Two other victims remain unidentified to this day. A chainsaw found in the garage was stained with blood and bits of human flesh. With no money, Rifkin attempted to hold down a job, but that also became another unsuccessful moment in his life. Rambo hasnt died and he hasnt found some sort of peace in his life that means hes going to stop fighting. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Rifkin started his own landscaping business in April 1991, renting space at a local nursery to store his equipment. New York: Pocket Books, 2001. The son of unknown parents, he was adopted by Bernard and Jeanne Rifkin when he was three weeks old. He admitted dumping two womens bodies in Suffolk County, but troopers continued to question him, Corcoran said. It did change me personally, he said. It also includes the best true crime artwork from around the world. Joel delivered a eulogy at his fathers funeral, moving the mourners to tears, and his depression deepened. Sheriff Teasle hated Rambo because he represented a threat to his own power base. 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. Her body was discovered in Cornwall in October 1991, a month after she had been reported missing by her family, The New York Timessaidin 1993. You dont even use a name, its just initials. Success breeds repetition. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Rifkin was transferred at once to the Nassau County Correctional Facility in East Meadow. 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. The only 80s action star that would prove victorious against a 21st-century assassin is not a man but a machine. Thats why he volunteered to have brain scans whenever they became available and he was willing to talk to mental health professionals. Rifkin was dispassionate, referring to the murders as events or incidents, listing his victims by number. So who were the women who lost their lives to this disturbingkiller? These are not the kind of flimsy magazines or tiny paperback novels that you are accustomed to. Still, Rifkin liked to vary his technique from time to time. She was actually a woman named Heidi Balch, who had used various identities throughout the years. Rifkin had apparently forgotten the date of his fathers death and told police he murdered Barbara Jacobs in August 1991, although her body had been found in July. Jenny Soto, a victim of serial killer Joel Rifkin. By Becca van Sambeck & Oxygen Staff From 1989 to 1993, a Is there less than 10? they asked Rifkin, Corcoran said. Family: He was living with his mother and sister at the time of his arrest. Whatever their employment status, there was no doubt of the body count--unless, some officers suggested, Rifkins estimate was low. Joel Rifkin, 34, is transferred to District Court 29 June, 1993 in Farmingdale, NY after police said he confessed to killing as many as 17 women. Hes not the murderer, she reassures. We are happy to say that the Serial Killer Trading Cards are back! 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. While psychologists have theorized the emotional distance from his father and the bullying may have contributed to his transformation into bloodthirsty killer, Reiter emphasizes in the special, "In every high school, there's the kid that'sthe last to get picked. 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 he is believed to have killed up to 17 victims in all. Mary Catherine Williams, 10 years older than ONeill, had been a high school homecoming queen and college cheerleader in her native North Carolina. Theyre intelligent, always seeking more knowledge, and exclusive. 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. Joel Rifkin is currently serving a life sentence. Rifkins first two victims have never been found or identified. Bored and restless, he cut classes habitually, completing only one course in the 1977-78 academic year. "Three were dismembered. The next time Rifkin made headlines, in April 1998, the news involved sale of his artwork at the New York State legislatures office building in Albany as part of a program to compensate crime victims. The night he was arrested, Rifkin told troopers where he had picked up the woman found in his truck, Tiffany Bresciani, 22, of Louisiana, and how he had killed her, but troopers wondered if hed done this before, Corcoran said. The prison van carried him past the high school where he had graduated 16 years before. Just keep the music down., For more on Rifkin, watch Oxygens upcoming special Rifkin on Rifkin: Private Confessions of a Serial Killer, airing on Saturday, April 10 at 7/6c on Oxygen. Good works notwithstanding, Rifkin had no luck in his bids to escape solitary confinement. Aside from books and magazines (no more than 10 per isolation cell), Rifkin had lawsuits to amuse himself. