David Berkowitz's trial was May 8, 1978. David Berkowitz's defense lawyers were Ira Jultak and Leon Stern. He pleaded guilty eventhough his lawyers told him not to. Berkowitz was tried for the killing of Stacey Moskowitz and the wounding and the blinding of Robert Violante. His statement showed right away that he was the killer by describing unreleased details of the letters written to the police.
The main issue was wheather or not David Berkowitz was criminally insane. A psychiatric report said that Berkowit was not mentally capable of assisting in his own defense, and that paraniod psychosis left Berkowitz "emotinally dead". The court then decided that Berkowitz's demons were a "conscious invention" and declared that he understood his charges and was mentally fit to stand trial.
Throughout the trial, Berkowitz pleaded guilty. Since the expectations of a guilty plea were so high, a speacial agreement was made to have all of the legal proceedings in one trial venue for security and to save costs.
On May 8, 1978, Judge Joseph R. Corso accepted David Berkowitz's guitly plea for two murders and five attmpted murders. Berkowitz was sentenced to six 25-years-to-life terms, with additional 15- and 25-year terms for assault and attempted murder.
Berkowitz had inspired a New York state law when he tried to profit by writing a book. "The Son of Sam Law" stopped an accused or convicted criminal from making money by selling his crime stories. On Decmeber 10, 1991, the U..S Supreme Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional and that it suppresed the First Amendment, right to free expression.
