Fred Klein, shown in his office at Hofstra Universityon June 13, was the lead Nassau County prosecutor in the Joel Rifkincase. Joel dismembered her body into the East River. This guy seems like the real deal.". He never relishedtalking about these horrible crimes. They wound up at a cheap motel, DeLuca first balking at sex and demanding more dope, then rushing through the act, complaining all the while. Is Joel Rifkin Still Alive Or Dead? Rifkins last victim, Tiffany Bresciani, was another southern girl. His employer at a local music store described Joel as a total piece of work. With this information, they were able to identify even more of his victims, the New York Times reported. WebJoel Rifkin was born in in January 20, 1959. With Rifkins detailed confession, investigators got to work. 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. Her mother, Victoria ONeill, told the newspaper she had last seen her daughter on July 16, 1992. Oxygens Serial Killer Week brings viewers inside the minds of the most notorious criminals of all time. He then dismembered Susies body and her remains were scattered throughout New Jersey. Real-life romance eluded Rifkin, for the most part. He then dismembered her body, leaving her head at a New Jersey golf course, where it was quickly found, according to the AP. Joel Rifkin had killed 17 women, and now he was driving around with one in the back of his truck. Rifkin later claimed that he asked for a lawyer at least 20 times and was always refused, investigators telling him he couldnt speak with counsel until you give us one more homicide. The written transcript of his interview, presumably reconstructed from memory, suggests that Rifkin was offered a lawyer and declined. Joel Rifkin According to astrologers, the presence of Aries always marks the beginning of something energetic and turbulent. This 90 card set features the artwork of 15 noted true crime artists and will come with a numbered, signed certificate of authenticity for each set. Officers staked out the house in East Meadow, where Rifkin lived with his sister and elderly mother. She was found by a fisherman on July 11, 1992, two months before her family filed a missing persons report. Joel Rifkin Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. But his eventual capture was a total accident as the serial killer wasn't even on police's radar. Distinctive for its long balletic action sequences, 77 people are killed onscreen in the first John Wick, a massive 128 in John Wick: Chapter 2 and a slightly more sensible 94 in John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum. At about nine the next morning, Rifkin recalled completely bugging out, beating Blackbird with a heavy table leg before he strangled her. Mladinich said he and Rifkin, now 62, wrote to each other regularly until they saw each other again in the fall of 1999. But his eventual capture was a total accident as the serial killer wasn't even on police's radar. Before Rifkin left for college, hedrove to New York City and picked up a sex workerfor the first time. He parked near a schoolyard fence and strangled her while she performed oral sex, discovering her HIV-positive status when he found a bottle of AZT in her purse. Hes not the murderer, she reassures. New York. 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. Fred Klein,the major offense prosecutor on call, drove to the scene. Five more patrol cars joined the convoy, sirens wailing, before the Mazdas driver missed a turn in Mineola and crashed his truck into a telephone pole at 3:36 a.m. A 9 a.m. media report cleared up the mystery, and Jeanne phoned her lawyer, who referred her to criminal attorney Robert Sale. Years of pent-up anger and humiliation craved release. ", 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. (Photo by Rick Maiman/Sygma via Getty Images), (Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Archive Photos/Getty Images). By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. The crowd stops cheering and squirm, while Elaine does damage control. Three months later, he killed Leah Evens and left her in rural Northampton, where her skeleton was found on Mothers Day. Prison was an exaggerated replay of high school, with constant threats and taunts from other convicts. Rifkin drove the body parts across the state line to New Jersey, dropping the head and legs in the woods near Hopewell. In Joels room, they struck pay dirt, recovering dozens of ID cards, drivers licenses and credit cards, photographs, articles of jewelry, and piles of womens clothing taken from his victims. Rifkin admitted to the 17 slayings after his May 1994 murder conviction in Nassau County. The oil drum was a new kink with Rifkin, used at least four times by his count. (Photo by Andrew Savulich/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images). Joel David Rifkin: New York's Most Prolific Serial Killer. Some of the bodies already found had not been classified as homicides, Klein said. Confronting them, she was first told that Joel had been detained after a traffic accident, then that he was jailed for a crime which the officers refused to describe. Joel Rifkin is now serving 203 years to life in the Clinton, N.Y. correctional facility. Jenny Soto's family. 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. He was living with his mother and sister at the time of his arrest. It seemed like the only people who noticed him were his childhood tormenters,he thought. According to Joel Rifkin, it was a '25-cent mistake' that finally led to his capture. They could learn life skills, like write a check, parenting skills just how to livetheir lives in a safe way. The experience soon explodedinto a full-on addiction, as he blew through all his money picking up hundreds of sex workers. Tune in on Oxygen April 10 to April 18. He was charged with killing his ex-wife and her friend. Legal Statement. He used the next one on Lorraine Orvieto, a 28-year-old manic-depressive who tried to control her mood swings with cocaine. The remains were never found. "The only difference is that within 20 minutes, we started talking about murder and mayhem. 