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. One high school date was scuttled after fellow track team members trapped him in the gym and pelted him with eggs, forcing Joel to call his father for help. He bought Williams a fix that night, then tried to choke her when she dozed off in his mothers car. In custody, Rifkin soon began confessing to other homicides, a total of seventeen, including Bresciani. A 9 a.m. media report cleared up the mystery, and Jeanne phoned her lawyer, who referred her to criminal attorney Robert Sale. Relieved of his little anxiety attack, Joel moved Bresciani into the cluttered garage, leaving her body in a wheelbarrow. There were times he would come up with things about the afterlife, or an energy flow he detected leaving his victims, Lawrence said. 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. It didn't help matters that he was constantly seeking his father's approval, too. Her mother, Florence Orvieto,told The New York Times that she had been saving her Christmas presents for two years until she learned in 1993 that her daughters body had been discovered in a 55-gallon oil drum in Coney Island Creek in Brooklyn. According to the documentary, Rifkin picked up hundreds of sex workersand he eventually left college before finishing. In an exclusive 2011 interview with CBS-2's Mary Calvi, Rifkin talked about his killing spree. The oil drum worked so well for Rifkin that he purchased several more for use as makeshift coffins. "He was very matter of fact about it. He said he disposed of the bodies in threes. "As much as I say I wanted to stop, there probably would've been others. A telephone call from police told 71-year-old Jeanne Rifkin that her son had been detained after a traffic accident. Scattering the remains throughout New York also made it less likely for authorities to notice a pattern. "There were no cameras on every block. But other times, Lawrence said his client made him uncomfortable. He gave names when he knew them, dates, where he picked them up and, crucially, where he had dumped the bodies. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! In November, he pleaded guilty to the Sanchez homicide in Queens and to three more counts in Brooklyn: victims Orvieto, Holloman and the Jane Doe killed in 1992. New York state troopers Sean Ruane and Deborah Spaargaren were patroling Long Islands Southern State Parkway at 3:15 a.m. on June 28, 1993, when they spotted a Mazda pickup truck with no rear license plate. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Lawrence said he paid an enormous toll, starting with the day of the conviction. Sale called the state police at 3:30 p.m. and ordered them to cease interrogation of his client, but the questioning continued in Sales absence for at least another hour, until Rifkin completed his grim recital of death. 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 2018Newsdayarticle. ", "If I didnt kill them, they would have died anyhow. Today, Joel Rifkin is 60 years old and serving his life sentence at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York. assessed at 128, but struggled academically in school due to severe dyslexia. Joel couldnt wait to play the deadly game again. He was very interested in horticulture and interned at the Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park. Rifkin was eventually sentenced to 203 years in prison for his horrific string of murders. Maryann Holloman, age 39, was retrieved from Coney Island Creek in her oil drum on July 9, two days before passers-by found the skeletal remains of Lorraine Orvieto nearby. Other times he killed them in his car. Rifkins last victim, Tiffany Bresciani, was another southern girl. After the Giant game, he says, I realized that this this problem isn't going away.. 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. (Photo by Jerry Engel/New York Post Archives /(c) NYP Holdings, Inc. via Getty Images). New York. Attorney John Lawrence, shown in his office June 14,was Joel Rifkin's triallawyer. This is the best deal on the site. Legal Statement. Credit: Randee Daddona. Each giant issue is perfect bound and chock full of true crime articles, artwork, letters, documents and more. Why do people try to quit smoking for their entire lives?" BOB STRONG/AFP/Getty Images Trending News A woman whose severed head was found on a New Jersey golf course more than 20 years ago has been identified, and police say the trail leads to a notorious serial killer. Julie Blackbird: Rifkin killed again about 16 months later, after picking up Julie Blackbird in 1990 and bringing her back to his home. My daughter was a very beautiful girl, Victoria ONeill said. By the time Rifkin was done taking guilty pleas throughout the area, he had been sentenced to 203 1/3 years to life in prison. Heidi Balch was identified in 2013. Rifkins father was chronically ill. A heavy smoker, already afflicted with emphysema, Bernard was diagnosed with prostate cancer in fall 1986. The Orvieto family sued him first, on a civil count for Lorraines wrongful death, and Rifkin responded with a snide handwritten brief, branding his victim an AIDS carrier who may be responsible for the eventual deaths of numerous individuals, crediting her relatives for shared responsibility in what might have been. Next, in November 1997, it was Rifkins turn to sue prison officials and the New York Daily News for branding him HIV-positive. Rifkin wedged the body underneath a rotting mattress, first relieving Sanchez of her watch and other jewelry. His rage and self-loathing only grew, according to the special. A forensic anthropologist was hired to reconstruct the victims face, but Rifkin confessed before the model was finished. