Updates

March 25-27, 2009

Focus on the Family re-aired an interview recorded with David several years ago. The response was overwhelming. This website received over 10,000 hits in just three days. We also received many emails from people all over the US expressing their joy for what God has done in David's life. David has been living for Christ for over 20 years now and God is still using his powerful testimony to reach people all over the globe. See Judge Robert Alexander (still a friend).

David's testimony CDs are available for purchase at ChristianBook.com.

Below are just two of many emails we've received (names have been removed to assure the privacy of the senders):

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Dear David,

I am a Catholic Christian businessman, who seeks to walk with Christ along my daily path. For years, I have been wrestling with the issue of Capital Punishment. My Church and my brothers in Christ are pro-life in all circumstances, including the abolishment of Capital Punishment. Being conservative in my views, I have not been able to reconcile my own hard-line perspective with that of many other Christians and clergy. In fact, I had simply shut out any internal debate or analysis on this subject, deciding rather to live the Gospel, but keeping the concept of Capital Punishment as a "private" view point.

This past week, I heard a snippet of your Son of Hope interview with Bill Meir(Focus on the Family). It intrigued me to the point of purchasing the CD set so that I could listen to the interview in its entirety. I must say that your words have totally softened my heart on the subject of Capital Punishment, and I no longer believe in its merit or its morality. In fact, I now place it in the same category as abortion or euthanasia.

I want you to know that your words have softened my heart to allow the heart of Jesus to take over. I now find that this softening is affecting other areas of my life as well. I find it easy and even natural to be softer and more understanding in business and in many situations in life.

Of course, I have never met you in person, nor have I ever spent much time learning about you or your past. I cannot, therefore, judge the sincerity of your words. Nonetheless, the mere fact that Christ's love can impact a person in a way that makes a man coming from your background now speak with Christian charity and love is enough for me to understand that "Nothing is impossible for God" and that it is immoral for men to interfere in his dominion over the life he created.

I am praying for your continued encouragement and spiritual development.

You may be sure that for the rest of my life, whenever the issue of Capital Punishment is raised, I will be thinking about and praying for you.

May God continue to bless you and keep you in His grace,

T.

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I listened intently to the 3 day series of the interview with David Berkowitz at first with nothing but solid doubt.

Today, I am truly in awe of the magnificent power of my God and am humbled by the sincere testimony of this man. I would like to send along a word of encouragement and gratitude to Mr. Berkowitz not only for enduring the long years of being a lost soul and all that brought him, but also for how he is now living a life that God designed for him and doing it with such excellence. Many are presented with God's Plan, and turn away because of the worldly desire for an easier path. I'm sure that Mr. Berkowitz has been reborn not to glorify himself, or make his path easier, but divinely to glorify God, and add to His Kingdom.

Again, I am humbled and blessed to have heard his testimony.

All I can do is praise God.

(as I'm finishing up this letter, the song "I can only Imagine" has begun to play on the radio in our office. Isn't that the truth? I can't wait to hugs the souls such as Mr. Berkowitz when I get there. Until then!)

L.

January 12, 2009

Daniel Lefkowitz, who knew David as a teenager, visited the prison for an interview with him. You can watch the 6 part video by clicking here.

During the summer of 2007 David was contacted by Dr. Mike Woodworth, from UBC Okanogan in Canada. Dr. Woodworth asked if David would be interested in participating in one of his classes, "to help educate and engage the minds of a group of 4th year Arts and Science students."

Dr. Woodworth explained that the topics of this particular class would ask the students to consider if someone can behave in an incomprehensibly evil manner and then find enlightenment at some other stage of their life and no longer be evil. Then the students would be asked to consider when an individual commits and extremely violent act or acts, is that something that will always define part of their core being or "soul" or if it is truly possible to still come to define something pure and good?

Dr. Woodworth's proposal was for David to "present his story of how he has found hope through religion and how he now believes that he is someone who is defined by goodness, rather than evil." The class would provide a list of questions for David to answer.

David agreed. The questions and his answers follow:

Copyright © AriseandShine.Org

1) Do you think you would have found God and religion if the concept of “forgiveness” hadn’t been such a big part of the religion? What if the religion only stressed caring and love, but was unclear about the role of forgiveness?

