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Son of Sam Trivia Quiz

Do you think you know a lot about the life of David Berkowitz and the Son of Sam murders? Test your knowledge!

A multiple-choice quiz by sapient. Estimated time: 8 mins.

Author
sapient

Time
8 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
88,947

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
25

Difficulty
Very Difficult

Avg Score
9 / 25

Plays
2284

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 25

1. Where did David Berkowitz grow up? Hint

Queens

Bronx

Yonkers

Chicago

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Question 2 of 25

2. What is the name of the task force created to catch the Son of Sam?

Answer: (2 words)

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Question 3 of 25

3. What is the date of the first attack by Son of Sam? Hint

October 23, 1976

July 29, 1976

April 17, 1976

November 26, 1976

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Question 4 of 25

4. Which couple was attacked by Berkowitz on January 30, 1977? Hint

Christine Freund & John Diel

Judy Placido & Sal Lupo

Valentina Suriant & Alexander Esau

Stacy Moskowitz & Bobby Violanti

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Question 5 of 25

5. Son of Sam went to the funerals of his victims.

True

False

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Question 6 of 25

6. Who did the Son of Sam address his first letter to? Hint

Captain Joseph Borrelli

Sergeant Joseph Coffey

Inspector Timothy Dowd

Jimmy Breslin

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Question 7 of 25

7. What is the name of David Berkowitz's birth mother? Hint

Roslyn Broder

Iris Gerhardt

Pearl Berkowitz

Betty Broder

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Question 8 of 25

8. Was David Berkowitz an only child?

Yes

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Question 9 of 25

9. What year did he join the army and become a marksman? Hint

1973

1971

1972

1975

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Question 10 of 25

10. Who was the New York City mayor at the time Son of Sam was on a killing spree?

Answer: (Two Words. Full name or last name)

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Question 11 of 25

11. Which victim's death anniversary worried the police because they thought he might strike again on that date? Hint

Valentina Suriani

Jody Valenti

Donna Lauria

Donna DeMasi

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Question 12 of 25

12. When Berkowitz was in the army, he converted from Judaism to what? Hint

Satanist

Buddhist

Protestant

Baptist

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Question 13 of 25

13. Who was the last victim of Son of Sam? Hint

Stacy Moskowitz

Virginia Voskerichian

Judy Placido

Christine Freund

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Question 14 of 25

14. What was the name of the victim who witnessed Berkowitz on his way to his last attack? Hint

Nann Cassara

Bobby Violante

Craig Glassman

Cacilia Davis

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Question 15 of 25

15. Berkowitz left his job at IBI Security to become what?

Answer: (Occupation: two words)

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Question 16 of 25

16. Who first brought up the possibility of Berkowitz being the Son of Sam? Hint

Joseph Borrelli

Nann Cassara

Joe Coffey

Jack Cassara

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Question 17 of 25

17. What is the name of the black lab that David Berkowitz shot?

Answer: (one word)

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Question 18 of 25

18. What did David Berkowitz's adoptive mother die of? Hint

fire

lung cancer

breast cancer

car accident

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Question 19 of 25

19. How did Son of Sam claim that the demons called for blood? Hint

red ribbon on his door

dream

a dog howling

rainy day

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Question 20 of 25

20. What nickname did he attribute to Jack Cassara, who he thought was leader of the demons?

Answer: (three words)

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Question 21 of 25

21. Which police officer had a daughter who was present at the second Son of Sam attack? Hint

Joe Coffey

Redmond Keenan

Thomas Chamberlain

Joseph Borrelli

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Question 22 of 25

22. How many years was Berkowitz sentenced to prison? Hint

365

150

395

235

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Question 23 of 25

23. It was later discovered that Son of Sam was responsible for how many fires in New York? Hint

1,246

1,488

936

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Question 24 of 25

24. From whom did David Berkowitz get the idea for the name Son of Sam?

Answer: (Full name or last name)

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Question 25 of 25

25. What weapon did Son of Sam use? Hint

knife

shotgun

rifle

handgun

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Where did David Berkowitz grow up?

Answer: Bronx

He was born to a poor mother in the Bronx and was later adopted by a Jewish couple.

2. What is the name of the task force created to catch the Son of Sam?

Answer: Omega Group

Omega Group was headed by Deputy Inspector Timothy Dowd and comprised the cream of the crop in terms of New York City police officers.

3. What is the date of the first attack by Son of Sam?

Answer: July 29, 1976

Berkowitz's first victims were 18 year old Donna Lauria and 19 year old Jody Valenti, two young girls who were just sitting in their car talking.