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. 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. The only thing that makes me feel a little better is to think that perhaps she didnt die in pain.. By the time he got home, she was swaddled in tarp and concealed in the trunk. A high-speed chase ended in Mineola, where he crashed into a utility pole which was located directly in front of the courthouse in which he would eventually stand trial. Joel Rifkin was an unemployed New York landscaper living a darkdouble life as a prolific serial killer claiming the lives of 17 women, a staggering total. Featuring specials about fearsome and fascinating serial killers, its a cant-miss event for true crime fans. And Rifkin told WCBS-TV in 2011 that his victim count would have likely been much higher if he hadnt been arrested in 1993. Rambo: The Franchises 10 Most Brutal Kills. Decomposition made it impossible to determine a cause of death, and she was buried nameless, unidentified until June 1993. From the motel, he drove upstate to Orange County and left DeLucas body at a rest stop outside Cornwall, near West Point. His landscaping business had folded by then, his landlord clamoring for $700 in overdue rent. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! He found Iris Sanchez, a 25-year-old crack addict, working First Avenue on Mothers Day weekend. 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. Despite his confessions and the overwhelming evidence against him, Rifkin pled not guilty at his murder trial. Rifkins first attempt at higher education took him to Nassau Community College, on Long Island. On February 20, 1989, Joel Rifkin perpetrated his first homicide by killing Heidi Balch in her home in East Meadow. Barbara Jacobs was the next to die, a 31-year-old addict with arrests on her record for auto theft and prostitution. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! You dont even use a name, its just initials. 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. (Photo by Rick Maiman/Sygma via Getty Images), "If these crimes were happening today, I think the police would have made the connection quickly," he shared. Three years later they moved to East Meadow, Long Island, and Joel entered first grade at Prospect Avenue Elementary School. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. The New York Times Next Up Episode 5: Oak Beach Several months later, the football star was charged with murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. 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. He will be eligible for parole in 2197. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson. They could see part of a hand and the head of Rifkins finalvictim. Authorities say 25-year-old Heidi Balch likely was the first victim of Joel Rifkin, who is in prison in New York after admitting he killed 17 women in the early 1990s. Rifkin believed his victim would never be found, but he had been careless. With Joels confession in hand, police descended on Jeanne Rifkins home, scouring the premises for evidence. In 1989, Rifkin picked up a sex worker named "Susie." Rifkin was arrested for soliciting a prostitute on August 22, 1987 in Hempstead, Long Island. He was confined to his cell at the Attica Correctional Facility for 23 hours a day. That was an experience, because Joel aside from the pathological issues had some smarts about him, Lawrence said. We are happy to say that the Serial Killer Trading Cards are back! What is the current air quality in Salem Oregon? ", GARY HEIDNIKS ATTORNEY TALKS INSANE HOUSE OF HORRORS KILLER IN DOC: THERE WAS A METHOD TO HIS MADNESS', Jenny Soto's family. This is truly a one of a kind collectors item for anyone interested in the macabre world of true crime, prison art or the strange world of murderabelia. The couple was so happy with their son that they repeated the procedure, with a daughter, three years later. "But I was still an active police officer at the time. 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. 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. I was completely numb. Prison is where he belongs, Rifkin says in the special. Stephen Urbanski says Balch worked as a prostitute in New York City and used numerous aliases. 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). Joel 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. Prison officials decided in 1996 that Rifkin was so notorious that his presence in the general prison population could be disruptive. 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. Joel (Photo by Jerry Engel/New York Post Archives /(c) NYP Holdings, Inc. via Getty Images). They are continuously looking for dynamic, speed and competition, always being the first in everything - from work to social gatherings. He would be eligible for parole only in 2197, at the age of 238. The special revealed that while his mother was out of town, he brought her back home. Flexing his ego, he fired Sale and retained two new lawyers: former Nassau County assistant district attorney Michael Soshnick and his partner, John Lawrence. 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. Rifkin consigned her remains to the waters surrounding Manhattan. A peek inside the tarp revealed a womans decomposing body. Poor hygiene, chronic absenteeism and general ineptitude blocked the road to advancement. In retrospect, a shockingly prophetic moment happens when Elaine comes up with a suggestion after reading a sports magazine. Actually, he later said, I thought I liked her.. 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. Lawrence said preparing for hearings and the trial with Rifkin was bizarre. The odor from the truck was immediately overwhelming, Corcoran said, and troopers peeked in the back to see what was under a tarp. Mary Ellen DeLuca: DeLuca, 22, lost her life on Sept. 1, 1991 after she allegedly complained about having sex with Rifkin after he had bought her cocaine, according to ThoughtCo. Currently, Joel Rifkin is 64 years, 1 months and 12 days old. "There are a lot of damaged people out there," he said. They trade suggestions for a possible new name, and of course, they cant come close to agreeing. Rambo earned his Airborne Ranger Wings in May of 1966. