Welcome to November, the month when, according to some studies, serial killers and mass murderers are most likely to be born. He gave names when he knew them, dates, where he picked them up and, crucially, where he had dumped the bodies. Rifkin, who is the focus of Oxygen's upcoming special,"RifkinonRifkin: Private Confessions of a Serial Killer" airing Saturday, April 10 at 7/6conOxygenas part ofSerial Killer Week,often targeted sex workers,who he was able to kill without calling much too much attention to their disappearances. 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.". Graduating near the bottom of his class in 1977, Joel Rifkin looked forward to college and adulthood. Rambo, one of Sylvester Stallones signature characters, now understands Spanish and somehow raised a Mexican-American girl, Gabrielle (Yvette Monreal) whose father abandoned her and mom died of a terminal illness. Below we countdown to Joel Rifkin upcoming birthday. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. He killed mostly prostitutes and drug addicts; he was convicted of nine murders, although he is believed to have killed many more. He has been married to Iva Rifkin since August 28, 1966. The Terminator could easily take out John Wick and he wouldnt even see it coming. Scattering the remains throughout New York also made it less likely for authorities to notice a pattern. Rifkin told authorities he had taken the lives of another 16 women, revealingexactly where he placed the bodies and how he actually had killed them, Ruane said. He also pleaded guilty to two murders in neighboring Suffolk County. 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. This addictioncrippled him, as he had to to leavecollege before finishing and was unable to ever really hold down a job. O.J. MURDER OF MICHAEL JORDAN'S FATHER EXAMINED IN NEW DOC, RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT SHOCKING INVESTIGATION, Joel Rifkin, New York's most prolific serial killer, is the subject of a new true-crime documentary on Oxygen. I had sex with her, and then I killed her. "Last Christmas (1991) she came home and we begged and begged her not to go back to New York," she said. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. The obsession with murder had consumed his life and he began using the rented job site as a way station for corpses in transit. It came from the dead body of Tiffany Bresciani, 22, the girlfriend of Dave Rubinstein (a.k.a. Soto also had a past record for prostitution, but her family insisted she had been getting her life together before she was killed. She was found on September 23--eight days before DeLuca--floating past Randalls Island, at the Harlem Rivers mouth. You dont even use a name, its just initials. WebSusie was still alive, however, and she fought back when he tried to move her, biting one of Rifkins fingers deeply before he strangled her to death. Check out our sister site VHS WASTELAND. At 39, Mary Ann Holloman was his oldest victim, an addict who sewed personalized G-strings for strippers when she wasnt working the streets. With this information, they were able to identify even more of his victims, the New York Times reported. Her body was never recovered. Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please? 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. He admitted dumping two womens bodies in Suffolk County, but troopers continued to question him, Corcoran said. Things seemed to go downhill from there. It was a life far removed from her affluent Long Island home where shed been a high school cheerleader. Instead, he picked up a souvenir howitzer shell and beat her furiously. Police learned their mistake a year later, when Rifkin confessed to her slaying, but number nine remains anonymous, the last Jane Doe. Very few people start out life thinking, 'Oh gee, my goal in life is to wind up in Attica. Rifkins last victim, Tiffany Bresciani, was another southern girl. He was confined to his cell at the Attica Correctional Facility for 23 hours a day. 202.3.109.12 He told investigators he dismembered her body, put it into various buckets filled with concrete, and dropped the buckets into the East River and Brooklyn canal. One of the bullies who harassed him later called Rifkin an abuse unit. 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.". He researched past crimes for details. Rambos escape made him look bad and so he had to eliminate that insult to his own overblown ego. She had been the mother of two children. This huge, perfect bound copy of SERIAL KILLER MAGAZINE is chock full of artwork, rare documents, trivia and in depth articles regarding serial murder. The odor from the truck was immediately overwhelming, Corcoran said, and troopers peeked in the back to see what was under a tarp. On February 20, 1989, Joel Rifkin perpetrated his first homicide by killing Heidi Balch in her home in East Meadow. "He said he wanted to feel some remorse or feel some humanity towards them. