My interest…
I have always been interested in crime; both fiction and true crime. I grew up reading Sherlock and watching Unsolved Mysteries. I have spent countless hours reading about investigations, detectives, murders, killers, victims, psychology, and everything related. I even majored in Sociology (Criminology) when I attended university. It is a passion.
I can’t explain what it is that fascinates me. My best attempt is to say: I love the puzzle. I really enjoy things that make me think. I love following a story and picking up clues. The satisfaction of finding an answer to a question that you have been obsessing over hooks you. I just never get tired of it.
How I found this docu-series…
I had recently watched another series called: “Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer” on Netflix. So, I was looking for my next series. I decided to give this one a try because I hadn’t done much research into the Son of Sam murders. I didn’t have many expectations for it because my knowledge on these cases was limited.
What’s the series like?
Without spoiling anything, I’ll give an idea of the feel of the show: In this series we get to see the Son of Sam cases through the lens of Maury Terry. At times the series feels like a memorial/tribute to Maury and his efforts on this case. The series goes in-depth to explain some of his theories and discoveries about the Son of Sam killings. We get to follow along learning details about the murders, suspects, and conspiracies involved.
The great things…
The documentary does well to remain unbiased. All sides are pretty well represented. We hear from people who believed and supported Maury as well as from skeptics. There is a good amount of detail on Maury’s findings throughout his investigation. They show Maury’s obsession with the case, the NYPD’s involvement and possible motivations (for choosing to leave the case closed), and more. It feels like a human interest piece at times, delving into what fueled Maury’s investigation and what made people oppose him.
They don’t push an agenda. The details are just presented to the audience, and you choose what to believe as the viewer.
Any negatives?
The series blows through the details of the murders. We basically get a one episode summation of the spree, initial investigation, and arrest. This isn’t terrible, but for those that don’t know much about the cases, some context would have been great. Many documentaries that are similar to this one take the time to show the audience what the world and environment was like during the time of the killings. Many documentaries about similar topics stretch out the details of the murders and really emphasize the investigation and the dread that runs its course. The son of Sam killing took place on July 29, 1976. The police received the first letter on April 17, 1977. David Berkowitz was arrested for these murders on August 10, 1977. The documentary just doesn’t convey the weight that this case had on the city of New York (and surrounding areas).
Overall, I don’t fault them too much for this. The purpose of this documentary is to convey Maury’s investigation into the Son of Sam murders, and it does accomplish that.
Final thoughts…
What I loved most about this series was the ambiguity of it. Maury Terry was never able to fully convince the public of his beliefs on the Son of Sam case. This documentary doesn’t try to convince you of anything. It just gives you the information it has and leaves you thinking: Maybe.
Maybe David Berkowitz acted alone, maybe he didn’t. Maybe the eye-witnesses are reliable, maybe they aren’t. Maybe the case against David is circumstantial, maybe Maury’s theories are. The truth is that we do not know beyond doubt what happened at those morbid scenes. We can’t know the absolute truth surrounding these murders. We just don’t have the information we need to reach a conclusive decision. That is what this series is about, and it does convey Maury’s story so well.