today, I'm gonna talk about David Berkowitz, the .44 Caliber killings, and the satanic Son of Sam cult behind them. that's right, Satanic Panic is a psyop, because there have been multiple Satanic killer cults in the US, and we're gonna look at one today

the .44 Caliber killings all took place in the summer of 1976. apparently random shootings of New Yorkers terrorized the city. the perp left letters taunting the cops, leading to a citywide panic and manhunt, until they arrested David Berkowitz

Berkowitz confessed to sole participation in all 8 shootings (killing 6) and claimed to have been obeying the orders of a demon dog belonging to his neighbor "Sam."

the problem is, he didn't match most of the composite drawings made by witnesses

"well, folks"

in the 90's, Berkowitz changed his claims, stating that he committed only some of the murders, and that he had been part of a Satanic cult

there's a book that came out before Berkowitz claimed there was a cult; it also asserted that there was a cult.

the Ultimate Evil, written by Maury Terry with the assistance of other journalists and NYPD officers

much of the book pretty convincingly proves that Berkowitz couldn't have acted alone, and much like JFK/RFK books, I'm not terribly interested in repeating factoids about different witnesses seeing conflicting info that suggests two shooters, things like that

there are a couple interesting things, though, like that Berkowitz got questioned for only 40 minutes for all the different shootings. like, even if he's confessing, that's a ridiculously short questioning for such a high-profile case. unless, you know...

as an aside, I thought it was charming to hear an early explanation of what 'Silicon Valley' is:

The general vicinity of Palo Alto, including nearby San Jose, was home to a considerable number of high-technology corporations—such as IBM—which had erected laboratories...

"or development centers for the manufacture of advanced computer circuitry. Silicon is a nonmetallic element critical to the production of semiconductors: hence the Valley's label."

lol, the book came out in the 80s, to be fair. we'll get back to that later.

so, who was David Berkowitz?

above-average intelligence
adopted, kind of fucked up about that fact
troubled childhood, would start fires
here are the real kickers: served in the US army and as a security guard

stop me if you've heard this one before...

in Sicily they call the police i sonnambuli - the sleepwalkers, because they don't do shit, and that's fitting because it basically wasn't the NYPD that caught David Berkowitz. he was caught by regular citizens being creeped out by this guy and reporting him

I think it's worth quoting the letters that Berkowitz wrote:

I am deeply hurt by your calling me a wemon hater. I am not. But I am a monster. I am the "Son of Sam." I am a little "brat". When father Sam gets drunk he gets mean. He beats his family...

"Sometimes he ties me up to the back of the house. Other times he locks me in the garage. Sam loves to drink blood. "Go out and kill" commands father Sam. Behind our house some rest. Mostly young—raped and slaughtered—their blood drained—just bones now..."

"Papa Sam keeps me locked in the attic, too. I can't get out but I look out the attic window and watch the world go by. I feel like an outsider. I am on a different wave length then everybody else—programmed too kill. However, to stop me you must kill me..."

"Attention all police: Shoot me first—shoot to kill or else. Keep out of my way or you will die! Papa Sam is old now. He needs some blood to preserve his youth. He has had too many heart attacks. Too many heart attacks. "Ugh, me hoot it urts sonny boy."

"I miss my pretty princess most of all. She's resting in our ladies house but I'll see her soon. I am the "Monster"—"Beelzebub"—the "Chubby Behemouth." I love to hunt. Prowling the streets looking for fair game—tasty meat. The wemon of Queens are z prettyist of all."

"I must be the water they drink. I live for the hunt—my life. Blood for papa. Mr. Borrelli, sir, I dont want to kill anymore no sir, no more but I must, "honour thy father." I want to make love to the world. I love people. I don't belong on Earth. Return me to yahoos."

"To the people of Queens, I love you. And I wa want to wish all of you a happy Easter. May God bless you in this life and in the next and for now I say goodbye and goodnight."

