Son of Sam Law

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The phrase Son of Sam Law refers to a type of law designed to keep criminals from profiting from their crimes, often by selling their stories to publishers. Such laws often authorize the state to seize money earned from such a deal and use it to compensate the criminal's victims. The first such law was created in New York after the Son of Sam murders committed by serial killer David Berkowitz. It was enacted after rampant speculation about publishers offering large amounts of money for Berkowitz's story. The law was invoked in New York eleven times between 1977 and 1990, including once against Mark David Chapman. In certain cases a Son of Sam law can be extended beyond the criminals themselves to include friends, neighbors, and family members of the lawbreaker who seek to profit by telling publishers and filmmakers of their relation to the criminal. In other cases, a person may not financially benefit from the sale of a story or any other mementos pertaining to the crime-if the criminal was convicted after the date lawmakers passed the law in the states where the crime was committed.