March 15, 2008
“Arresting the ‘Son of Sam’ was the highlight of my career. I
rest easily knowing I helped stop young girls from being murdered,”
said William Gardella ‘65Ed, an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the
University, a former detective of the New York City Police
Department and the person who arrested the “Son of Sam” serial
killer, David Berkowitz, in 1977. Gardella told his compelling
story to a group of 100 St. John’s students and faculty in a
lecture entitled “How to Catch a Serial Killer – A Bill Gardella
Story” in the Donovan Hall Community Room at the Queens campus of
St. John’s University on Thursday, March 6.
Photo
Gallery
Hosted by Professor Larry Pitilli, Associate Professor of Speech
at the College of Professional Studies, this event is one of the
many lectures being brought to the St. John’s community as part of
the University’s Learning Communities
Program. This new program connects students to other students,
faculty and exciting experts---like Gardella---through programs and
events outside of the classroom.
Gardella’s recounting of his personal reactions to the case and
the details leading up to the arrest were gripping. “Even 30 years
after the day that I entered David Berkowitz’s apartment, I cannot
describe it without getting chills over my body,” confessed
Gardella. Running the lecture as if it were a criminology
class---complete with a blackboard and evidence from the
case---Gardella gave his audience an up close look at how the
detective work for “Son of Sam” pulled together many elements to
create a description of the suspect, an invaluable aid for law
enforcement.
During a period of time in New York City history when it was not
safe to be outside, Gardella explained the chaos surrounding the
summer Berkowitz was arrested and how hard it was to get into the
mind of the schizophrenic murderer, “Long brown haired women were
most of his victims so we related this to the problems that he had
dealing with abandonment by his mother.”
Explaining Berkowitz’s schizophrenia and resentment of his birth
mother as the cause of the murders and attacks Berkowitz committed,
Gardella expressed how passionate he was about pursuing this case.
“I handled the case dealing with Berkowitz’s eighth murder and that
was the one where we got him.” It was with the help of an eye
witness and the expertise of the many people working on the case
that detectives were able to pinpoint exactly where Berkowitz lived
and stop him from committing another murder.
One goal of the Learning Communities Program, the sponsor for
the event, is to expose students to various career options and to
network with people in a field that is of interest to them. From
the moment a student enters college, it is important for them to
begin networking and making connections with individuals who are
experts in a given field. Networking has never been easier with the
development of the Learning Communities program which creates
opportunities for students to make connections with professionals
outside the classroom.