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa. Rifkin found her on Jamaica Avenue in Queens and drove her around New York until sunrise, shelling out $150 for drugs at various stops. Motorist Joel Rifkin, now in handcuffs, helped identify the corpse as 22-year-old Tiffany Bresciani. The Joel Rifkin reference certainly grounds Seinfeld 's episode in its own time, but its the idea that O.J. He was generally unkempt, and a thick layer of Noxema was smeared across his mustache. He was vague on the details in later confessions, unable to recall the womans name, if he had ever known it. WebRon Rifkin was born on October 31, 1939 in New York City, New York, USA. The Seinfeld Episode Inspired By A Portions of her remains were later discovered inside an oil drum in New Creek in Brooklyn, according to ThoughtCo. Seventeen women in total were murdered by this shadowy figure but police at the time weren't even aware he existed. WebLearn about Joel Rifkin Net Worth, Biography, Age, Birthday, Height, Early Life, Family, Dating, Partner, Wiki and Facts. Still, it would take years for authorities to formally identify her, as "Susie" wasn't her real name. (It was still there, waiting for detectives, at the time of Joels arrest.) Joel waited more than a year to claim his second victim. Rifkin, a former landscaper, was stopped by police on a routine traffic stop when a Long Island officer noticed his front license plate was missing, CBS New York reports. Put off by the thought of another dismemberment, Rifkin wrapped Jacobs in plastic, folded her into a cardboard box, and placed her in the back of his mothers Toyota pickup. As per our current Database, Joel Rifkin is still alive (as per Wikipedia, Last update: May 10, 2020). ", First published on March 27, 2013 / 3:17 PM. It was, as Joel Rifkinsaid later, a 25-cent part that brought him down, but it caught the eye of two troopers patrolling the Southern State Parkway. 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. It is chock full of artwork, rare documents, FBI files and in depth articles regarding serial murder. After sex, he strangled her to death. 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. The oil drum worked so well for Rifkin that he purchased several more for use as makeshift coffins. Known as Joel the Ripper, he murdered and dismembered at least nine women in New York. ", "Even when we first spoke at the correctional facility, it was like we had been friends the previous 20 years," he shared. From 1989 to 1993, a serial killer stalked New York City. 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. While Jan and Jeanne stayed mostly silent during the court proceedings, even as reporters staked out their now-infamous home, his sister did speak to New York Post reporter Andrea Peyser. He had no explanation for the wild flight to avoid a minor traffic ticket, but the cause of Rifkins panic was revealed a moment later. "Everybody has some kind of fantasy life, whether it's negative or positive. "They would suspect a serial killer was on the loose and his car would have easily been spotted by cameras.". The Rifkins also adopted a daughter, Jan, in 1962. both were veterans, but Teasle was ruler of his own little fiefdom and wanted to keep it. 202.3.109.12 At the time, there was no more thought than stomping on a bug or a cockroach. Afterward, he drove Evens to the far eastern end of Long Island and buried her in the woods, the only one of his victims who rated a shallow grave. "Joel was very calm about it," Mladinich continued. Know About Serial Killer Joel Rifkin's Childhood Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Rifkin did not respond to a request sent to him at Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate Dannemora for comment for this story. There, Rifkin testified himself in a pretrial hearing to contest that his confession was voluntary. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. He was very interested in horticulture and interned at the Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park. Click to reveal Why not? 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.". He admitted dumping two womens bodies in Suffolk County, but troopers continued to question him, Corcoran said. assessed at 128, but struggled academically in school due to severe dyslexia. MADHATTERDESIGN@GMAIL.COM, Like old school VHS Covers? One drivers license belonged to Mary DeLuca, found dead in Cornwall, New York, in October 1991. 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. Still, Rifkin liked to vary his technique from time to time. 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. 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. 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. Rambo: Last Blood is currently in theaters. The severed head was found in 1989 in Hopewell, a town north of Trenton. 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. Jenny Soto is one of Joel Rifkin's victims. Rifkin responded to the news by firing Soshnick on the spot, leaving Lawrence, a lawyer with no criminal experience, to wage the battle alone. 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. In 2002, New Yorks Supreme Court rejected Rifkins appeal of his convictions for the murder of nine women. Elaines boyfriend had resisted her earlier suggestion to change his name, but now hes ready to make a switch. He wasn't driving erratically or doing anything odd. His fantasies about strangling women became more frequent. (Oxygen). 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. Many of the victims were never even reported missing, and so police were unaware of the scope of the killing spree.