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Joel couldnt wait to play the deadly game again. There was no regret or wanting to bring the victims back. He struck her on impulse, strangling her while she mouthed something about making a big mistake. It was Rifkins first murder of someone he knew beforehand, and he experienced fleeting remorse. She was found hours later by firefighters on a training exercise, but this time Rifkin reported, It didnt even faze me.. (Photo by Andrew Savulich/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images). That may explain his failure to perform as Lee went to work. If Ahearn got the location wrong of where he picked up a victim, he said Rifkin became indignant . Rifkin!" When police approached the vehicle, they noticed an absolutely overwhelming odor, according to Newsday. Violet ONeill: ONeills dismembered body parts were found over three days in July 1992 in multiple waterways including the Harlem River, East River, and a body of water near Governors Island, according to a New York Times article. WebJoel Rifkin murdered 17 women, making him New York's deadliest serial killer. Credit: Randee Daddona. The prison van carried him past the high school where he had graduated 16 years before. [2] Early life [ edit] Rifkin's birth parents were both young college students and his biological father was an Army veteran. In an exclusive 2011 interview with CBS-2's Mary Calvi, Rifkin talked about his killing spree. 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). It also includes the best true crime artwork from around the world. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. 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. She was missing one earring, later found in Rifkins bedroom stash. Joel Rifkin was an unemployed New York landscaper living a dark double life as a prolific serial killer claiming the lives of 17 women, a staggering total. Jenny Soto: Jenny Soto'sbody later washed up along the rocks of the Harlem River in November of 1992. Joel Rifkin was someone who was used to being invisible. In 1965, the family settled in East Meadow, New York, where Rifkin would spend most of his remaining years. Driving into Manhattan, he consigned Blackbirds head and torso to the East River, then dropped her weighted arms and legs into a Brooklyn barge canal. Sotos grim fight for life gave Rifkin pause. Somewhere along the way, he moved from abstract study of the killers into emulation of their brutal crimes. With 25-year-old Iris Sanchez, strangled in April 1992, he simply drove to JFK Airport and left her body in a vacant lot, beneath a mattress. The couple adopted another child, a daughter, three years later. Though Rambo didnt kill anyone in 1982s First Blood, he was basically a psychopath by the end of the James Cameron-scripted sequel; Stallone directed 2008s Rambo with an understanding that the formula works best when distilled to its gun-blazing essence. Her severed head was found in March 1989 on a New Jersey golf course, but for almost 25 years investigators were unable to positively identify the remains because Balch hadused various names and Social Security numbers. Drawn to the pickups bed by a foul odor, troopers peeled back a blue tarp and found a womans naked, decomposing corpse. Elaines discomfort level escalates when she and her boyfriend attend a Giants game and they leave an extra ticket at Will Call for Kramer. Currently, Joel Rifkin is 64 years, 1 months and 12 days old. 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. This massive perfect bound Ted Bundy collection includes art, articles, rare interviews, documents, letters, transcripts and the serial killers entire FBI file. In Rifkins cluttered garage, detectives followed their noses to a reeking wheelbarrow, extracting three ounces of human blood. Credit: Jessica Rotkiewicz. On May 25, 1992, he strangled crack addict Anna Lopez, dumping her corpse in some woods off Interstate 84, in Brewster. The recordingsof their conversations are the focus of the special, as Rifkin's horrific killing spree is explored. WebJoel Rifkin was born in in January 20, 1959. . All rights reserved. Officers staked out the house in East Meadow, where Rifkin lived with his sister and elderly mother. After sex, he reportedly bludgeoned her with a Howtizer artillery shell and strangled her to death. Fred Klein, shown in his office at Hofstra Universityon June 13, was the lead Nassau County prosecutor in the Joel Rifkincase. He kept the pills, along with Orvietos jewelry and ID, as souvenirs of the kill. This guy couldnt even count to 10. In his down time, idling between jobs and classes, Rifkin dreamed of becoming a famous writer, churning out fragments of bleak poetry. Joel Rifkin was born in the Year of the Pig. Heidi Balch was identified in 2013. Click to reveal Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. They initiated a traffic stopand a high-speed chase ensues, said Eugene Corcoran, then the State Policelieutenant who supervised the investigation. The murderous rampage of notorious Long Island serial killer Rifkin came to an end. "Joel was a bit of an eccentric," said Mladinich. Before the day was done, Rifkin, now 59, had written out a detailed description of how he had murdered 17 women who were working as prostitutes. Back in East Meadow, Jeanne Rifkin found officers circling her house by mid-morning. Theyre intelligent, always seeking more knowledge, and exclusive. He then dismembered her body, leaving her head at a New Jersey golf course, where it was quickly found, according to the AP. "I don't know. Troopers detected an odor from the back of the truck. