St. John's News

“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.

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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.