There was no emotion whatsoever. When she was dead, he considered raping her corpse in conscious emulation of serial killer Ted Bundy, but the prospect repulsed him. Is there less than 10? they asked Rifkin, Corcoran said. The site he chose was an illegal dump, 200 feet off Rockaway Boulevard, within sight of JFK International Airport. These are more like giant, professionally produced graphic novels. From the Mouth of the Monster. (It was still there, waiting for detectives, at the time of Joels arrest.) Some were dismembered, others were not. "Everybody has some kind of fantasy life, whether it's negative or positive. The Seinfeld team wasted no time trying to churn laughs out of one of New Yorks most horrible mass murderers Rifkin is believed to have killed up to 17 women and is the subject of Oxygens upcoming special Rifkin on Rifkin: Private Confessions of a Serial Killer, airingSaturday, April 10 at 7/6c on Oxygen. 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. I thought of him as a loner, she subsequently told reporters. The victim was prostitute Julie Blackbird, selected for her pseudo-Madonna look. Rifkin drove her home to East Meadow when his mother was again out of town, and they spent the night together. The 21-year-old who was also the mother of a young son had been staying at the time with her grandmother in New York City when she disappeared. Wiles Stabile. "We kept asking him, 'What about this one?'" It worked. Even before he was sentenced, on May 9, 1994, Rifkin was transferred to Suffolk County, pending trial for the Evens and Marquez slayings. Despite finding that Wexner should have excluded Rifkins confession to the Bresciani murder--an argument pursued in vain for five years--the appellate court found overwhelming evidence establishing his guilt and refused to overturn any part of his sentence. 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. The oil drum worked so well for Rifkin that he purchased several more for use as makeshift coffins. I function better in prison. 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. 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. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Although never housed in the prisons general population, Rifkin created enough disruption by his mere presence that administrators moved him into IPC--involuntary protective custody--where prisoners spend 23 hours a day confined to their Spartan cells. Iris Sanchez: Sanchez, 25, was reportedly killed on Mothers Day weekend in 1992. O.J.! Mladinich said he and Rifkin, now 62, wrote to each other regularly until they saw each other again in the fall of 1999. 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.". 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. "Back in the late 80s and early 90s, it really was not hard to get away with such crimes," said Mladinich. The experience soon explodedinto a full-on addiction, as he blew through all his money picking up hundreds of sex workers. Sheriff Teasle hated Rambo because he represented a threat to his own power base. Right?, Oh, he was kind of quiet. I love these neighbors, he continues. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. "There were no cameras on every block. Evens started to undress, then balked, demanding greater privacy. What I found the most interesting was when he said they could also learn how to protect themselves from people like me. He described himself as a wolf in sheeps clothing. 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. or redistributed. Hopewell Police Chief George Meyer tells The Times of Trenton that New York authorities have no interest in prosecuting the case because Rifkin is already behind bars. Some he hid in oil drums, others in blocks of concrete. But Susie has never been identified. 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. One week after he killed Lorraine Orvieto, on January 2, 1992, Rifkin went hunting again. They opened the truck and found Bresciani. Joel Rifkin was someone who was used to being invisible. As much as I say I wanted to stop, there probably wouldve been others, he admitted. Her case remained unsolved until Rifkin confessed in 1993. At 39, Mary Ann Holloman was his oldest victim, an addict who sewed personalized G-strings for strippers when she wasnt working the streets. Featuring specials about fearsome and fascinating serial killers, its a cant-miss event for true crime fans. A formal suppression hearing was scheduled for November, but Rifkin had other plans. The coroner blamed her death on a drug overdose, and Jacobs was buried in Potters Field cemetery, unidentified until Rifkin confessed her murder two years later. He kept the pills, along with Orvietos jewelry and ID, as souvenirs of the kill. "Joel was very calm about it," Mladinich continued. (Oxygen). At about nine the next morning, Rifkin recalled completely bugging out, beating Blackbird with a heavy table leg before he strangled her. Rifkin transferred to the state university at Brockport, a Rochester suburb, in fall 1978. Although Rifkin often hired prostitutes in Brooklyn and Manhattan, he lived in East Meadow, a suburban town on Long Island. In early 1994, it was reported that Rifkin had engaged in a jailhouse scuffle with mass murderer Colin Ferguson. He wasn'tcapable of that. Good works notwithstanding, Rifkin had no luck in his bids to escape solitary confinement. 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. Doubling back from there, he returned to Manhattan, pitching the arms and torso into the East River. They also sought to suppress his initial admission of Brescianis murder, made at the time of his arrest, while claiming that police had lacked sufficient probable cause for a legal search of Rifkins truck. Rifkin had dated Williams twice and enjoyed a great time before the final pickup on October 2, 1992. Some were in water. I was just in complete shock that someone like him could be arrested for these crimes. Wexner gave Rifkin 25 years to life for murder, plus two and one-third to seven years on the lesser charge. Bresciani, Julie Blackbird, Lauren Marquez, Mary Catherine Williams, Barbara Jacobs, Yun Lee, Maryann Hollomon, Leah Evens, Violet ONeill, Mary Ellen DeLuca, Lorraine Orvieto, Iris Sanchez, Jenny Soto, and Anna Lopez. However, a drug problem resulted in sex work to feed her addiction, Newsday reported. On the far right is Gonzales'daughter, also named Margarita Gonzales. (Glass Entertainment Group). Her case remained unsolved until Rifkin confessed in 1993. 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. They never kill the neighbor. 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. The couple adopted another child, a daughter, three years later. Joel Rifkins zodiac sign is Aquarius. By the time Rifkin found her, in the predawn hours of June 24, 1993, she was his second hooker of the night--his fourth within two days. 