"Police—Let me haunt you with these words; I'll be back! I'll be back! To be interrpreted as—bang, bang, bang, bank, bang—ugh!! Yours in murder Mr. Monster"

there's a lot going on with the first letter, like "programmed too kill"

"police released a psychological profile of their suspect. He was described as neurotic and probably suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, and believed himself to be a victim of demonic possession."

^ in retrospect, none of that fit David Berkowitz

he put out a second letter:

"Hello from the gutters of N.Y.C. which are filled with dog manure, vomit, stale wine, urine and blood. Hello from the sewers of N.Y.C. which swallow up these delicacies when they are washed away by the sweeper trucks"

"Hello from the cracks in the sidewalks of N.Y.C. and from the ants that dwell in these cracks and feed in the dried blood of the dead that has settled into the cracks. J.B., I'm just dropping you a line to let you know that I appreciate your interest in those recent...

"and horrendous .44 killings. I also want to tell you that I read your column daily and I find it quite informative. Tell me Jim, what will you have for July twenty-ninth? You can forget about me if you like because I don't care for publicity. However you must not forget..."

"Donna Lauria and you cannot let the people forget her either. She was a very, very sweet girl but Sam's a thirsty lad and he won't let me stop killing until he gets his fill of blood. Mr. Breslin, sir, don't think that because you haven't heard from me for a while that I..."

"went to sleep. No, rather, I am still here. Like a spirit roaming the night. Thirsty, hungry, seldom stopping to rest; anxious to please Sam. I love my work. Now, the void has been filled. Perhaps we shall meet face to face someday or perhaps I will be blown away by cops...

"with smoking .38's. Whatever, if I shall be fortunate enough to meet you I will tell you all about Sam if you like and I will introduce you to him. His name is "Sam the terrible." Not knowing what the future holds I shall say farewell and I will see you at the next job..."

"Or should I say you will see my handiwork at the next job? Remember Ms. Lauria. Thank you. In their blood and from the gutter "Sam's creation" .44 Here are some names to help you along. Forward them to the inspector for use by N.C.I.C: "The Duke of Death"..."

"The Wicked King Wicker" "The Twenty Two Disciples of Hell" "John 'Wheaties' – Rapist and Suffocator of Young Girls. PS: Please inform all the detectives working the slaying to remain. P.S: JB, Please inform all the detectives working the case that I wish them the best of luck...

""Keep 'em digging, drive on, think positive, get off your butts, knock on coffins, etc." Upon my capture I promise to buy all the guys working the case a new pair of shoes if I can get up the money. Son of Sam"

one assertion is that dog manure, vomit, stale wine, urine and blood are used in Satanic black masses.

"Wicked King Wicker" is probably pretty clearly a reference to the movie.

you wanna get even weirder? one of the shootings took place outside the Elephas discotheque, probably chosen because its name sounds like Éliphas Lévi, one of the more important ceremonial magicians and the guy who drew that picture of Baphomet

in the Borrelli letter (sent before the Elephas shooting), there's mention of a Behemoth, which has been depicted as an elephant. the Latin word for elephant is 'elephas'

for one thing, that's an indication that these weren't random shootings

it's been suggested that the symbol in the letter is "the Goetic Circle of Black Evocations and Pacts" as found in the Book of Ceremonial Magic

what's more, the name "Berkaial" is similar to Berkowitz, while "Amasarac" is a loose anagram of Sam Carr, a person suspected to be the Sam in the "son of Sam" cult, and whose kid, John Carr, aka John Wheaties, is also referenced in the letters

Berkowitz fingered John Carr (right) as one of the other cult members and .44 Caliber shooters. he matches one of the composite sketches, by the way

John Carr "killed himself" when the police started to acknowledge the probability of a conspiracy.

although the ruling was suicide, not all cops and journalists agreed, and when examining the body, police found '666' scratched into his hand

sorry, this was actually Michael Carr on the right; I couldn't find a picture of John Carr with his face intact. Michael and John were brothers

Michael Carr died in a car crash in 1979, but he's even more interesting than his brother. for one thing, he was obsessed with weapons, having over 9 legally registered to him. he was also a Scientologist and engaged in low-level credit card fraud

"Michael Carr had the insidious inclination of obtaining credit cards under fraudulent names, some scented with illusions of royalty. For instance, this upstanding Scientology counselor held charge cards from both Gimbels department stores and European Health Spas..."

