IrvGunn

This is the result of sheer desperation on NYPD's part. It's impossible for them to honestly address the evidence that David Berkowitz was not the lone Son of Sam shooter, but they're taking advantage of growing public interest in the case by dredging up an attack with no credible link to Son of Sam (wrong caliber of weapon, wrong victim profile, shooter flees the scene with two other individuals when Berkowitz is alleged to have acted alone) and hoping that it will serve as an effective distraction.

This documentary is strictly for non-researchers, and that includes resident "Son of Sam expert" Manny Grossman, who never undertook a moment's research when I worked with him. Other people present him with material; he acts as a mouthpiece. Despite his preening as an authority on Son of Sam, he betrays a lack of confidence in his own position by launching nasty personal attacks against researchers, other podcasters and even his own listeners. Who would conduct himself in such a reprehensible manner if he actually believed that he had solved the case?

What we have here is not an examination of the evidence, but a curated presentation which OMITS abundant evidence that Son of Sam was a group effort. (The majority of that evidence was gathered by late investigative reporter Maury Terry, though other researchers - myself included - have followed in his wake.) "The Son of Sam Tapes" is nothing more than the same hole-ridden story that NYPD has been peddling for almost fifty years.

Tabloid claptrap that limps along for four episodes but somehow never actually manages to examine the evidence gathered by late investigative journalist Maury Terry. His loopy ex-wife insults his physical appearance on camera; former "friend" Kevin Murphy of the Yonkers Police Department (retired) cheerfully expresses skepticism about Terry's research; dozens of photographs flash across the screen, rapid-fire MTV style, but the individuals in the photos are rarely identified and their relation to the Son of Sam case is never explained. All of which makes it so much easier for these hack filmmakers to argue that Maury just became obsessed, man, and was seeing connections where none existed. An actual analysis of the evidence would have spoiled this impression, but the series' total lack of depth makes it possible to steer the viewer towards a faulty conclusion.

People who sit through this wretched exercise in character assassination should read Maury's painstakingly-researched book "The Ultimate Evil" if they're genuinely curious about where the evidence leads. (Just be sure to pick up the original hardcover from 1987, the paperback from 1989, or the expanded edition published by Barnes & Noble in 1999. The version currently in print was published by Josh Zeman, the producer of this travesty of a documentary, and he omitted not only the lengthy epilogue from Terry's expanded edition, but also an entire chapter from the original book. You do NOT want the version that's in print today. Go to the trouble of obtaining an older copy.)