Forty years ago, the serial killer Son of Sam terrorized New York City, taunting both law enforcement and the media in a fatal game of cat and mouse that left six people dead and seven wounded.

In 2013, criminologist Dr. Scott Bonn visited David Berkowitz in prison and was greeted by an elf-like man with bulging red cheeks who gave him a big hug and insisted they pray together. He now goes by The Son of Hope after becoming an evangelical Christian in the late ‘80s.

At the Television Critics Association summer press tour, Bonn recalled what he told him:

“Scott, I truly was an evil man. I know that, but God has forgiven me and if God can forgive me then anything is possible.”

Bonn is one of the people featured in Investigation Discovery’s two-hour documentary Son of Sam: The Hunt for a Killer premiering August 5. It uses archival footage and first person interviews with investigators, journalists, family members of victims and survivors to explore how the killer was brought to justice.

For the record, Bonn said he believes Berkowitz is not a psychopath because psychopaths are born, not made, and Berkowitz evolved into a serial killer as a result of his difficult childhood. Murder was his twisted way of demanding respect and a purpose.

“He was striking back at society and he did it in a way that held the city of New York captive for a year.”

ID also revealed the next focus of its American Murder Mystery franchise will be on former police sergeant Drew Peterson, set to debut 10 years after the mysterious disappearance of his fourth wife and Chicago mother of four, Stacy Peterson. The two-hour special airs Sunday, August 27.

And Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall will return to ID for a fifth season on Sunday, September 3.

Also on the criminal front, Discovery Channel’s anthology series Manhunt: Unabomber, premiering August 1, tells the dramatic true story of the FBI’s hunt for Ted Kaczynski (Paul Bettany) from the perspective of criminal profiler Jim “Fitz” Fitzgerald(Sam Worthington), whose new approaches in the use of forensic linguistics that led to his capture were dismissed by the system.

Discovery Channel will also explore medical breakthroughs in its three-part series First in Human, where patients participate in human clinical trials for the first time.

Deidra Williams, featured in the series, described going through a stem-cell transplant using her sister’s bone marrow to treat sickle cell disease.

The average lifespan for those with the disease is 42 years old, to which Williams was near, and although stem-cell transplants are not new, they had not yet been deemed safe for that particular use.

“The trick was to try to find a way to do it in a way that was safe and could be applied to a sick adult population,” said John Tisdale, MD, featured in the series. “We were testing an approach.”

When it comes to ailments, Animal Planet is also taking a look at how shelter dogs are helping millions of people with physical, mental and neurological disabilities in Rescue Dog to Super Dog, premiering August 12.

Kalani Cruetzburg described how his Rottweiler/Golden Retriever mix helps him deal with his depression by lying his head on him until he gets up to take him for a walk.

“Bass gets me out of the house,” he said. “Bass gives me a mission.”

Diana Theobald, who has a prosthetic leg after an accident, has Morrison to help her by doing things like pressing the button on the elevator in her apartment complex, turning off light switches and retrieving her shoes.

To raise awareness about adopting adult dogs living in shelters, at this year’s Superbowl Animal Planet will also premiere Puppy Bowl Presents: The Dog Bowl.

Finally, Science Channel will turn an eye to the sky on August 21 for The Great American Eclipse, as it works with a team of scientists to capture a total solar eclipse that will span the continental United States for the first time in 99 years.

“It’s pretty awe-inspiring to stand in the shadow of the moon,” said James Bullock, professor and chair of the physics and astronomy department at the University of California at Irvine, one of the many who will take advantage of this window, and is studying atmospheric changes and black holes. He hopes the event resonates with scientists of the future and that the show reaches young eyes.

“We have the chance for a whole generation of kids to be inspired by this physical astronomical event. It’s not happening in a video game, but in the real world around them.”

Scientist Angela Des Jardin also debunked the misconception that staring at an eclipse is dangerous, explaining that it’s no worse than staring at the sun for a prolonged period at any time.

Speaking of, MythBusters will be back on Science Channel this fall with all-new episodes and an all-new team featuring Brian Louden and Jon Lung, who emerged after the network conducted a search for new talent. The 14-episode new season will debut November 15.

Terry O’Quinn also will host the series Mysteries of the Missing that uses investigators, scientists and cutting-edge technology to pursue plausible explanations of some of the most infamous disappearances of all time, such as Malaysian Airlines Flight 370.

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