4. Which couple was attacked by Berkowitz on January 30, 1977?

Answer: Christine Freund & John Diel

The couple had just left the Wine Gallery at midnight and walked to their car. Berkowitz fired two shots into their car, both hitting Christine in the head. She died in the hospital.

5. Son of Sam went to the funerals of his victims.

Answer: false

Son of Sam wanted to attend the funerals, but he thought the police might figure out his identity if he did.

6. Who did the Son of Sam address his first letter to?

Answer: Captain Joseph Borrelli

There were many misspellings in the letter and he wrote of how his father Sam had abused him and forced him to kill. It was later proved that Berkowitz invented stories so that he could plead insanity. It didn't work and he ended up pleading guilty.

7. What is the name of David Berkowitz's birth mother?

Answer: Betty Broder

His mother had an affair with a married man, Joseph Kleinman, who got her pregnant and then threatened to end their triste if she didn't give the baby up for adoption.

8. Was David Berkowitz an only child?

Answer: No

He had an older sister named Roslyn Broder.

9. What year did he join the army and become a marksman?

Answer: 1971

David was in the army for three years and became an excellent marksman, especially with rifles.

10. Who was the New York City mayor at the time Son of Sam was on a killing spree?

Answer: Abraham Beame

11. Which victim's death anniversary worried the police because they thought he might strike again on that date?

Answer: Donna Lauria

The police were worried about the death anniversary of Donna Lauria because she was the only victim mentioned by name in Son of Sam's letter. Berkowitz later claimed that General Jack Cosmo had promised her to Berkowitz as his bride.

12. When Berkowitz was in the army, he converted from Judaism to what?

Answer: Baptist

The conversion was only brief, and then he lost interest.

13. Who was the last victim of Son of Sam?

Answer: Stacy Moskowitz

Stacy expressed worry about being alone with her boyfriend in the park because of the Son of Sam murders right before they noticed a man watching them.

14. What was the name of the victim who witnessed Berkowitz on his way to his last attack?

Answer: Cacilia Davis

She was an Austrian immigrant who saw Berkowitz carrying a gun while she was walking her dog Snowball.

15. Berkowitz left his job at IBI Security to become what?

Answer: taxi driver

Berkowitz did this the day before he murdered Donna Lauria.

16. Who first brought up the possibility of Berkowitz being the Son of Sam?

Answer: Nann Cassara

After receiving a letter from a couple called Sam and Francis Carr, the Cassaras discovered that Berkowitz had been a neighbor of theirs at a time when a dog had been shot dead in the neighborhood. Stephen Cassara remembered Berkowitz because he never returned for the $200 deposit on the apartment he rented from the Cassara family and because he always hated the barking of dogs.

His mother, Nann, told the police that she thought Berkowitz was the Son of Sam.

17. What is the name of the black lab that David Berkowitz shot?

Answer: Harvey

David Berkowitz initially tried killing the black lab with a Molotov cocktail, but it fizzled. He later shot Harvey with a gun, but the dog lived.

18. What did David Berkowitz's adoptive mother die of?

Answer: breast cancer

When Pearl Berkowitz died, David began a descent. His grades dropped and he had troubles socially.

19. How did Son of Sam claim that the demons called for blood?

Answer: a dog howling

Son of Sam claimed that a demon was inside of the dog and it howled because it wanted David to go kill somebody as a blood sacrifice.

20. What nickname did he attribute to Jack Cassara, who he thought was leader of the demons?

Answer: General Jack Cosmo

Berkowitz thought Jack Cassar was the leader of the demons and Sam Carr was working for him.

21. Which police officer had a daughter who was present at the second Son of Sam attack?

Answer: Redmond Keenan

Rosemary Keenan was in a car with her date, Carl Denaro, when Son of Sam fired five shots into the car and into Carl's head.

22. How many years was Berkowitz sentenced to prison?

Answer: 365

David Berkowitz pleaded guilty after FBI veteran Robert Ressler interviewed Son of Sam and got him to admit the demon theory was false. Berkowitz pled guilty and received 365 years in prison.

23. It was later discovered that Son of Sam was responsible for how many fires in New York?

Answer: 1,488

Before the murders began, Berkowitz started 1,488 fires in New York and kept a diary of each one. Ressler thought he was acting out a control fantasy.

24. From whom did David Berkowitz get the idea for the name Son of Sam?

Answer: Sam Carr

David thought Sam Carr was the host of a powerful demon who worked for General Jack Cosmo. When he referred to himself as Son of Sam, it was a reference to Sam Carr, his landlord.

25. What weapon did Son of Sam use?

Answer: handgun

It was an unusual weapon: Charter Arms .44 Bulldog handgun.

Source: Author sapient

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor thejazzkickazz before going online.
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