David Richard Berkowitz, also known as the Son of Sam and the .44 Caliber Killer, is an American serial killer and former U.S. Army soldier who committed a stabbing and a series of shootings between 1975 and 1977 in New York City, killing six people and wounding eleven others. Armed with a .44 Special caliber Bulldog revolver during most of his crimes, he terrorized New Yorkers with many letters mocking the police and promising further crimes, leading to possibly the biggest manhunt in the city's history.