On a quiet, tree-lined service road off the Hutchinson River Parkway in the Bronx, the early morning hours of April 17, 1977, were shattered by the sound of gunfire. Inside a parked Mercury Montego, 20-year-old Alexander Esau and his 18-year-old girlfriend, Valentina Suriani, were ambushed in a sudden act of violence. The couple had just returned from a movie date and were spending a few moments together near Suriani's apartment building.
It was then that a figure approached the driver's side window and opened fire with a. 44 caliber revolver, unleashing a terror that had been plaguing the city.
Alexander, a tow truck operator and recent graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School where he studied architecture, was critically wounded with a gunshot to the head. Valentina was struck twice in the head and died almost instantly. Alexander was rushed to Jacobi Hospital, but his injuries were too severe, and he succumbed to his wounds two hours later, never getting the chance to describe his attacker. The double homicide took place just two blocks from a previous, similar shooting, heightening the fear that gripped the tight-knit community. Residents grew wary of being outside after dark, and a palpable sense of dread settled over the neighborhood as it became clear a serial killer was at work.
The investigation into the murders of Alexander Esau and Valentina Suriani took a significant turn when police discovered a handwritten letter near the crime scene. In this rambling, four-page note addressed to an NYPD Captain, the killer for the first time identified himself with a moniker that would become infamous: the 'Son of Sam'. This letter marked a direct communication from the killer, who had previously been dubbed 'the. 44 Caliber Killer' by the press. This development intensified what was already one of the largest manhunts in New York City's history.
The reign of terror that claimed the lives of Alexander Esau and five others finally came to an end on August 10, 1977, with the arrest of David Berkowitz. Berkowitz, a former U.S. Army soldier, confessed to the series of shootings that had terrorized the city for over a year. He initially claimed to have been following the orders of a demon-possessed dog belonging to his neighbor, a story he later admitted was a hoax. After being found mentally competent to stand trial, David Berkowitz pleaded guilty to six counts of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to six concurrent life sentences in prison, bringing a close to the case that had so tragically cut short the life of Alexander Esau and his girlfriend.