A) This is a question that I could never answer with certainty because, first, Christianity is not a person finding God, but God, in the person of Jesus Christ comes to seek out those who are lost. Christianity involved people making peace with God, and it is God who does the forgiving. My faith does stress caring and love. In fact the Bible says that “God is love (I John 4:8).” For example also in the letter of First John, it says, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another (I John 4:11). Since “love” is the essence of the Christian faith, although many of us fall short and do not show this love and caring to others like we should, how can there ever be love and caring without forgiveness?

2) When one makes the transformation from Evil to Good, do you feel the individual will become impervious to any situation which may persuade the individual to perform Evil once more? Further, do you ever fear that you are more vulnerable or likely to succumb to evil temptations because of your previous behavior?

A) Concerning the first question here, having faith in God now and trying to live a better life today is never a guarantee that a person will not revert back to past behaviors. Regarding Christianity one is taught that the so called “sin nature” is always going to be present and an individual is always going to have the capacity to do wrong. But that through faith in Christ and by the indwelling of God’s Spirit within, that evil can be resisted and should be. But even a person of faith can fail. This is where God’s mercy comes into play. I believe that the fact I committed such horrific and irreversible criminal acts in the past, and because I am so ashamed and guilt-ridden over my past conduct, this acts in a way as a safe-guard that such conduct is never repeated. My past bad experiences cause me to absolutely never want to live an evil life ever again.

3) What do you think the ultimate definition of evil should be (what would be your evil diagnosis check-list)?

A) Many see “evil” as committing a very horrific act or acts such as committing a string of brutal crimes. But I think this is too narrow a definition. Evil can be anything which harms another individual. Evil to me can be anything which deliberately causes hurt to someone. For example, a man cheats on his wife and carries out an adulterous affair. Then he is finally discovered and his wife is devastated. She has a nervous breakdown from which she never fully recovers. She begins to drink heavily and eventually becomes an alcoholic and dies prematurely, never having come to terms with her husband’s infidelity. Hasn’t he lived with evil? After all, he destroyed his wife’s life and selfishly carried on and affair for years without any regard for his spouse. And we could think of dozens of examples of those who wrong others. To me, if one could actually make an “evil diagnosis check-list” I would have to say any person who does things that could harm another individual would be practicing evil. Realistically, therefore, most of us would be somewhere on this scale, for we’ve all done things that were selfish and could’ve caused harm to someone else, like getting behind the wheel of a vehicle while intoxicated.

4) To what extent do you identify the events and deeds of your past as part of yourself? Do they seem at all congruent with the person you are now, or, looking back, does it feel as if it was a different person who committed the crimes?

A) It is hard nowadays to see myself as the person who once committed crimes and hurt people. I feel this was a totally different individual. I feel disconnected from the past, to a degree, and I do not go along in life rehashing those bad things. I don’t live in the past. This is not to negate it. Rather I have come to understand that oftentimes there are no clear-cut explanations for everything a person does. Sometimes the exact motives will never be discovered while of course all the “experts” will have their pet theories. Personally I believe that not every act of human behavior can always be explained. In addition, concerning the past, while I am deeply sorry for the wrong I have done, no amount of wishing can change it. I have to accept what I cannot change, fix or undo and, by God’s grace, go on with my life making amends whenever possible.

5) Do you feel that society would be safe if you were released tomorrow?

A) Yes, I am sure “society” would be safe. The real question is, with all kinds of kooks and angry people out there, would I be safe?

6) At what point did you realize your mind was unhealthy at the time of your crimes, and do you ever fear it could become like that again? Are you taking any kinds of medication for your mental health?

A) At the time of my crimes I was lost in my own delusions and I was, in my opinion, lost in a satanic web of confusion and false beliefs. So I did not see myself as being troubled. I was not seeking help. In prison, however, I have not received any psychiatric help. I am not under the care of mental health professionals and I receive no psychotropic medications. I have no disciplinary or behavioral problems and prison officials trust me to work with inmates who are legally blind, those who live in the mental health/special needs housing area (I live in the prison’s general population), and they allow me to help lead the chapel services. I’ve written a great deal about all this in my online prison journal. I believe I have a good and positive attitude toward life.

