“Occasionally this same evil force would come upon me in the middle of the night. When this would happen I felt an urge to sneak out of the house and wander the dark streets. I roamed the neighborhood like an alley cat and would creep back into the house by climbing the fire escape. My parents would…”— David Berkowitz, ariseandshine.org
“Thoughts of suicide often came into my mind. Sometimes I spent time sitting on a window ledge with my legs dangling over the side. We lived on the 6th floor of an old apartment building. When my dad saw me doing this he would yell at me to get back inside….I also felt powerful urges to step in front…”— David Berkowitz, ariseandshine.org
“During this period of my life I was also plagued with bouts of severe depression. When this feeling came over me, I would hide under my bed for hours. I would also lock myself in a closet and sit in total darkness from morning until afternoon. I had a craving for the darkness and I felt an urge to f…”— David Berkowitz, ariseandshine.org
“I don't understand what happened. It was a nightmare. I was tormented in my mind and in my spirit. My life was out of control at that time and I have nothing but regret for what I thought I was a soldier for the devil and all kinds of crazy things I had things like The Satanic Bible that I was readi…”— David Berkowitz, murderpedia.org
“My mother, who has long since passed away, had not control over me. I was like a wild and destructive animal. My father had to pin me to the floor until these attacks stopped.”— David Berkowitz, ariseandshine.org
“Ever since I was a small child, my life seemed to be filled with torment. I would often have seizures in which I would roll on the floor. Sometimes furniture would get knocked over. When these attacks came, it felt as if something was entering me.”— David Berkowitz, ariseandshine.org
“In this hole lives the Wicked King. Kill for my Master. I turn children into Killers.”— David Berkowitz, murderpedia.org
“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 t…”— David Berkowitz, murderpedia.org
“I have asked you kindly to stop that dog from howling all day long, yet he continues to do so. I pleaded with you. I told you how this is destroying my family. We have no peace, no rest. Now I know what kind of a person you are and what kind of a family you are. You are cruel and inconsiderate. You…”— David Berkowitz, murderpedia.org
“It's cold and gloomy here in New York, but that's okay because the weather fits my mood—gloomy. Dad, the world is getting dark now. I can feel it more and more. The people, they are developing a hatred for me. You wouldn't believe how much some people hate me. Many of them want to kill me. I don't e…”— David Berkowitz, amazon.com
“I was just empty. As I said, I was a blank. It was like a void, you know.”— David Berkowitz, transcripts.cnn.com
“I am deeply hurt by your calling me a weman-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 our 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.…”— David Berkowitz, murderpedia.org
“And guys in here go through tremendous struggles inwardly. A lot of them, you know, play the macho role and keep things inside. But I know a lot of guys who cry on their pillow at night.”— David Berkowitz, transcripts.cnn.com
“I feel that I'm totally Jewish. I was born a Jew, I feel I'm going to leave this world a Jew. I believe that Jesus is the Messiah of the Jews, and he loves the Jewish people.”— David Berkowitz, transcripts.cnn.com
“I just felt I had no mind. I just felt something else was controlling, controlling me...”— David Berkowitz, transcripts.cnn.com
“I just—at this time I had made a pact with the Devil, I had allowed this satanic thing to control me, and I felt these paranormal powers.”— David Berkowitz, transcripts.cnn.com
“When I was growing up, I was so disruptive in school and had so many emotional problems, behavioral problems, that the school officials told my parents, you know, you're going to have to—to keep David in school, you're going to have to take him to a child psychologist. They made some kind of arrange…”— David Berkowitz, transcripts.cnn.com
“Yes, there were several times that at the beginning, when I first came to prison, I was very suicidal. And I saw no hope in living. I was disgusted with my life. I was angry at a lot of people. I felt betrayed, confused, and I saw no hope. So there were some times when I did try to commit suicide.”— David Berkowitz, transcripts.cnn.com
“Yes, in 1979, another inmate—I guess to make a name for himself—tried to take my life. And he stuck me when I wasn't looking with a razor and opened up the whole side of my neck. And it was a miracle that I survived. When I went down to the prison infirmary, I walked down there on my own and I didn'…”— David Berkowitz, transcripts.cnn.com
“I wouldn't say I had a plan. I just felt driven. There was just so much in me that was driving me to destroy myself at the time.”— David Berkowitz, transcripts.cnn.com