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. WebRifkin was found guilty of nine murders in 1994 and sentenced to 203 years to life. WebJoel Rifkin is now serving 203 years to life in the Clinton, N.Y. correctional facility. I was just in complete shock that someone like him could be arrested for these crimes. In early 1994, it was reported that Rifkin had engaged in a jailhouse scuffle with mass murderer Colin Ferguson. Rambo earned his Airborne Ranger Wings in May of 1966. Joel David Rifkin: New York's Most Prolific Serial Killer. . At the time, she was pursuing her dreams of becoming a singer and actress. Credit: AP/Pool Photo/ Bill Turnbull. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. Upon waking, he dragged Susie down to the basement, draped her body across the washer and dryer, then used that makeshift operating table to dismember her corpse with an X-acto knife. Jenny Soto was the fighter, breaking off her fingernails on Rifkins face before he snapped her neck on November 16, 1992. With Joel Rifkin, Julian Attaway, Robert Mladinich, Sean Ruane. That first murder gave way to many more; he killed 16 more sex workers, often dismembering their bodies and disposing of themin the New York area. He held down various odd jobs, spending much of the little money he made on prostitutes. Rifkin found her on Jamaica Avenue in Queens and drove her around New York until sunrise, shelling out $150 for drugs at various stops. Throughout his trial and incarceration, Rifkin still could not explain one thing: why. I couldn't function in the real world then. 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. The next to die, Lauren Marquez, was a 28-year-old addict and prostitute, hooked on drugs before she left her native Tennessee for New York City. "Where I am right now today, I know this is the best placefor me," he says. Some he hid in oil drums, others in blocks of concrete. Some were left abandoned in fields. Joel Rifkin telephone. The crowd stops cheering and squirm, while Elaine does damage control. State Troopers who chased down his pickup truck for a routine traffic violation said they found a woman's decomposing body in the back and a driver who confessed to killing 17 women. The argument over whose killings were better reportedly ended when Ferguson punched Rifkin in the mouth. After wrestling her body into a plastic trash bag, Rifkin cleaned up the blood and signs of combat in his living room, then lay down and slept for several hours as if nothing had happened. 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.". 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. By that time, Ruane and Spaargaren had smelled his reeking cargo, moving toward the rear bed of the truck, where something long and thick was wrapped in plastic, bound with rope. They are continuously looking for dynamic, speed and competition, always being the first in everything - from work to social gatherings. A peek inside the tarp revealed a womans decomposing body. Prison officials decided in 1996 that Rifkin was so notorious that his presence in the general prison population could be disruptive. Credit: Randee Daddona. He was only caught because of a small mistake, and he would have kept killing, he admits. Many of the victims were never even reported missing, and so police were unaware of the scope of the killing spree. The Disturbing Truth Of Serial Killer Joel Rifkin YouTube By Tyler MacDonald / April 1, 2021 10:52 am EST For a span of four years in the early 1990s, serial killer Joel Rifkin left a string of terror across New York City as he satisfied his fixation on strangling sex workers to death. She was found by a fisherman on July 11, 1992, two months before her family filed a missing persons report. she suggested, inspired by O.J. At some point in the litany, Rifkin asked DeLuca if she wanted to die, and she allegedly said yes. Rifkin initially told investigators that he'd driven to New York City in 1989 to pick up a prostitute named Susie, according to a 2013The Associated Pressarticle. They can disappear for months, hetold CBS New Yorkin 2011. Seven years after he was sentenced to life in prison, an old college friend of Rifkin, unable to understand how a decent-seeming person hid such a twisted side,went to visit him at Attica Correctional Facility.