Who was Virginia Voskerichian? All we know about Son of Sam victims

Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes explored the crimes of David Berkowitz against several victims, including Virginia Voskerichian. The docuseries also delved into the infamous New York City serial killer’s confessions from his March 1980 interview with crime journalist and author Jack Jones.

In the first episode of the docuseries, an audio recording of Berkowitz plays in which he is heard recounting the murder of Virginia Voskerichian, a 19-year-old Columbia University student of Armenian descent, who was originally from Bulgaria. Berkowitz encountered her on March 8, 1977, at Dartmouth Street, the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens. Berkowitz said in the Netflix docuseries:

“I was prowling that neighborhood. I was there for about an hour, just walking around. And I saw her, and I just, uh… did it.”

According to the Queens Chronicle, Virginia was on her way home when the serial killer approached her. She was reportedly shot point-blank in the face.

According to the outlet, the victim tried to guard herself with her books, but the bullet went through, leaving her disfigured. Deek, Virginia Voskerichian’s older brother, recounted in an interview with the Queens Chronicle:

“She was murdered just a couple of blocks away from our house and I knew it was my sister, but I was in shock and couldn’t tell if it was Virginia or my older sister.”

Remembering his sister as a hard-working student, Deek also said:

“She spoke five languages and could have become a translator. She loved music and reading, art and fashion.”

According to the Queens Chronicle, the Voskerichian family arrived from Bulgaria to the US in 1968.

Officials linked Virginia Voskerichian’s murder with other shooting incidents involving the use of a ".44 Caliber revolver"

#OnThisDay in 1977 Virginia Voskerichian, 19, was murdered in Queens #NYC @CI @DiscoveryID @AETV @HISTORY @HuffPostCrime @oxygen @BklynEagle @QueensLedger @brooklynpaper @nytimes @nydailynews @nypost pic.twitter.com/HKrtqT0xPp

— History of violence #OnThisDay (@MissingVanished) March 8, 2025

Son of Sam was caught in August 1977, months after he murdered Virginia Voskerichian in Queens. However, following the death of the 19-year-old Bulgarian immigrant in March, then–New York City Police Commissioner Michael Codd publicly admitted that there was a connection between her murder and other NYC killings.

In archival footage from Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes, Codd is seen telling the press in March 1977:

“We have determined that there has been a .44 calibre revolver used in every one of them.”

Later, David Berkowitz left cryptic notes addressed to multiple people, including Joseph “Joe” Borrelli of Queens Homicide, who was investigating the incident. While the serial killer earned the name “.44 Caliber Killer,” he signed off his letters as “Son of Sam.”

Virginia Voskerichian was among the 13 confirmed victims of David Berkowitz, aka Son of Sam

The killing spree of the .44 Caliber Killer lasted almost 13 months, during which he murdered six victims—five females and one male.

According to The New York Times, his first reported incident happened on July 29, 1976. The then-unknown assailant shot Donna Lauria and her friend, Jody Valente.

They were sitting in Jody’s car, outside Donna’s house in the Bronx. Valente survived the shooting, while Lauria lost her life.

Son of Sam then targeted his next victims—Carl Denaro, 20, and Rosemary Keenan, 21—on October 23, 1976. Keenan was unscathed, while Denaro was shot in the back of his head when they were sitting in a car. In the recent Netflix documentary, Carl recounted:

“The side window was blown out. I had glass shards all over my hands. I turned to Rosemary and said, ‘Start the car up. Let’s get out of here.’ We drove back to Peck’s [Bar and Grill].”

His next victims were Joanne Lomino and Donna DeMasi, who were shot in Floral Park, Queens, outside the former’s residence. Both girls were badly injured and were rushed to the hospital. While DeMasi recovered soon, Lomino was paralyzed after the attack.

Joanne’s brother, Charles Lomino, recounted in the recent Netflix docuseries that she suffered all her life following the accident, and it seemingly became the reason for her death.

On January 30, 1977, David Berkowitz shot Christine Freund, who was with her boyfriend, John Diel, at the time. Later, she succumbed to her injuries, while police couldn’t establish a connection between the victim and the murderer.

However, after the killing of Virginia Voskerichian in March, officials acknowledged its link with the past incidents.

Son of Sam continued to terrorize New York City with the murders of Valentina Suriani and Alexander Esau in April. At the end of June, Sal Lupo and Judy Placido were also left injured by the serial killer.

Meanwhile, David Berkowitz continued to leave cryptic notes, identifying himself as the Son of Sam.

On July 30, 1977, a day after the first anniversary of the attack on Donna Lauria and Jody Valente, Berkowitz committed his final crime. He shot the young couple, Robert Violante and Stacy Moskowitz. Violante survived with severe damage to his eyes, while Moskowitz died.

In August, Son of Sam was apprehended and was charged with six counts of second-degree murder and seven counts of attempted second-degree murder. Berkowitz pleaded guilty in May 1978, and in June, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in each murder case.