Mary Catherine Williams: Mary Catherine Williams, 31, was linked to Rifkin after some of her credit cards were found among Rifkins belongings, according to a Newsday article from 1993. He dropped her into Brooklyns Newtown Creek, where she was spotted floating with the current, foot protruding from the rusty barrel, on May 13, 1992. With Joel Rifkin, Julian Attaway, Robert Mladinich, Sean Ruane. These are more like giant, professionally produced graphic novels. So who were the women who lost their lives to this disturbingkiller? I want to show these girls, these prostitutes, have families who care. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. State troopers Deborah Spaargaren and Sean Ruane were working the graveyard shift in East Meadow, Long Island, when they spotted a pickup truck with no license plate ahead of them, at 3:15 A.M. Corcoran had troopers take Rifkin to Troop L, located then on the grounds of Republic Airport in East Farmingdale where Rifkin was headed that night to bury that body. Thats well over 30 ebooks in one package. He was on his way to dump the corpse near Melvilles Republic Airport, some 15 miles north of his house, when Troopers Ruane and Spaargaren noted his lack of a rear license plate. And she had fake nails and those were ripped off when she fought him.. He kind of leaned back and said, One or 100, whats the difference? Eugene Corcoran, the state police lieutenant who supervised the investigation, recalled, according to Newsday. Three were in oil drums. Curiously, though, the driver of the pickup did not stop. He gave names when he knew them, dates, where he picked them up and, crucially, where he had dumped the bodies. So I put it on the backburner But for years, I wanted to know how somebody, who seemed like a very nice fellow, could commit such heinous crimes.". Rifkin believed his victim would never be found, but he had been careless. And in a moment that really tested the "too soon?" According to wikipedia latest update, he is still alive. Joel picked her up on July 13, 1991, and took her home to East Meadow for sex. Hes not the murderer, she reassures. In February 1987, Rifkins father killed himself to end the pain of cancer, and Joel delivered the eulogy at his funeral. Hewent to painstaking efforts to try to conceal the bodies, often dismembering the victims, placing their bodies in oil drums, or throwing them into bodies of water, he would later tell WCBS-TVin 2011. He found Iris Sanchez, a 25-year-old crack addict, working First Avenue on Mothers Day weekend. He was easy to make fun of.. Rifkin had no time to move the corpse, but his mother never knew. Black-painted Bowie clip-point with 14 or 12 saw teeth, 1 Stick Around (Rambo: Last Blood / 2019), 2 Take A Bow (Rambo: First Blood, Part II / 1985), 7 The Grenade With A Real Kick (Rambo III / 1988), 8 Hammer Smashed Face(s) (Rambo: Last Blood / 2019). Poor hygiene, chronic absenteeism and general ineptitude blocked the road to advancement. I was just in complete shock that someone like him could be arrested for these crimes. Rifkin responded to the news by firing Soshnick on the spot, leaving Lawrence, a lawyer with no criminal experience, to wage the battle alone. His upstairs bedroom yielded 75 pieces of womens jewelry, photographs Rifkin had taken of several unidentified women, various items of feminine clothing, makeup cases, a womans curling iron, wallets and pocketbooks, plus a mixed bag of ID cards. As the hearing dragged on, Rifkins lawyers alienated Judge Wexner by Soshnick repeatedly arriving late for court and unprepared and Lawrence missing whole days. Market data provided by Factset. I saw him as artistically inclined. The whole city is talking about this monster Joel Rifkin, and I am dating Joel Rifkin, laments Elaine, whose coworkers have gotten wind of the creepy coincidence. Known as Joel the Ripper, he murdered and dismembered at least nine women in New York. Cruising Manhattans East Village for hookers one night, at about 10 p.m., he selected a young woman remembered only as Susie. She was a hard-core drug addict, demanding several stops to purchase crack before they drove back to Long Island. Because Kramer has no ID on him, the box office employee has to use the public address system. She appeared to have been dead for several days. Success breeds repetition. June 29, 1993. After strangling Lopez in his car, Rifkin drove through the night to Brewster, in Putnam County, and dumped her corpse along I-84. