2860 Buhre Ave., Bronx, NY 10461
This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Author: Jewls Krueger
Just after midnight on July 29, 1976, Donna Lauria and Jody Valenti were sitting in a car outside of Donna's apartment in the Bronx chatting after having been out dancing that night. All of a sudden, four gunshots rang out and just like that, Donna Lauria was dead. Jody Valenti had also been shot, but the bullet landed in her thigh and she ultimately survived the attack.
The attack on Donna Lauria and Jody Valenti was the first in a year long shooting spree carried out by David Berkowitz AKA Son of Sam. By July 1977, Berkowitz had killed 5 and injured 8 people in addition to Donna Lauria and Jody Valenti. He became known as the "Son of Sam" after leaving a letter at the scene of one of his shootings that read, "I am the 'Son of Sam.' I am a little 'brat'. When father Sam gets drunk he gets mean . . . Sam loves to drink blood. 'Go out and kill' commands father Sam."
Donna Lauria was remembered by her family as loving teenager with many friends. She was the second of three children, with an older brother and a younger brother.
David Berkowitz was arrested and tried for the shootings in 1977 outside his apartment in Yonkers. He pleaded guilty to all of the crimes and was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences. He remains incarcerated in New York.
Further Reading
Donna Lauria and Jody Valenti were sitting in the car out front of Donna Lauria's apartment where she lived with her parents at 2860 Buhre Ave. Although I was unable to find the exact details of where the car was parked, it was likely very close to the front of the building on Buhre Ave.
Explore NYC's darkest history with this NYPD-guided true crime and mafia walking tour — one of the city's highest-rated dark tourism experiences, with food included.
The apartment where serial killer Son of Sam lived while he went on a murderous rampage.
Christine Freund was shot and killed by serial killer David Berkowitz aka Son of Sam.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was assassinated outside a New York City hotel by Luigi Mangione.
A Quick Note From Our Founder
Morbid Tourism is independently researched and maintained by one person. Every location is fact-checked, verified, and mapped so you can find exactly what you're looking for. If this page helped you, a coffee keeps the research going.
