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The PyramidReading

The top of the pyramid holds a short series: four attacks, no arrest

The short answer

Why do some serial killers never get caught?

This site’s pyramid puts a short series at the top. In Northern California, four attacks between December 1968 and October 1969, each in a different place, led to no arrest.12 In New York, eight shootings in 12 months, all in one city and with one gun, ended in an arrest after the eighth.345

Stat · The Pyramid

Attacks of record

  1. New York, 1976–778
  2. Northern California, 1968–694

New York: one city, one gun, an arrest after the eighth attack. Northern California: four jurisdictions, no arrest.

Data table
Attacks of record
MeasureValueKindNote
New York, 1976–778Count
Northern California, 1968–694Count

Who was killed in the New York shootings of 1976 and 1977?

The six people killed were Donna Lauria, Christine Freund, Virginia Voskerichian, Valentina Suriani, Alexander Esau and Stacy Moskowitz.34 Seven more were wounded.46 There were eight attacks between July 29, 1976 and July 31, 1977.36

Six of the eight attacks were on young people sitting in cars.456 The other two were not. Two young women were shot near a home in Queens in November 1976, and Virginia Voskerichian was shot as she walked home in March 1977.456

David Berkowitz was arrested outside his apartment building in Yonkers on August 10, 1977, 10 days after the eighth attack.346 In People v. Berkowitz he pleaded guilty on May 8, 1978, and on June 12, 1978 he was sentenced to 25 years to life for each of the six murders.6789

What did eight attacks give investigators?

In the New York shootings of 1976 and 1977, eight attacks gave investigators one police department, one gun and, at the eighth, a witness. All eight were inside New York City and were carried out with a .44-caliber revolver.346 A witness to the eighth attack pointed police to the parking tickets written near the scene that night.610

All eight attacks were inside New York City, in the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn.47 New York police put hundreds of detectives on the case and organized them into one task force.4568

All eight were carried out with a .44-caliber revolver.36 After the shooting of March 8, 1977, a bullet matched one from the first scene, and police announced that the same .44-caliber gun was behind the attacks.5610

A second file was already open outside the city. Police in Yonkers, where he lived, were investigating him over a neighbor’s complaints.3610

By the eighth attack, 13 people had been shot.49 A witness to that attack told police that officers had been writing parking tickets on her street that night.610 One ticket, for parking beside a fire hydrant near the scene, was on Berkowitz’s car.68

What did four attacks give investigators in Northern California?

Five people were murdered: David Faraday, Betty Lou Jensen, Darlene Ferrin, Cecelia Shepard and Paul Stine.111 There were four attacks between December 20, 1968 and October 11, 1969.121213

Each attack fell to a different agency. The Solano County Sheriff’s Office worked the first, on Lake Herman Road near Benicia.1214 The second was in Vallejo, whose police were working the case in 2018 and had sent two of the letters for DNA testing.11516

The Napa County Sheriff’s Office worked the third, at Lake Berryessa.217 San Francisco police worked the fourth, the killing of Paul Stine.1318

The weapon was not constant. Three attacks were shootings, and one, at Lake Berryessa, was a knife attack.121619

The case is known in the press as the Zodiac case.1120 No one has ever been arrested.220 The FBI, which never opened its own investigation, said in December 2020 that the case remains an ongoing investigation for its San Francisco office and local partners.111920

Why is the top of the pyramid a small-count tier?

The pyramid ranks cases by how many ways exist to identify the offender, and a short series leaves fewer scenes to work from. The New York series reached eight attacks and ended in an arrest.36 The Northern California series of record ended at four, with no arrest.12

The point is arithmetic. Each attack is a scene, with its own witnesses, evidence and records. New York had eight scenes in one city, and the witness who pointed police to the parking tickets came at the eighth.34610 Northern California had four scenes in four jurisdictions.12

The FBI lists the belief that serial killers cannot stop killing as a myth, and says some stop altogether before being caught.21 The Northern California count of record stopped at four attacks, the last in October 1969.12 A series that stops adds no new scene.