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. "They would suspect a serial killer was on the loose and his car would have easily been spotted by cameras.". In 2000, a state appellate court determined that prison officials had not violated Rifkin's constitutional rights by housing him in isolation. He would be eligible for parole only in 2197, at the age of 238. Joel Rifkin was someone who was used to being invisible. Rifkin graduated from high school in 1977, but he could never quite cut in college, despite sporadic attempts over the next twelve years. It was finally too much. Aside from books and magazines (no more than 10 per isolation cell), Rifkin had lawsuits to amuse himself. Tragedy plus time equals comedy, so its been said. Before Rifkin left for college, he drove to New York City where he picked up a sex worker for the first time. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Wexner gave Rifkin 25 years to life for murder, plus two and one-third to seven years on the lesser charge. Why do people try to quit smoking for their entire lives?" Michael Newton - An Encyclopedia of Modern Serial Killers - Hunting Humans. Rifkin had been bludgeoning or strangling women for five years, dismembering some of them. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Credit: AP/Pool Photo/ Bill Turnbull. Thirty minutes later, Sale and Rifkin appeared before Judge John Kingston, entering a preliminary plea of not guilty on the Bresciani murder. Theyre intelligent, always seeking more knowledge, and exclusive. Rifkin arrived at Attica state prison in February 1996, sporting a black eye from his first assault by fellow inmates while confined on Rikers Island. Joel Rifkin is a serial killer who went on a string of murders in New York in the 1990s. Prosecutor Fred Klein described Rifkin as a killing machine who acted in deliberate, premediated and methodical ways to carry out his gruesome murders. Joel Rifkin, also known as Joel the Ripper, was a serial rapist and killer who operated in the New Y ork City area and surrounding boroughs, from 1989 until his capture in June 1993. All rights reserved. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a2a73bfae92a8aa Their recorded conversations are the focus of a new true-crime documentary titled "Rifkin on Rifkin: Private Confessions of a Serial Killer," which is part of Oxygen channels "Serial Killer Week.". I couldnt put two nickels together, Rifkin recalled of those years, and most of what he did earn went to prostitutes. And if he hadn't been caught, he likely wouldn't have stopped, he admits in Oxygen's new special, "Rifkin on Rifkin: Private Confessions of a Serial Killer," airing Saturday, April 10 at 7/6c on Oxygen. His employer at a local music store described Joel as a total piece of work. Credit: Newsday/K. Jury selection for Rifkins first trial, before Wexner, began on April 11, 1994. Rifkins victim was identified as Tiffany Bresciani, a 22-year-old Louisiana native, tricking in Manhattan the past two years to feed her drug habit. Her mother told the newspaper in 1993 that her daughter had been a happy and outspoken child, who later struggled with drug abuse and began to work as a prostitute. An anonymous caller reported Hollomans floating remains to police on July 9, 1992, two days before Orvietos corpse was found. . Lauren Marquez: Marquez, 28, was found dead in Westhampton. Rifkin transferred to the state university at Brockport, a Rochester suburb, in fall 1978. They initiated a traffic stopand a high-speed chase ensues, said Eugene Corcoran, then the State Policelieutenant who supervised the investigation. I dont think I could now. Bored and restless, he cut classes habitually, completing only one course in the 1977-78 academic year. Instead, he picked up a souvenir howitzer shell and beat her furiously. Jenny Soto, a victim of serial killer Joel Rifkin. Is The New York Review the same as the New York Review of Books? Some were on land. Joel Rifkin was born in the Year of the Pig. But other times, Lawrence said his client made him uncomfortable. Do you think I need a lawyer?. He complained to his landlord, I keep losing all my customers, and by summer he was falling behind on his rent. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. He was vague on the details in later confessions, unable to recall the womans name, if he had ever known it. