Author: Kendra Dodd

Forest Hills

On January 30, 1977 Christine Freund, 26, and her fiancé John Diel, 30, had just enjoyed an evening showing of Rocky and were sitting in John’s car planning the rest of their night when out of nowhere, a stranger fired a .44 caliber through the closed passenger-side window. Christine was shot in the head and, although …

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Hutchinson River Parkway

On a quiet service road on the Hutchinson River Parkway in the Bronx, Valentina Suriani, 18, and Alexander Esau, 20, were sitting in Alexander’s brother’s car, only a block away from Valentina’s house. They were confronted by an armed man on the evening of April 17, 1977, when both were fatally shot. Valentina died instantly …

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Bath Beach

After a pleasant first date on July 31, 1977, 20-year-olds Stacy Moskowitz and Robert Violante were closing out the night with some goodbye kisses in Robert’s car. Almost like clockwork, the elusive Son of Sam appeared, brandishing his famed .44 caliber, and shot through the passenger window. Both Stacy and Robert were shot in the …

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Pelham Bay

In the 1970s, the Pelham Bay neighborhood of the Bronx was a low-crime, middle-class area of the city. It wasn’t until 18-year-old Donna Lauria and 19-year-old Jody Valenti were shot through the closed passenger window of Jody’s car while parked outside of Donna’s building, the Buhre Arms, that there was any reason to be afraid. …

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