7) How often do you still have unhealthy or negative thoughts (such as self-doubt, shame, or “urges”) and how do you handle them?

A) I am not perfect by any means and I have my share of day-to-day struggles and times when I feel down. Sometimes this is because of my busy schedule or not enough rest – I am basically a “Type-A” personality and I like to work. Other times I feel sad because I miss my family and friends. Prison is a difficult environment to live in and it is not easy to overcome the general negativity that exists in such an environment. Nevertheless my faith in Christ is strong, and my hope is in God. Considering the fact that I have been incarcerated for more than thirty years, to have such a healthy and realistic outlook is something that I believe can only come with God’s help.

8) It has been reported that for a period of time after serving in the war you also considered yourself to be a born again Christian. This stage of your life preceded the criminal incidents that you are incarcerated for today. Do you have any thoughts on what is different about finding God this second time?

A) I served three years in the U.S. Army. After returning from a tour of duty overseas in Korea, I was then stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky. It was here, for about several months, that I got involved in going to church when another man invited me. There was a bus ministry from a Baptist church in town that would pick up soldiers on Sunday mornings and invite them to church followed by a special lunch. It was a nice thing for lonely soldiers like myself. The people were very friendly. I became emotionally involved with the friendship and I wanted to be accepted. However I do not believe this was a genuine conversion experience. I was lonely more than anything and I was far from home. There was almost nothing to do on the post during the weekends other than going to the movies. My military job as a clerk typist was boring, too. So my Sunday trips to town to be surrounded by kind folks was something I probably needed socially and psychologically. Yet after several months my visits to the church and their afternoon meals began to wane. I stopped going well before I left the service. So I think that, all told, the media made more of this than it actually was.

9) What has been your favorite year of your life?

A) This is a difficult question to answer, but I would say that 1964 was a nice year for me because I vividly remember several trips I made to the World’s Fair in New York City (Flushing, Queens).

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After receiving David's answers and having time to present them to his class, Dr. Woodworth replied back, "I can definitely say that many of the students are now much more unsure of how stable of a trait evil necessarily is, and found David's responses to be quite compelling."

A New Ministry

A unique ministry has arisen in which one of my best friends, Dan Nicholls (a retired NJ social studies teacher) shares a presentation about the true story of my life and testimony. Lasting about an hour, this eye-opening session has been presented in churches, and as well, Christian organizations have sponsored it on college campuses
(see Thank You card, article and email below). Dan combines history, personal glimpses, and in contrast, the way the Gospel of Jesus Christ has so completely changed "Satanic Son of Sam" to become the "saved Son of Hope." An excellent DVD/video testimonial is also shown. If you are interested in having this program come to your organization, please contact the Webmaster.

See Next Event date and time.

Dan and Myself

Thank You card to David
from the students at Seton Hall (NJ)

Friends and young people touched by David's story

Dan, Shantell, Tiffany, and Lucas

See Colegian Network Promo Video.

Article from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas

Friend of serial killer visits campus

Nicholls speaks of Berkowitz’s conversion

By Samantha Williams*

On Thursday night the *UNLV chapter of Campus Crusade for Christ welcomed Dan Nicholls, the best friend of "Son of Sam" killer David Berkowitz.

He addressed an audience of students and faculty, speaking on the life and redemption of the infamous killer.

The small attendance allowed for personal interaction with Nicholls, and his message brought some to tears.

Despite the serious nature of the lecture, he began half-jokingly. "David wished he could have been here tonight, but he couldn’t make it," he said. "He’s doing 365 years in prison."

Nicholls met Berkowitz in 2004 through a prison ministry and was very familiar with the shootings. A retired social studies teacher, he said he jumped at the chance to meet a well-known, albeit infamous, public figure.

In the late 1970s, Berkowitz unleashed a reign of terror on New York City that received international media coverage. Beginning in 1976, a series of shootings erupted. The primary targets of the shootings were brunette women.

Berkowitz used a rare .44 caliber Bulldog pistol, leading the press to dub him "the .44 Caliber Killer."

He was also known for leaving handwritten letters at the scenes of his crimes that referred to himself as the "Son of Sam," a name that referenced his neighbor Sam Carr.

