In 1978 David Berkowitz pleaded guilty to six murders and seven attempted murders in what had become known as the "Son of Sam" case in New York City. Berkowitz terrorized the New York City area for over a year with a series of random shootings of people in parked cars with a .44-caliber pistol. He identified himself as the Son of Sam. He later explained that he adopted the name because the "demons" in his neighbor Sam Carr's dog "made him do it." Berkowitz originally pleaded insanity but was found competent to stand trial. He was sentenced to twenty-five years to life for each of the murders.

In 1976 Don Bolles, a reporter for the Arizona Republic newspaper, was killed when a bomb exploded in his car. Bolles had written a series of articles exposing organized crime's involvement in land fraud. Three men were convicted of...