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. He dismembered the corpse as before, placing the head, arms and legs in buckets weighted with concrete; the torso filled a milk crate by itself. "The only difference is that within 20 minutes, we started talking about murder and mayhem. Featuring specials about fearsome and fascinating serial killers, its a cant-miss event for true crime fans. Its part of Serial Killer Week, a nine-day event on Oxygen diving into the most fearsome and fascinating criminals of all time. When authorities searched Rifkin's East Meadow home, they found all the evidence they needed:clothing, jewelry, drivers licenses, library cards, and credit cards belonging to approximately 10 women. About to leave, he was confronted by patrolmen who accused him of illegal dumping, but Joel persuaded them he was collecting junk instead. Klein became chief of Nassaus Major Offense Bureau soon afterward. An anonymous caller reported Hollomans floating remains to police on July 9, 1992, two days before Orvietos corpse was found. Her case remained unsolved until Rifkin confessed in 1993. In the trunk was the decaying body of his last victim. 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. Following a traffic stop that led to a car chase by police, authorities noticed a. . Rifkin had his only real girlfriend in Brockport, but the relationship went nowhere, his paramour recalling Joel as sweet, but always depressed. Back at home with his parents, Rifkin tried Nassau Community College again, attending erratically, earning only 12 credits by the time he finally quit in 1984. Mary Ellen DeLuca, age twenty- two, had been missing for a month when her nude, strangled body was found in a field upstate, at Cornwall, New York. The habit was expensive and she tricked to keep herself supplied. Rifkins father was chronically ill. A heavy smoker, already afflicted with emphysema, Bernard was diagnosed with prostate cancer in fall 1986. I picked her up on Allen Street in Manhattan. 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). "And a lot of them are dangerous people. Oh! Fending off pleas from her sister and husband to move on with her life, not to mention a marriage proposal from a determined suitor, Rory holds fast to what she knows in her heartDawson is still alive. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Please enter valid email address to continue. His mother chose that month to travel out of state, leaving Joel alone in the East Meadow house. That explained Rifkins use of Noxema. 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. Three years later they moved to East Meadow, Long Island, and Joel entered first grade at Prospect Avenue Elementary School. He was also an academic failure, suffering from undiagnosed dyslexia despite a tested IQ of 128. While 2008s Rambo had John end his wandering, Last Blood sends him back out into the world. And she had fake nails and those were ripped off when she fought him.. Rifkin told authorities he placed her body into a mattress and put it at an illegal dump site near the JFK Airport, according to ThoughtCo. Pulitzer, Lisa, and Joan Swirsky. Three months later, he killed Leah Evens and left her in rural Northampton, where her skeleton was found on Mothers Day. Fred Klein described Rifkin as a sexual sadist who relished his victims suffering: He got caught red-handed, and now hes using and abusing the concept of mental illness. Lawrence called his client a paranoid schizophrenic who lived in the twilight zone, overwhelmed by violent, irresistible compulsions that took control of his life. Rifkin, for his part, snored through much of the prosecutions case, a performance Lawrence blamed on allergies to the bologna sandwiches he ate in jail. Oh please, please, please change your name to O.J.! On December 14, 2001, Rifkin lost his latest appeal of his conviction. All rights reserved. He then dismembered Susies body and her remains were scattered throughout New Jersey. You just wonder about how someone could do what he did and not have any feeling for it, Ahearn said. Joels parents gave him a car that year, and he used it to troll for prostitutes, first in nearby Hempstead, later in Manhattan. This perfect bound Serial Killer Calendar book includes detailed facts and trivia about serial killers for every day of the year. WebRon Rifkin was born on October 31, 1939 in New York City, New York, USA. 