By early 1977, police still had no suspects or substantial leads and varying reports gave skewed descriptions of his appearance. However, later that year on Aug. 2, Cecilia Davis, who lived near the crime scene where two of Berkowitz’s victims were shot, stepped forward.

She claimed to have seen a man remove a parking ticket from a yellow Ford Galaxie mere minutes before the shooting.

Police found that the ticket was given to Berkowitz but were under the impression that he was just an important witness. When they arrived to investigate, his car was parked outside and a .44 caliber Bulldog pistol was found, along with maps to the crime scenes and handwritten letters.

When Berkowitz emerged from his apartment building a few hours later, police were waiting to arrest him. On June 12, 1978 he was sentenced to six life sentences to be served in Attica Correctional facility in upstate New York.

After telling the story of the horrific killings, Nicholls spoke about the period after Berkowitz was caught. It was a dark time for Berkowitz, leading him to contemplate suicide several times.

Ten years later, he found Christianity when a fellow inmate named Rick befriended Berkowitz and introduced him to Christ.

At first, Berkowitz was hesitant. He believed there was no way God could love a man like him. However, his friend was persistent and gave him a pocket bible to read on his own. Nicholls said that after Berkowitz read Psalms 34:6, the Lord "touched him heard him, and saved him from all his troubles."

Toward the end of the lecture, a video was played that showed Berkowitz as he was before finding Christianity and as he was after, explaining that a noticeable difference could be seen in his look and demeanor.

"I don’t know the ‘Son of Sam,’ I know the ‘Son of hope,’" Nichols said. "I don’t think I’ve met a man more godly than him."

Through his story, Nicholls said he hoped to bring others to the Lord.

That reason alone, he said, is what his message is all about.

"If God can save David, he can save anybody," he added.

At the end of the presentation, a letter from Berkowitz himself was distributed to the audience. In an excerpt from the letter, he wrote, "Jesus has filled my heart with hope and peace and with a deep love for everyone. And if he did this for me, he will do it for you, too."

Berkowitz now has an online journal, maintained by a church group that can be accessed by going to ariseandshine.org.

He has also written a book called "Son of Hope," with which he receives no money from publication and a portion of the profits goes to the New York state crime victims board for distribution to the victims of his crimes.

*Original article, including comments, can be read at: The Rebel Yell
*Correction made - the original article says, "The St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center welcomed Dan Nicholls..."

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Results from the Ramapo University Presentation

Two emails sent to Dan in response to the event:

"The Son of Sam, Son of Hope" video is so powerful that it pushed all of us to pray and thank God from our seats for being so merciful to us and saving us! That video is an upfront attack from God to the enemy because the truth is told so clearly that it puts the enemy to shame.

The skit at the end of the event was hilarious! Courtney gets up from the audience complaining that she doesn't agree with anything that is being said, and the MC begins to witness to her in front of everyone. She asked and said the things that most people were probably thinking like: "Of course DB is going to find Jesus in jail, he needed him. But I'm not such a bad person, I don't need Jesus," and "I don't believe in God," "man wrote the Bible," etc.

I thank God for opening the doors for his Gospel at Ramapo College and for allowing us to have people that preach it as it ought to be preached! Praise God! I will be letting you know of any future testimonies that we receive :). Bless you brother!!

Jonathan

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As a believer, the presentation was reviving. It revived my heart towards the power of Christ! I have said to myself many a time "If Christ can change the Son of Sam He can do anything!" And after your message I remembered that fact and had a deeper appreciation of the Lord. I don't know a lot of things. I read the Bible and pray and I have even experienced a pretty tremendous rebirth of my own. But seeing and hearing the story of the Son of Hope just goes beyond anything I have every actually experienced.

You see you can read a story in the Bible or even in the papers. You don't usually know the writer except that of course, we know God authored the Bible. But when someone you know tells you he is David's best friend and then relates what happened... And his best friend is standing in front of you telling you the story... It would be pretty hard not to believe.

I think you did an amazing job of presenting his story. Your excitement and enthusiasm were radiant and contagious.

Dan - I loved it! I think the next time you do that in the area I will bring my video camera and tape it so you can send it to places you may not be able to get to. I am praying for you Bro -

In Him,

Laney

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