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Out in the garage, they found a wheelbarrow and a chainsaw stained with human gore. In June of that year, he murdered Bresciani, a 22-year-old who left Louisiana for Los Angeles before arriving inNew York. They talked about trial strategy and how to present his case. Joel delivered a eulogy at his fathers funeral, moving the mourners to tears, and his depression deepened. The Disturbing Truth Of Serial Killer Joel Rifkin Fred Klein,the major offense prosecutor on call, drove to the scene. The experience quickly led toan addiction. Is Joel Rifkin Still Alive Rifkin told Dietz in detail how he planned his killings, how he avoided detection, how he got sexual gratification from both the killings and the victims personal effects much to Lawrences dismay. While he was portrayed as a more heroic character in the film, the novel portrays him as a ruthless, psychotic murderer and unlike the movie counterpart, this version of Rambo slaughters innocent people. One week after he killed Lorraine Orvieto, on January 2, 1992, Rifkin went hunting again. He described all 17 murders in the absence of counsel, writing out the names he remembered, sketching maps to help police find those victims still missing. Rifkin was sentenced to 203 years to life in prison and he is not eligible for parole until 2197. Theyre perfectionists who enjoy finer things but are not perceived as snobs. Before Rifkin left for college, hedrove to New York City and picked up a sex workerfor the first time. Family (1) Spouse Iva Rifkin ( 28 August 1966 - present) Trivia (10) Orval was killed by John Rambo after he went into the mountains with his bloodhounds, which he went to use to hunt Rambo down. As per our current Database, Joel Rifkin is still alive (as per Wikipedia, Last update: May 10, 2020). [2] Early life [ edit] Rifkin's birth parents were both young college students and his biological father was an Army veteran. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. With Joels confession in hand, police descended on Jeanne Rifkins home, scouring the premises for evidence. Joel Rifkin Rifkin on Rifkin: Private Confessions of a Serial Killer Premieres Saturday, April 10th, At first he was telling us like he didnt know anything about the body in the back of the car and then he was basically saying that he knew she was there but he doesnt know what happened, former New York State Police Trooper Sean Ruane told, When police later searched his mothers home, they found a treasure trove of mementos that Rifkin had saved from his victims,including drivers licenses, their underwear, jewelry, and other trophies, according to a 2018. A telephone call from police told 71-year-old Jeanne Rifkin that her son had been detained after a traffic accident. While his mother was out of town, Rifkin and Balch returned to his childhood home, where they stayed for the night but Rifkin soon took out his rage on Balch, bashing her in the head with a Howtizer artillery shell and strangling her to death, as recounted on "Rifkin on Rifkin.". In his mind, the grim task was reduced to biology class. To foil identification, Rifkin severed Susies fingertips and pulled her teeth with pliers, then jammed her severed head into an old paint can. ", JOHN WAYNE GACY LIKED THE POWER OF DEATH, RETIRED DETECTIVE REVEALS IN DOC: IT MADE HIM FEEL LIKE A GOD, Oxygen's new documentary on Joel Rifkin is part of their 'Serial Killer Week" line-up. Over the years, he was also bullied at school, which left him angry and isolated as he desperately sought his fathers approval. Joel Rifkin Garden of Graves. In 1989, Rifkin picked up a sex worker named "Susie." He was vague on dates, different reports placing the crime 14 months after Susies murder, or late in 1990. At the police station, Rifkin was asked if he had killed anybody else. On December 14, 2001, Rifkin lost his latest appeal of his conviction. In early 1994, it was reported that Rifkin had engaged in a jailhouse scuffle with mass murderer Colin Ferguson over the use of a public telephone. Welcome to November, the month when, according to some studies, serial killers and mass murderers are most likely to be born. Rifkins ninth victim, ironically, surfaced before numbers seven and eight. He didn't wet the bed or torture animals or start fires. They opened the truck and found Bresciani. assessed at 128, but struggled academically in school due to severe dyslexia. As much as I say I wanted to stop, there probably wouldve been others, he admitted. Abandoned by the father of her two children, Evens found solace in drugs and worked the streets to keep herself well. Rifkin found her tricking on February 27, 1993, stopping for sex in