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. There was no emotion whatsoever. When the troopers used their siren, he appeared oblivious; likewise when Ruane got on the loudspeaker and ordered him to stop. Decomposition made it impossible to determine a cause of death, and she was buried nameless, unidentified until June 1993. He was arrested in Hempstead, in August 1987, after soliciting sex from an undercover policewoman, but he escaped with a nominal fine. A motorist stopping to relieve himself found Lopez the next day. The other parts went into garbage bags and then into his mothers car. Joel Rifkin is currently serving a life sentence. They didn't realizeone man was targeting sex workers in New York City. Rifkin consigned her remains to the waters surrounding Manhattan. or redistributed. Excluded from team sports and neighborhood games, Joel was the butt of every prank and sadistic joke: bullies assaulted him in school and pulled his pants down, stole his lunch and books, and harassed him constantly. Judge Robert Hanophy, passing sentence in the Sanchez case, told spectators: It is not in my power to give Mr. Rifkin the sentence he deserves. Rifkin graduated from high school in 1977, but he could never quite cut in college, despite sporadic attempts over the next twelve years. 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. We are happy to say that the Serial Killer Trading Cards are back! Failing that, he sought to have the various murder charges consolidated in one Nassau County trial, hoping a hometown jury would be more inclined to find Rifkin not guilty by reason of insanity. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Jenny Soto is one of Joel Rifkin's victims. He paid a fine and managed to conceal the incident from his mother, ranging farther afield to seek hookers in Manhattan when he felt the urge. 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. Back at the landscaping lot, Rifkin stuffed her into an oil drum, drove her body to Brooklyn and dropped it into Coney Island Creek. They trade suggestions for a possible new name, and of course, they cant come close to agreeing. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. (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. Bored and restless, he cut classes habitually, completing only one course in the 1977-78 academic year. Lauren Marquez: Marquez, 28, was found dead in Westhampton. In interviews this month, investigators and lawyers shared their memories of the case that stunned Long Island 25 years ago, and the effects it had on their lives. 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. Evens started to undress, then balked, demanding greater privacy. He will be eligible for parole in 2197. There was really no coordination between police precincts. After sex, he strangled her to death. During questioning, Rifkin described her death in clinical detail, but his emotional detachment was not the worst part of the confession. Rifkin refused, strangling her when she started to cry. An odor in Rifkin's truck led to the discovery of a body. Oxygens Serial Killer Week brings viewers inside the minds of the most notorious criminals of all time. "Some people viewed him as an oddball. On August 22, 1987, Rifkin was arrested in Hempstead, Long Island, for soliciting a prostitute. The couple was so happy with their son that they repeated the procedure, with a daughter, three years later. 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. Some he hid in oil drums, others in blocks of concrete. There, Rifkin testified himself in a pretrial hearing to contest that his confession was voluntary. 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. ", JONBENET RAMSEYS HALF BROTHER STILL WANTS TO FIND HER KILLER: THIS CASE CAN BE SOLVED, New York State Police escort Joel Rifkin, 34, a landscaper from East Meadow, to a holding cell after charging him with second-degree murder in East Farmingdale, L.I. The experience quickly led toan addiction. We used him, to be blunt about it, one of them recalled, years later. According to the special, he killed 16 more sex workers. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Later, he recalled the act as very automatic. Rifkins selection process was erratic, sparing most of the hookers he patronized on a near nightly basis, prompting him to kill others on a whim. When they left, six hours later, the searchers carried off at least 228 items (one report claimed there were more than 1,000) linked to Rifkins four-year murder spree. He remembered her tattoos, a pickup in Manhattan, and the way she fought for life when he began to strangle her. It was a half-hearted effort at best. A peek inside the tarp revealed a womans decomposing body. Williams, a former cheerleader at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, had struggled with an addiction to crack cocaine after her marriage broke up and often turned to prostitution to help support the habit, according to Newsday.