Son of Sam

You never know what will happen when you work as a photo assistant...

"While most of the New York media dismissed the cult possibility out of hand as the ramblings of a crazy man, the demonic possession angle intrigued me.

The fact of the matter: Both of Sam Carr's sons died in the midst of the Son of Sam spree.

Michael Carr died in a single-car crash on a New York City highway. Far more ominous, John Carr died Feb. 16, 1978, at the Air Force base in Minot, N.D. It appeared to be a suicide, with a shotgun placed vertically from the ground up into his mouth. But conspiracy theorists to this day suggest it was murder."

The preceding is a quote from the New York Daily News web site. I have to laugh in a sad sort of way.

I spent two years with Michael Carr when we were both photo assistants in a New York photo studio. I knew at that time that Michael was a member of the Church of Scientology. I remember him continually trying to be "clear". The conversation that really stands out to me is when Michael said to me "Bill, you and are are the same, we're both very spiritual." I was a young Christian at the time, and said: "Mike, we may both be spiritual, but we're on opposite sides!"

He died soon after that in a car accident. The Michael I knew was very, very sad. He was abused by the photographers he worked for, and he was trying so hard to find happiness. Then he was gone. Cult? Church of Scientology? One in the same?

This all happened while I was working as a young freelance photo assistant in New York City. Maybe the next time I'm bored, I'll write about the time I walked into a Chemical Bank in the midst of a robbery.