an abandoned parking lot. The couple was so happy with their son that they repeated the procedure, with a daughter, three years later. (Photo by Andrew Savulich/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images). But that all change in 1993 after Rifkin said he made a "25 cent mistake. WebRifkin was found guilty of nine murders in 1994 and sentenced to 203 years to life. His fantasies about strangling women became more frequent. He had picked up a sex workernamed Susie, according to a 2013The Associated Pressarticle. Here is a list of Rifkins victims: Heidi Balch: Authorities believe Heidi Balch was Rifkins first victim but it would take decades before she would ever be properly identified. The suppression hearing convened before Judge Ira Wexner on November 8, 1993, Soshnick and Lawrence picking up where Sale left off in the effort to quash Rifkins confession. Rifkin picked her up at about 11 p.m. on November 16, near the Williamsburg Bridge in lower Manhattan. Leah Evans: The body of Evans, a 28-year-old mother of two, was discovered in May 1992 by a family hunting for dandelions off County Road 51 in Southampton, according to Newsday. Featuring specials about fearsome and fascinating serial killers, its a cant-miss event for true crime fans. New York: Berkley Books, 1994. Elaine told her new beau he should change his name. Joel Rifkin, meanwhile, killed 17 people a staggering amount of victims that makes him New Yorks most prolific serial killer. Lorraine Orvieto, age twenty-eight, was strangled by Rifkin a few days before Christmas, jammed in a 55-gallon oil drum and dropped into Coney Island Creek, where her body would remain undiscovered for over six months. June 27, 1993. Joel David Rifkin: New York's Most Prolific Serial Killer. Rifkin was never on authorities' radar. Please enter valid email address to continue. (In fact, the latter name is spelled Aholah.) Rifkin called his plan a way of paying back a debt, I guess, and while the idea drew praise from some quarters --including prosecutor Fred Klein-- most objected to Rifkins inclusion of a Motivation Room where residents would be scared straight with photos of hookers murdered on the job. Her body was never recovered. After graduating from high school, Rifkin, who was particularly interested in horticulture and photojournalism, made several attempts at community college and attended the State University of New York at Brockport, where he worked for a time as a photographer on the school's newspaper The Stylus. "You think of people as things.". After sex, he strangled her to death. Two floaters in as many days suggested a serial killer at large, but New York police had their hands full with 2,000 murders a year in those days, and junkie prostitutes were never high priority. Jenny Soto: Jenny Soto'sbody later washed up along the rocks of the Harlem River in November of 1992. He had an I.Q. Evens had been the daughter of a civil court judge and had once attended Sarah Lawrence College. His reign of terror came to an end on June 28, 1993 after he was pulled overfor a routine traffic stop by New York State Police, who discovered the decomposingbody of 22-year-old Tiffany Bresciani in the back of his pickup truck. Rifkin said. Police learned their mistake a year later, when Rifkin confessed to her slaying, but number nine remains anonymous, the last Jane Doe. Another colleague chimes in, adding Hey, Elaine, listen. We have to be more aware when we see people who have been exposed to so much meanness, so much emotional brutality, physical brutality. Corcoran said it played a role in his promotion from lieutenant to captain. They were so decomposed that no signs of violence were visible, and medical examiners had mistakenly concluded that some had died of drug overdoses, he said. The case was open-and-shut but it was far from simple. In an exclusive 2011 interview with CBS-2's Mary Calvi, Rifkin talked about his killing spree. There was no emotion whatsoever. WebJoel David Rifkin (born January 20, 1959) is an American serial killer, who was sentenced to 203 years in prison for the murders of nine women between 1989 and 1993, though it is believed he had up to 17 victims. In the documentary, readers will learn how Rifkin was a meek, mild-mannered child. She vowed at the time to be present in the courtroom to let Rifkin and others know that the victims had been more than sex workers. Rifkin initially claimed he had blacked out, but soon admitted that Bresciani had not been his only victim. Script writer