison now for 44 years.

Andy Kahn: I'm a pretty, hardball as you can get. I mean, I've been to eight executions with victims' families, so there's no, there's no wavering on where I stand on the issue of punishment.

Randy Wallace: Andy Kahn with Crime Stoppers would be the first to admit serial killer David Berkowitz was a huge ally in his fight against murderabilia, an industry where high-profile killers like Berkowitz and others could make big bucks off of headline-grabbing crimes.

Andy Kahn: People are fascinated by certain kinds of crimes, or they want souvenirs or things like that. That's part of our culture. And David Berkowitz is a household name.

Andy Kahn: You're not going to have serial killers like David Berkowitz. You're not going to have catchy nicknames like the Son of Sam anymore. They're a dying breed. So many people don't make it that long in prison, and if they do, they're not functioning to the same capacity that he has.

Randy Wallace: Berkowitz began his 40-plus years in prison at Attica, one of the most notorious prisons in the country.

Andy Kahn: One of the things that was most interesting to me is to see his giant scar that he has right here on his neck from an altercation he had at Attica.

Randy Wallace: Another inmate wanted to make a name for himself by killing Berkowitz.

David Berkowitz: I was very fortunate. Very fortunate. He missed my [unclear: "carotid artery" / "part in an artery"] by just a hair's breadth, and had he struck that, I wouldn't be here today.

Andy Kahn: I think that he's found a way to thrive in a very controlled environment.

Randy Wallace: Berkowitz recalled what another inmate said to him: "God loves you."

David Berkowitz: Listen, there's no way God loves someone like me. I've done too much evil. I've done too many bad things. I doubt God will ever want to forgive me, or even want to have anything to do with me.

Randy Wallace: Berkowitz says he's turned his life over to God.

David Berkowitz: I'm sorry I hurt my parents. I'm sorry I hurt innocent people. I regret it with all my heart. And I just poured my heart out to him.

Randy Wallace: Now he's an elder in the prison's church.

David Berkowitz: And I also work as a mobility assistant, which means handicapped guys that need assistance getting around. I work in the unit with them, and so that's really, I get a lot of joy out of that, a lot of satisfaction.

Randy Wallace: Kahn and [unclear: "Sidney Ziker" / "Sydney Zeiker"], also with Crime Stoppers, recorded their meeting with Berkowitz for their *Balanced Voice* podcast.

Andy Kahn: We can yell and scream all we want, but isn't he doing something you want inmates to do? Remorseful, repent, give something back to society?

Randy Wallace: Even though he's serving six consecutive life sentences, Berkowitz still periodically comes up for parole. In the past he's told New York parole officials he's not interested. He's up for parole again next year. [unclear: "Berkowitz" (both machine texts; the context suggests "Kahn")] seems to be torn, even over the remote possibility of being free.

Andy Kahn: Of course I think he should stay there, but I also think that he's kind of a success story.

Randy Wallace: Be sure to watch the *Balanced Voice* podcast produced by Crime Stoppers with Berkowitz. We've got links for you on our website. Jonathan, Caitlin.

Anchor: Randy, you have covered a lot of crime. You've interviewed a lot of criminals. You've interviewed Andy Kahn a few times. A lot of this is weird to see them talking. What was the biggest standout to you as you looked at all this and put this all together?

Randy Wallace: Well, here, you know, I've done a lot of prison inmate interviews. I did one just last week, and they're behind glass. You know, there's no, there's no, like, direct, where you can touch each other. And I just almost cracked up when Berkowitz just kind of reaches over and touches Andy Kahn. I mean, they were in a very intimate setting for a prison interview.

Anchor: Yeah, that kind of access, just so rare. Well, Randy, if anybody missed the first part of your story, we have that also on our website, fox26houston.com. Randy Wallace, live tonight, thank you. ---