a criminal's mind

a collection of known serial killers, what they did, who their victims were, and their stories.

warning: may contain nudity and gorey images

David Richard Berowitz, age 8
Berowitz was born Richard David Flaco in Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Betty Broder, was married to Anthony Flaco, with whom she had a daughter before the couple separated without legally divorcing. After this, she had...

David Richard Berowitz, age 8

Berowitz was born Richard David Flaco in Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Betty Broder, was married to Anthony Flaco, with whom she had a daughter before the couple separated without legally divorcing. After this, she had an affair with the married Joseph Kleinmna, who fathered a son. Kleinman suggested she have an abortion, but she gave birth to a boy and listed Falco as the father.

Before he was a week old, the baby was adopted by hardware store owners Pearl and Nathan Jay Berkowitz, who reversed the order of his first and middle names in addition to giving him their own surname.

John Vincent Sanders wrote that Berkowitz’s childhood was “somewhat troubled”. Although of above-average intelligence, he lost interest in learning at an early age and began an infatuation with petty larceny and pyromania. Berkowitz’s adoptive mother died of breast cancer when he was thirteen, and his home life became strained in later years, particularly because he disliked his adoptive father’s second wife. He later claimed his new step-sister was interested in witchcraft, sparking an interest in the occult he would later pursue more actively.

In 1969, the 16-year-old Berkowitz attended the Woodstock Festival. He joined the United States Army in 1971, and served on active duty until his honorable discharge in 1974. He served in both the United States and South Korea.

In 1974 Berkowitz located his birth mother, Betty Flaco. After a few visits, she disclosed the details of his illegitimate conception and birth, which greatly disturbed him. They fell out of contact, but Berkowitz did stay in touch with his half-sister, Roslyn. After leaving the army, Berkowitz held several blue collar jobs. At the time of his arrest, he was employed by the U.S. Postal Service.

  • 12 August 2011
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