Peter Mehlman had clearly read reports about how the serial killer was captured. The odor from the truck was immediately overwhelming, Corcoran said, and troopers peeked in the back to see what was under a tarp. Credit: Jessica Rotkiewicz. It was nearly 8 p.m. when authorities presented Jeanne Rifkin with a search warrant, scouring her two-story house for evidence against the man who appeared to be New Yorks most prolific serial killer. Prison is where he belongs, Rifkin says in the special. He specifically killed women who were less visible insociety. Very few people start out life thinking, 'Oh gee, my goal in life is to wind up in Attica. The couple adopted another child, a daughter, three years later. Its like my own little nightmare scenarios, he said. Known as Joel the Ripper, he murdered and dismembered at least nine women in New York. Confidential (1997) and The Sum of All Fears (2002). The experience soon explodedinto a full-on addiction, as he blew through all his money picking up hundreds of sex workers. It seemed like the only people who noticed him were his childhood tormenters,he thought. It didn't help matters that he was constantly seeking his father's approval, too. I had sex with her, then things went bad and I strangled her. Rifkin committed his first murder in 1989, killing a prostitute, dismembering her body and tossing it into the East River. There were times he would come up with things about the afterlife, or an energy flow he detected leaving his victims, Lawrence said. This massive perfect bound Ted Bundy collection includes art, articles, rare interviews, documents, letters, transcripts and the serial killers entire FBI file. Elaines discomfort level escalates when she and her boyfriend attend a Giants game and they leave an extra ticket at Will Call for Kramer. Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please? From breaking news to special features and documentaries, the NewsdayTV team is covering the issues that matter to you. Joels poor grades embarrassed his father, a member of the East Meadow School Board. He was still so tense when he got out of his car that he said he sprained his back. Know About Serial Killer Joel Rifkin's Childhood The site he chose was an illegal dump, 200 feet off Rockaway Boulevard, within sight of JFK International Airport. Homicide detectives began interrogating Rifkin at 8:25 a.m. on June 28, 1993. It didnt fully come home to me what was happening until later., Things went from bad to worse at East Meadow High School. Joel Rifkin was born in in January 20, 1959. New York. He expressed a similar view in an interview with the New York Daily News in 2010: "No family "They can be gone six or eight months, and no one is looking," he said. "There were mini clusters, little sets of three," Rifkin said. They were probably alone on the streets, but not in the world.. It was a life far removed from her affluent Long Island home where shed been a high school cheerleader. Serial Killer Joel Rifkin Details Rifkin planned to offer a defense in Suffolk that being adopted made him what he was, but ultimately he ended the case with the first of numerous guilty pleas to his crimes. Simpson Murder Joke Aged Horribly Rifkin found Orvieto on December 26, 1991, in Bayshore, Long Island. Rifkin could not recall the name of number six, murdered a few days shy of Christmas 1991. Her body was discovered in Cornwall in October 1991, a month after she had been reported missing by her family. Undeterred, he slaved to put the senior yearbook out, but he was excluded from the year-end wrap party. To have the normal picket fence and three kids and a dog and a cat and get on with life. In March 1989, Rifkin, who admitted he had often fantasized about strangling women during sex, turned his disturbing ideas into reality. This massive 8.5 x 11 perfect bound book contains over 300 pages of rare interviews, letters, documents, transcripts and artwork from historys most notorious killers. Rifkin initially told investigators that he'd driven to New York City in 1989 to pick up a prostitute named Susie, according to a 2013, While his mother was out of town, Rifkin and Balch returned to his childhood home, where they stayed for the night but Rifkin soon took out his rage on Balch, bashing her in the head with a Howtizer artillery shell and strangling her to death, as recounted on "Rifkin on Rifkin.". Joel Rifkin had killed 17 women, and now he was driving around with one in the back of his truck. I thought of him as a loner, she