What does this comparison not show?

It counts two cases and nothing more. It does not say why the Northern California series ended. The official count holds no attack after October 1969.12

It does not make the New York investigation a model. The arrest came after 13 people had been shot, six of them killed.49 The count that ended that case was a count of victims.

The rule

The top of the pyramid is a short count: four attacks of record, then none.

The cases

Where this shows in the record

Questions

How many people were shot in the New York attacks of 1976 and 1977?

Thirteen. Six were killed and seven were wounded in eight attacks between July 29, 1976 and July 31, 1977.346 The six who died were Donna Lauria, Christine Freund, Virginia Voskerichian, Valentina Suriani, Alexander Esau and Stacy Moskowitz.34

Were all the New York victims in parked cars?

No. Six of the eight attacks were on young people in cars, but in November 1976 two young women were shot near a home in Queens after a late movie, and in March 1977 Virginia Voskerichian was shot as she walked home from college classes.46

What sentence did David Berkowitz receive?

David Berkowitz pleaded guilty on May 8, 1978 and was sentenced on June 12, 1978.78 Three judges imposed the maximum of 25 years to life for each of the six murders.89 He had been arrested on August 10, 1977.36

Which agencies investigated the four Northern California attacks of 1968 and 1969?

The Solano County Sheriff’s Office worked the first attack, near Benicia, and the Napa County Sheriff’s Office the third, at Lake Berryessa.2121417 San Francisco police worked the fourth.1318 The second was in Vallejo, whose police were working the case in 2018.1516 The FBI assisted but never opened its own investigation.11

Do serial killers ever stop before they are caught?

Yes. The FBI’s monograph on serial murder lists the belief that serial killers cannot stop killing as a myth. It says some stop altogether before being caught, when events in their lives keep them from pursuing more victims.21

The record

The Pyramid

Sources

  1. Michael Butterfield, “The Zodiac Killer: A Timeline” (History.com, published Nov. 8, 2017; last updated May 28, 2025): the four attacks, their dates, places and weapons, and the victims’ names; the official count of five murders

  2. Kerana Todorov, “Zodiac killer case investigator dies of cancer” (Napa Valley Register, Dec. 2, 2010): a Napa County Sheriff’s detective investigated the Lake Berryessa stabbings of September 1969; slayings in Benicia, Vallejo and San Francisco between December 1968 and October 1969; no one ever arrested; the case open

  3. Victor Lindsey, “David Berkowitz” (EBSCO Research Starters, biography, 2013): eight attacks with a .44-caliber revolver in New York City, July 29, 1976 to July 31, 1977; the six people killed; the arrest on August 10, 1977 outside his apartment building in Yonkers

  4. CBS News, “‘Son of Sam’: A serial killer’s reign of terror” (48 Hours photo timeline, July 30, 2025): six killed and seven wounded; the date, place and circumstances of each of the eight attacks; all in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens; hundreds of police in the manhunt; the arrest and the plea

  5. Mary Murphy, “Son of Sam, 40 years later: A PIX11 digital documentary on killer’s arrest and a scary time in New York” (PIX11, WPIX-TV, Aug. 10, 2017): the March 1977 announcement that one .44-caliber handgun was behind the attacks; one task force of about 300 detectives; attacks on young people in cars

  6. HISTORY.com Editors, “Son of Sam serial killer is arrested” (History.com, published Feb. 9, 2010; last updated Nov. 7, 2025): each of the eight attacks; the bullet match after the shooting of March 8, 1977; the task force; the Yonkers police investigation; the witness and the parking tickets; the arrest and the plea

  7. People v. Berkowitz, 97 Misc. 2d 277 (N.Y. Sup. Ct., Criminal Term, Kings County, Dec. 4, 1978), opinion of Justice Joseph R. Corso (Harvard Law School Library, Caselaw Access Project): homicide indictments based on events in Kings, Queens and Bronx Counties; the guilty plea of May 8, 1978 and the sentence of June 12, 1978

