How Come The Wanted Poster For Berkowitz (Son of Sam) Looked Nothing Like Berkowitz?

Question

I've seen the wanted picture for the Son of Sam and looked NOTHING like David Berkowitz. The wanted picture depicted a young male, thin, with wavy hair, and was said to have been Latino.

When Berkowitz was caught he was overweight, balding, and was Jewish. Where the hell did the "witnessess" come from who depicted the totally different person in the wanted picture?

Answer 1

Eyewitness' testimony is poor, at best.

Answer 2

For the same reason the drawing of the Unabomber looked nothing like Ted Kozinsky?

Answer 3

They really never got a good look at him. I think that desciption came from one of the survivers of his shootings. They caught him because of a parking ticket that was issued to him near the scene of one of his murders.

Answer 4

Here they are side by side.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fei%3DUTF-8%26p%3Dson%2Bof%2Bsam%2Bberkowitz%26qp_p%3Dson%2Bsam%2Bberkowitz%26imgsz%3Dall%26ni%3D20%26fr%3Dush-ans%26b%3D101&w=200&h=159&imgurl=images.quizilla.com%2FS%2FSnorri%2F1053434337_5a.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fkasmir.hugi.is%2Fkristmundur&size=7.2kB&name=1053434337_5a.jpg&p=son+of+sam+berkowitz&type=jpeg&no=111&tt=166&oid=7bb4cc1b8d03fe60&ei=UTF-8

Not THAT far off. Remember the witnesses were in fear for their lives, underwent significant trauma and were attempting to recreate the picture with someone else doing the drawing.

Answer 5

You need to look again, particularly at a picture from the time frame: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Berkowitz

Answer 6

everyone was on coke back then, give 'em a break.


:shrug:

I don't know, i guess everyone was in a state of panic, so they just listened to any ol mental "witness"