subsequently told reporters. Another suppression hearing failed to quash his confession, whereupon Rifkin pleaded guilty on both counts, receiving two more consecutive terms of 25 years to life in prison. He was very interested in horticulture and interned at the Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park. Rifkin State Police Sgt. After the Giant game, he says, I realized that this this problem isn't going away.. He struggled with confidence and lacked natural athletic ability, a trait that frustrated his father endlessly, according to "Rifkin on Rifkin.". Rifkins bedroom reading material included a book on the unidentified Green River Killer and news clippings about the case of New York serial slayer Arthur Shawcross. By Becca van Sambeck & Oxygen Staff From 1989 to 1993, a Conviction was a foregone conclusion, However, and in the absence of a death penalty statute, he received the maximum sentence of twenty-five years to life. Rifkins last victim, Tiffany Bresciani, was another southern girl. Portions of her remains were later discovered inside an oil drum in New Creek in Brooklyn, according to ThoughtCo. On the September night he picked up 31-year-old Yun Lee, a Korean native he had been with before, she was his second prostitute in an hour. When its Joel Rifkin, the name of a notorious New York serial killer whose brutal four-year murder spree ended when he was caught in June 1993, it was grim grist for an episode of the hit NBC sitcom Seinfeld that premiered just five months after his arrest. Joel Rifkin At least 10 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 18; more than a dozen missing, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Defense lawyers in Idaho killings case want gag order kept, Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife and son. Neighbors recalled strange odors emanating from Rifkins garage, but they had assumed he stored insecticides there, for use in his garden and landscaping business. New York: St. Martins Press, 1993. Rifkin picked her up on Allen Street and drove her to the New York Posts parking lot, where he strangled her at 5:30 a.m. From there, he drove back to East Meadow, stopping at stores along the way for rope and tarp, while Bresciani lay sprawled in the backseat of his mothers car. The recordingsof their conversations are the focus of the special, as Rifkin's horrific killing spree is explored. The severed head was found in 1989 in Hopewell, a town north of Trenton. I was breathing heavily. Although the magazine takes this subject very seriously and in no way attempts to glorify the crimes describe in it, it also provides a unique collection of rare treats (including mini biographical comics, crossword puzzles and trivia quizzes). For the first time in his life, he made straight As for two consecutive semesters, rewarded by selection for an internship at the prestigious Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, New York. Weary of the pain by February 1987, he took a massive dose of barbiturates and died after four days in a coma. She loved the clubs. In addition to Rifkin, the episode discusses the phenomenon of serial killers in one of Jerry Seinfelds stand-up routines. Robert Sale met his new client for the first time at 9 a.m. on June 29, and Rifkin complained that police had taken his glasses and left him with a migraine headache, unable to function. I picked her up on Allen Street in Manhattan. (Photo by Neil Schneider/New York Post Archives /(c) NYP Holdings, Inc. via Getty Images). In this exclusive sneak peek from April 10's new Oxygen special, Rifkin on Rifkin: Private Confessions of a Serial Killer, Joel Rifkin detailed a murder he committed. Fifty percent of the proceeds from sales were earmarked for New Yorks Crime Victims Board, with inmate artists retaining the rest. Its part of Serial Killer Week, a nine-day event on Oxygen diving into the most fearsome and fascinating criminals of all time. Married to a pro football player in 1986 and divorced the following year, she had come to New York in search of an acting career, but wound up doing drugs and living on the streets. The chase covered about 20 miles through Nassau before Rifkin, a landscaper living with his mother and sister in East Meadow,hit a utility pole on Old Country Road in Mineola. Joel Rifkin Theyre never disturbed by the sounds of murdering, just stereo. Strangled in Joels pickup after sex, she proved the toughest one to kill, he said, breaking all 10 fingernails as she clawed Rifkins face and neck.