  8. “The ‘Son of Sam’ Trial: 1978”, Great American Trials (Gale), via Encyclopedia.com (undated; opened Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, 2026): hundreds of detectives assigned; the parking ticket at a fire hydrant near the eighth attack; the three judges; the sentence of June 12, 1978

  9. Lee Lescaze, “Berkowitz Given Maximum Sentences in 6 ‘Son of Sam’ Murders” (The Washington Post, June 13, 1978), archived copy: maximum sentences of 25 years to life for each of the six murders, imposed by three judges; six dead and seven wounded

  10. Biography.com Editors and Colin Bertram, “The Son of Sam Struck Fear Into New York City. Here’s How the Case Unfolded” (Biography.com, July 28, 2025): the press conference two days after the shooting of March 8, 1977; the eyewitness and the parking tickets; the earlier investigation over a neighbor’s complaints

  11. Federal Bureau of Investigation, “The Zodiac Killer” (FBI.gov story, Mar. 2, 2007; date from the page address), FBI archives, archived copy: five murders in the Bay Area in 1968 and 1969; no federal jurisdiction; the FBI’s support to local agencies

  12. San Francisco State University, J. Paul Leonard Library, Bay Area Television Archive, “Double Murder of Faraday & Jensen (Zodiac)”, catalog record for KRON newsfilm 420-1, film date Dec. 21, 1968: the attack of December 20, 1968 on Lake Herman Road and the Solano County Sheriff’s detective on the case

  13. San Francisco State University, J. Paul Leonard Library, Bay Area Television Archive, “Zodiac Killer Letters: KRON-TV Compilation (1969-70)”, catalog record for KRON newsfilm 2366-15: Paul Stine killed in San Francisco on October 11; San Francisco’s police chief on the letter that held part of his shirt

  14. “Stepped up search for killer” (United Press International, Dec. 23, 1968), UPI Archives, archived copy: the Solano County Sheriff’s office on the first attack, off Lake Herman Road near Benicia

  15. Kiki Intarasuwan and Jodi Hernandez, “Investigators Renew Hope in Finding Zodiac Killer With DNA: Report” (NBC Bay Area, May 3, 2018): Vallejo police sent two envelopes holding letters for DNA analysis; Darlene Ferrin shot in Vallejo on July 4, 1969

  16. Associated Press, “DNA Match Sought to Catch Zodiac Killer After Break in Other Case” (as published by KQED, May 4, 2018): Vallejo police as lead investigators; two of the letters sent to a private lab for DNA testing; five people stabbed or shot

  17. San Francisco State University, J. Paul Leonard Library, Bay Area Television Archive, “Zodiac Killer: Lake Berryessa Attack”, catalog record for KPIX newsfilm 100312, film date Sept. 30, 1969: the Napa County Sheriff’s office on the third attack

  18. San Francisco State University, J. Paul Leonard Library, Bay Area Television Archive, “Captain Lee on Zodiac Case Cooperation”, catalog record for KRON newsfilm 2133-7, film date Oct. 20, 1969: a San Francisco police captain on the case

  19. Associated Press, “Zodiac cipher solved 51 years after it was sent to San Francisco Chronicle” (as published by the Napa Valley Register, Dec. 11, 2020): the FBI San Francisco statement of December 11, 2020; captions on the weapons used

  20. Leah Asmelash and Cheri Mossburg, “After 51 years, the Zodiac Killer’s cipher has been solved by amateur codebreakers” (CNN, Dec. 11, 2020): the offender never caught; the FBI statement of December 11, 2020

  21. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Behavioral Analysis Unit-2, National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, “Serial Murder: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators” (FBI, 2008; report of the symposium of Aug. 29 to Sept. 2, 2005), archived copy of the FBI.gov page “Serial Murder”; year of publication per the Office of Justice Programs library record, NCJ 223848: the myth that serial killers cannot stop

Educational analysis. Adjudicated cases only. Victims named with respect.