In the warm, early morning hours of July 29, 1976, 18-year-old Donna Ann Lauria, an aspiring emergency medic, was sitting in a parked car with her friend, 19-year-old Jody Valenti, outside her family's apartment building in the Pelham Bay neighborhood of the Bronx. The two had just returned from a night out at a disco and were chatting in Valenti's Oldsmobile. As Donna opened the car door to head inside, she noticed a man quickly approaching, causing her to shut the door again.
Before they could react, the man crouched, aimed a. 44 caliber revolver with both hands, and fired into the vehicle.
Donna was struck in the back by a bullet and died instantly. Her friend Jody was shot in the thigh but survived the attack. The shooter, a white male described as being in his thirties with short, dark, curly hair, walked away without saying a word. This sudden and senseless act of violence marked the beginning of a year-long reign of terror that would grip New York City, as it was the first of a series of shootings by a man who would become known as the 'Son of Sam.'
The investigation into Donna Lauria’s murder initially had few leads. For months, her ex-boyfriend was considered a person of interest, as the alternative of a random, motiveless attack by a stranger was uncommon in their neighborhood. However, as more seemingly random shootings of young people, often in parked cars, occurred across the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, a pattern began to emerge. The killer started leaving taunting letters for the police and the press, signing them 'Son of Sam.' In one letter to Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin, he specifically mentioned his first victim, writing, 'do not forget Donna Lauria and you cannot let the people forget her either. She was a very, very sweet girl but Sam's a thirsty lad and he won't let me stop killing until he gets his fill of blood.'
The massive manhunt for the '.44 Caliber Killer' culminated on August 10, 1977, with the arrest of David Berkowitz, a 24-year-old postal worker. A parking ticket issued to his yellow Ford Galaxie near the scene of his final attack led police to him. Berkowitz confessed to all eight shootings, which killed six people and wounded seven others. He initially claimed that he was obeying the commands of a demon that possessed his neighbor's dog. He later admitted this story was a hoax. In May 1978, Berkowitz pleaded guilty to six counts of murder, including that of Donna Lauria, and was sentenced to six consecutive 25-years-to-life prison terms. He remains incarcerated.
