?Son of Sam? laments gun violence, prays for his victims

David Berkowitz in May 2009 (AP Photo/Mike Groll)A notorious serial killer who once shot and killed six people in New York City, laments the recent spate of gun violence and now prays for his victims.

In an exclusive interview with the New York Daily News, David Berkowitz, also known as "Son of Sam," said, "Society has to take the glory out of guns. Young people have no business carrying a gun."

Berkowitz shot 13 people during a 13-month shooting spree in the 1970s, killing six. He stalked and preyed on young women from July 1976 until his arrest in August of 1977. He later said a neighbor's dog told when to kill. Spike Lee's 1999 film "Summer of Sam" is based on those serial murders.

Berkowtiz is currently serving a 25-years-to-life sentence.

"I would love to speak bluntly to those gangbanging teens and wanna-bes and tell them prison is nothing like what you think," Berkowitz told the Daily News. "If you're packing a gun, you're making a big mistake, and you'll regret it."

Berkowitz, now 56, told the newspaper he doesn't like to recall the time of the killings when, he said, he was heavily into the occult. He describes himself then as "lost," "tormented" and "confused."

"I don't even recognize that person. 'Son of Sam' represents evil and satanic things. That person is like a total stranger to me now," he said.

He is now a decade into his prison sentence; he says he's a born-again Christian, and he has taken on prison ministries and worked with younger prisoners, the article noted.

Berkowitz told the newspaper, "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."?

The extensive interview recalls the summer 35 years ago when much of the city was in fear of the "Son of Sam" and how the media covered the crimes at the time.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/son-sam-laments-gun-violence-prays-victims-173210904.html

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