Thirty-five years after a reign of terror in which he shot 13 people, killing six, David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam,” tells the New York Daily News that society needs to take the “glory out of guns.” “It's all senseless,” he said from a maximum security prison in upstate New York, where he is serving six consecutive 25 years-to-life sentences.
The “.44 Caliber Killer” lamented a recent spate of shootings that have claimed such innocents as a young boy in the Bronx, moviegoers in Aurora, Co., and worshipers at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin. “Young people have no business carrying a gun. I would love to speak bluntly to those gangbanging teens and wanna-bes and tell them prison is nothing like what you think,” Berkowitz says. “If you're packing a gun, you're making a big mistake, and you'll regret it.” Berkowitz, 59, a former postal worker, says, “I continue to pray for the victims of my crimes. I do wish them the best in life. But I'm sure the pain will never end for them. I regret that.” He no longer seeks parole, saying it's the “proper road to take” to spare the victims' families further anguish.