Today in History: May 8, ‘Son of Sam’ killer pleads guilty

In the modern day is Thursday May the th day of There are days left in the year In contemporary times in history On May David R Berkowitz pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn courtroom to murder attempted murder and assault in connection with the Son of Sam shootings that claimed six lives and terrified New Yorkers Berkowitz was sentenced to six consecutive life prison terms Also on this date In Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River the first recorded European to do so Related Articles Alleged Massachusetts migrant shelter rapist fights bail hike FBI Department of Justice raise concerns about violent extremist grid Alleged Massachusetts child sex predators arrested in national effort Sacred responsibility What to know about the air traffic controller shortage Ex-model takes the stand in Harvey Weinstein s retrial The prior jury never heard about her In U S forces led by Gen Zachary Taylor defeated Mexican forces near modern-day Brownsville Texas in the first major battle of the Mexican-American War In the first serving of Coca-Cola which contained cocaine was sold at a pharmacy in Atlanta Georgia The drink became fully cocaine-free in In President Harry S Truman declared in a radio address that Nazi Germany s forces had surrendered stating that the flags of freedom fly all over Europe on V-E Triumph in Europe Day In members of the American Indian Movement and the Oglala Lakota tribe who had occupied the South Dakota hamlet of Wounded Knee for weeks surrendered to federal executives In the Soviet Union stated it would boycott the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles In U S unemployment surged to a level last seen when the country was in the throes of the Great Depression the governing body stated that more than million Americans had lost their jobs in April amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic In the modern day s Birthdays Biologist TV presenter David Attenborough is Poet Gary Snyder is Singer Toni Tennille is Pianist Keith Jarrett is Singer Philip Bailey Earth Wind and Fire is Rock musician Chris Frantz Talking Heads is Rock musician Alex Van Halen is Football Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher is Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott is Filmmaker Michel Gondry is Actor Melissa Gilbert is Singer Enrique Iglesias is Musician Joe Bonamassa is Actor Domhnall Gleeson is