"in the name of "Baron De Czarnkowski." At JC Penney he registered as M. V. Deczarnkowski"; and at Bloomingdale's he purchased his fragrances under the moniker "M. Deccarnowski." Michael Carr fancied himself an exiled Russian nobleman"

so out of the several entities mentioned, it's possible that Michael Carr was "The Duke of Death"
"John 'Wheaties' was John Carr, whose nickname was 'Wheaties'
"The Twenty Two Disciples of Hell" probably referred to the cult itself

so who was "Wicked King Wicker"?

nobody's sure, but in 1982, Joseph Carozza, owner of an auto-body shop, was sniped while standing on his yacht;

nobody who knew him could imagine why he'd be targeted for something like that

however, it was reported that an acquaintance of Carozza said that when word of the murder reached a New Year's party at a country club in the area at about nine o'clock that evening, a woman broke down hysterically and shouted: "1 knew they were going to get him."

interestingly, Carozza did underwrite a loan to someone that the NYPD and Terry considered could be "Wicked King Wicker", but to my knowledge, the identity was not revealed in the book

time to zoom out for a minute.
so, Berkowitz, Terry and various journalists and cops assert that there was a Satanic cult doing these killings. let's talk about who they might be, while understanding that this is theoretical.

a curious fact about the case is that, even if you think Berkowitz acted alone and there was no cult, Scientology pops up over and over in the people surrounding him.

in ascending order of importance, there's the fact that John Carr's girlfriend was a Scientologist, that Michael Carr was a Scientologist, and that Michael Carr owned a telephone answering service company based at Flag Land Base, one of their headquarters in Clearwater

"Berkowitz also had the phone number of the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, Florida—a facility owned and operated as a major training center by the Church of Scientology. This further cemented his relationship with middle-level Scientology official Michael Carr, at the least."

Maury Terry and Harry Lipsig ("king of torts") became "fair game" and subject to Scientology's harassment by the 'Guardians' after they caught wind of Berkowitz' statements about Scientology, which I'm about to get into

speaking of "fair game", a Scientology term, it actually appears in that first Son of Sam letter, "Prowling the streets looking for fair game—tasty meat.

now, to get to the crux of the matter, Berkowitz said that the cult he was in was a "violent offshoot" of Scientology, specifically, the Process Church of the Final Judgment

the Process could be its own thread, but I'll go through a few facts. the church was formed by Mary Ann MacLean and Robert de Grimston, who were Scientologists who left the church and

"On their own, and with their new cult names, the DeGrimstons began to experiment with sophisticated mind-control games. They started a center to study what they termed "Compulsion Analysis"—for research into and elimination of compulsive behavior"

which sounds, you know, spooky

"They preached a doctrine of free choice, declaring that individuals were completely responsible for their own fates, actions—and afflictions. Mary Anne, for instance, reportedly believed that Jews chose the gas chambers; and even birth defects were said to be freely selected"

"the DeGrimstons also believed in reincarnation. They worshipped two gods: Jehovah and Lucifer. Young, searching and disturbed men and women were drawn to the group like metal to a magnet. The DeGrimstons also actively recruited, particularly from the ranks of the wealthy young.

In March 1966, the DeGrimstons, flush with success, leased a mansion on Balfour Place in London's fashionable Mayfair section. Here, the German shepherds entered the picture as the DeGrimstons each obtained a large Alsatian, a breed of German shepherd"

Mayfair, you say?

they expanded internationally, heading to Nassau, which is such a fucking suspect move. after, they went to Xtul, Mexico, where they started to make innovations in their theology

"The Mexican period was a significant one because while in Xtul the Process' two gods, Lucifer and Jehovah, were joined by a third: Satan. For the first time, the group began conducting moonlight satanic rituals."

