The location where David Berkowitz shot Virginia Voskerichian
Crime Scene Location in Queens, New York
This is the location where the Son of Sam, David Berkowitz, shot and killed Virginia Voskerichian.
It is situated outside of an apartment complex on Dartmouth Street in Forest Hills, Queens.
On the evening of March 8th, 1977, Voskerichian was traveling home from Barnard College in Manhattan.
After leaving the Forest Hills–71st Avenue subway station, the 20-year-old proceeded to walk south along Continental Avenue. Her intended destination was her home on Exeter Street, which was just a five-minute walk away.
By the time she reached this area, it was roughly 7.30 p.m.
In 1977, this street was very dark due to sparse lighting and a broken bulb.
As Voskerichian was walking along this sidewalk on Dartmouth Street, Berkowitz calmly approached her from the front and then opened fire at close range. The victim tried to defend herself by holding up her textbooks, but the bullet penetrated them and struck her in the face.
An autopsy later determined that the bullet broke through her teeth and lodged in the back of her skull, killing her almost immediately.
When the shooting took place, an elderly man who was in the area heard a "pop" that sounded like a firecracker. He then saw a "pudgy youth" with a stocking cap fleeing the scene of the crime.
Not long after, a young man discovered Voskerichian's body near the sidewalk. Although he attempted to revive her, he ran off to call the police when he noticed that there was blood coming out of her mouth.
Berkowitz later claimed that he killed Voskerichian in an attempt to switch up his modus operandi and confuse the police.
Up until that point, he had mostly targeted couples. By shooting a single female, he was trying to make himself seem less predictable.
Six weeks earlier, Berkowitz had shot Christine Freund and John Diel while they sat in their car at a nearby location.
Initially, the police publicly claimed that there was no evidence that the two shootings were connected. However, it wasn't long before the media learned that similar large-caliber bullets had been used in both of the killings.
Address
The address and the GPS coordinates for this location are as follows:
Address
4 Dartmouth Street, Queens, New York, NY 11375, USA
GPS coordinates
The latitude and longitude coordinates for the site are:
40.719169, -73.845811
Directions
It is close to the intersection between Dartmouth Street and Continental Avenue in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens.
Photos
Photos of the site and other related images.
Map
This aerial map shows the route that Voskerichian took that evening.
After leaving the subway station, she walked south on Continental Avenue before turning right onto Dartmouth Street.
Berkowitz said that he was walking around the area for about an hour before he spotted a suitable victim. When he first saw the young student, they were on the same side of the road, walking towards each other.
Once he was close enough, he pulled out his gun and fired one bullet at her head. He then turned around and ran back towards his car.
Voskerichian lived at 69-11 Exeter Street
At the time of her death, Voskerichian was living at 69-11 Exeter Street, which is a short walk away from the crime scene.
Coordinates: 40.718772, -73.850439
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Closest Locations
Other locations that are relatively close to this address:
The location where David Berkowitz killed Christine Freund
Less than a mile away.
Crime Location in Queens, New York
