‘Son of Sam’ Serial Killer Won’t Seek Parole, Says Jesus Has ‘Freed’ Him

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Carmine Donofrio / NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz during his arrest in 1977.

David Berkowitz, who murdered six people in the 1970s, says he has “no interest” in parole because Jesus has already made him a “free man.” (via FOX)

Known as “Son of Sam,” Berkowitz went on a yearlong killing spree in New York starting in 1976, murdering six and wounding seven others.

Since pleading guilty at his 1978 trial, the convicted gunman has been serving six consecutive 25-years-to-life sentences at the maximum-security Sullivan Correctional Facility in upstate New York. During his decades-long incarceration, he has been denied parole five times.

(LIST: Top 10 Parolees)

He is eligible for his sixth parole hearing in May, but in a two-page letter sent to Fox News, the famed convict informed reporter Joshua Rhett Miller that he will not seek release.

“If you could understand this,” Berkowitz wrote, “I am already a ‘free man.’ I am not saying this jokingly. I really am. Jesus Christ has already forgiven and pardoned me, and I believe this.”

The letter, dated Aug. 6, suggests that Fox News had written to Berkowitz first to ask him questions (oddly enough, one being if he’s exercising regularly). Berkowitz also shared that he now assists inmates who are legally blind and mentally challenged, and oversees the facility’s Sunday services and Bible studies.

“Son of Sam” remains one of the most famous born-again convicted murderers in the country, but when he was caught, he says it was the Devil, not God, that informed his actions. His explanation for killing six women? “[Sam] told me to kill. Sam is the Devil.”

MORE: Top 10 Manhunts

Kai Ma is a TIME contributor. Find her on Twitter at @Kai_Ma or on Google+. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.