sounds like 2/3 are evil, man, idk that's just me tho

"The cult was at this time arranged into three subgroups, which represented its three gods. The Jehovahs were straitlaced and uncompromising, the Puritans of the sect. The Luciferians, in contrast, literally embraced each other—advocating sensuality, tranquility and narcotics"

"Finally, the Satanists believed what Satanists everywhere believed in: gore, violence, sacrifice and devil worship."

guess which subgroup spun off into the murder cult?

they tried to recruit the Rolling Stones, Funkadelic, and other celebrities. they also attracted Charlie Manson, who had also received a bizarrely high amount of Scientology auditing

Ed Sanders told Terry: "There were so many investigations going on out there after the murders that I began to wonder if the Process was a front for some intelligence operation."

oh, yeah? huh. yeah, I wonder that, too. hypothetically, of course.

icyww, the Process became the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

why, yeah, they did keep finding German Shepherd dogs sacrificed before and after Berkowitz' arrest, why do you ask? uh, this is probably unrelated.

also, before, during, and after the .44 Caliber slayings, there was occult activity in Untermyer Park in Yonkers. the park is named after Samuel Untermyer, who Terry says was in the Golden Dawn, the ritual magick society that Crowley was involved with.

"This cult, a Process splinter group, was said by the witnesses to call itself the Four P Movement, or "Four Pi." Its leader, alleged to be a prosperous L.A. businessman or doctor, was known as the Grand Chingón"

"Interestingly, Ed Sanders stated that on several occasions—in his presence—Manson family members referred to Charlie as the Grand Chingón. However, Manson was under arrest at that time and the cult was still functioning, so he was not the Grand Chingón"

a supposed member of the Chingón cult was the confirmed murderer Stanley Baker, who famously confessed to police "I have a problem. I'm a cannibal."

Berkowitz stated that the Chingón cult was related to the cult he was in; it was simply out in California while his group was, of course, in New York City

Berkowitz said "All this would have driven Sherlock Holmes to drink. This will be another Martin Luther King and Kennedy thing".

reminds me of "the whole Bay of Pigs thing", lol

there's so much to cover, so I'm trying to just play the hits. Berkowitz kept news clippings of Fred Cowan, the Neptune Murderer, a Nazi who shot up a Jewish company

Berkowitz rented a room from Cowan's friend and said that Cowan was "one of the Sons"

Berkowitz stated that Ted Bundy's killings were occult-related, but did not elaborate on how he knew or how they were

Berkowitz stated that since he became the group's patsy, they made his apartment look crazy. they also attempted to link him to the FALN, the Puerto Rican separatist 'terrorist' group, as disinfo/chaff

"DA Eugene Gold would turn a deaf ear to the mounting evidence and continue to endorse the Berkowitz-alone position"

but who's this Eugene Gold guy?

Gold, who called Terry's articles "wild speculation" and "a wild hypothesis not supported by the evidence"

"EX-PROSECUTOR CHARGED WITH MOLESTING GIRL, 10"

every fucking time.

"When Berkowitz was arrested, he possessed a list of telephone numbers, which were barely investigated by the NYPD"

guess who (apart from Scientology) was on that list?

"One number was identified as that of an exclusive country club in Long Island's Hamptons area: the Montauk Golf and Racquet Club. Two other numbers werie listed to the Long Island summer residences of Yonkers doctors; these were not office numbers."

"Another number was that of a private residence in East Hampton, another belonged to an unlisted telephone in West Babylon, Long Island, and a final number was listed to a private home on exclusive Shelter island"

“In my Father's house are many mansions"

well, that's literally true for Satan

there are all kinds of loose ends and interesting connections that I had noted down, but I don't think we're gonna top the intrigue of Berkowitz' phone numbers, and I don't wanna get into the ties to the Manson shit, so I'm gonna pull out now

I might post another day with the rest of my notes on this. like I said, most of this is from the Ultimate Evil, which I recommend reading if you're curious about this shit. I have critiques of the book, but I won't be posting them here.

all I know is that this is a weird, weird world.

thanks for reading, god bless