INTERVIEW: Retired NYPD detective remembers Son of Sam case in new ID doc

The case of David Berkowitz, more commonly known as the Son of Sam killer, continues to scare true-crime devotees some 40 years after the many murders in New York City. Movies and books have detailed what Berkowitz did to unsuspecting victims in the late 1970s, and now Investigation Discovery is telling the entire story with a special documentary called Son of Sam: The Hunt for a Killer, premiering on the network Saturday, Aug. 5 at 9 p.m.

In the new film, the network digs deep on not only the life of the killer but also the victims and their families. They interview police officials, survivors and journalists to receive their take on those terrible, terrible months of bloody violence.

Included among the interview subjects in the film is Detective Marlin Hopkins, retired from the Queens Homicide Division of the New York Police Department. He was an original member of the task force set up to catch Berkowitz.

Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Hopkins. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.

What was it like to be on the Son of Sam task force? What was going through your mind at the time?

I had been on small task forces before, but this was the largest. The initial people were the pick
of the litter from the city — all experienced homicide detectives. So, to work with these men in
the task force was a great learning experience for me. Because I was continuing with this
profession for 18 years, it helped with future investigations in my career.

I was young, but I made my bones.

Did the case keep you and other investigators working around the clock? What was a
typical day like?

It was up to us to create our own hours depending on the leads that you worked on. We’d grab
a few good leads to work on each day. Normally a detective works eight to nine hours a day. With
additional arrests on top of Son of Sam investigating, it got up to 16 hours.

Cops were giving up cops. Women were giving up their husbands, but nothing cut in stone.

What was going through your mind when the Son of Sam was finally caught?

Relief.

It’s not spoken about much, but I think the best time for me was going to Berkowitz’s
apartment. This was his lair. This was his place. We walked in his footsteps, saw the writing on
the walls and the bullet hole in the wall.

Each one of us had a shot at interrogating Berkowitz. Speaking to him across the table was
tough. When you’re talking to a normal person, it’s pretty standard. With Berkowitz, the look in
his eye was a little unnerving. I’m lost for the term for this. It’s impossible to put a specific label
on exactly how I felt speaking with him because you can’t put a psychological label on someone
like that.

Why do you believe so many TV viewers are interested in going over the details of these high-profile cases, even 40 years later?

Well, let’s put it this way: The old timers that lived in the city knew what was going on at the
time and like to see what people think of the case now. For people, young people that didn’t
live through that, they may be curious due to media drawing attention to it now. I’m a history
buff. I love the Civil War. I wasn’t there, but I love to read about it — the insanity that took place.

The second World War is the same thing. Insanity. It’s always the same question: Why do
people do these things to each other?

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Son of Sam: The Hunt for a Killer will premiere Saturday, Aug. 5 at 9 p.m. on Investigation Discovery. Click here for more information.