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. Heidi Balch was identified in 2013. "Joel never expressed any remorse whatsoever to me," said Mladinich. She followed Mary Holloman, sometime that winter, dismembered remains consigned to the last of Rifkins oil drums. Most killers stick to one method of disposing the bodies, but his mixturemade it easier for him to go undetected, according to the special. Michael Newton - An Encyclopedia of Modern Serial Killers - Hunting Humans. Well, 17 girls thought that, and now theyre dead.. His mother chose that month to travel out of state, leaving Joel alone in the East Meadow house. As per our current Database, Joel Rifkin is still alive (as per Wikipedia, Last update: May 10, 2020). Her family described Soto as a quiet Brooklyn girl who loved to play with her nieces and nephews but said she had a wilder side when she went into the city. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. These are not the kind of flimsy magazines or tiny paperback novels that you are accustomed to. I was breathing heavily. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Later, he recalled the act as very automatic. 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. alaw enforcement source told The New York Daily News at the time. Click to reveal 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. the New York Daily News reported at the time. JODI ARIAS APPEARED FRIENDLY AFTER TRAVIS ALEXANDERS BRUTAL MURDER, EXPRESSED REMORSE FOR HIS DEATH: DOC, Serial killer Joel Rifkin led cops to the skeleton of one victim at the outskirts of New York City's Kennedy International Airport. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. . The victims who have been identified, from past Newsday coverage: Privacy Policy |Terms of service |Subscription terms |Your ad choices |Cookie Settings |California Privacy Rights |About Us |Contact Newsday |Reprints & permissions |Advertise with Newsday |Help. Lauren Marquez: Marquez, 28, was found dead in Westhampton. And in a moment that really tested the "too soon?" Rifkin started his own landscaping business in April 1991, renting space at a local nursery to store his equipment. The obsession with murder had consumed his life and he began using the rented job site as a way station for corpses in transit. Tragedy plus time equals comedy, so its been said. Credit: Randee Daddona. Joel Rifkin is now serving 203 years to life in the Clinton, N.Y. correctional facility. Welcome to November, the month when, according to some studies, serial killers and mass murderers are most likely to be born. Seventeen women in total were murdered by this shadowy figure but police at the time weren't even aware he existed. Mladinich hopes the documentary will show people to be wary of who they choose to associate with. He placed her body into a 55-gallon oil drum and dumped it into the East River. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, ", JOHN WALSHS SON CALLAHAN EXPLAINS HOW HIS BROTHER ADAM'S MURDER MADE HIM DETERMINED TO CATCH BAD GUYS, Jenny Soto, a victim of serial killer Joel Rifkin. Called The Masseuse, the episode first aired on November 18, 1993. [2] Early life [ edit] Rifkin's birth parents were both young college students and his biological father was an Army veteran. Joel Rifkin was born in in January 20, 1959. Joel Rafkin is still alive. This perfect bound Serial Killer Calendar book includes detailed facts and trivia about serial killers for every day of the year. While 2008s Rambo had John end his wandering, Last Blood sends him back out into the world. Joel Rifkin, New York's most prolific serial killer, is the subject of a new true-crime documentary on Oxygen. "I don't know. 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. Check out our sister site VHS WASTELAND. Tune in on Oxygen April 10 to April 18. Jenny Soto was the fighter, breaking off her fingernails on Rifkins face before he snapped her neck on November 16, 1992. As much as I say I wanted to stop, there probably wouldve been others,Joel Rifkin said of the likelihood he would have continued to kill if he hadnt been caught in 1993. 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. Seven months later, Simpsons name became connected to murder. 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. WebWhen a letter arrives from the army, telling Rory that Dawson is missing in action and presumed dead, her world is shattered. Rifkin consigned her remains to the waters surrounding Manhattan. Theyre perfectionists who enjoy finer things but are not perceived as snobs. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he did it.. 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. Prison officials decided in 1996 that Rifkin was so notorious that his presence in the general prison population could be disruptive. Is The New York Review the same as the New York Review of Books? There was really no coordination between police precincts. 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. Family: He was living with his mother and sister at the time of his arrest. 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. 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. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! According to wikipedia latest update, he is still alive. Drawn to the pickups bed by a foul odor, troopers peeled back a blue tarp and found a womans naked, decomposing corpse. Lorraine Orvieto: Orvieto, 28, disappeared in Dec. 1991. What it gave me was that he liked to be in control. Rifkin was eventually sentenced to 203 years in prison for his horrific string of murders. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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. Jurors agreed with Dietz, deliberating briefly on May 9 before they convicted Rifkin of murder and reckless endangerment (for leading police on the wild car chase). The oil drum was a new kink with Rifkin, used at least four times by his count. The prison van carried him past the high school where he had graduated 16 years before. "RifkinonRifkin: Private Confessions of a Serial Killer". Joel Rifkin had killed 17 women, and now he was driving around with one in the back of his truck. You dont even use a name, its just initials. 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. A Jane Doe victim, thus entombed, was dredged from Newtown Creek, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, on May 13, 1992. disposed of the bodies all over New York state, from a Brooklyn creek to an Orange County town. "He was very matter of fact about it. He bought Williams a fix that night, then tried to choke her when she dozed off in his mothers car. [Sex workers are]easy because they travel a lot. 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. 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. Rifkin was bullied throughout his school years, an experience that left him feeling angry and isolated. Rifkin had just arrived home when his mother demanded her car keys and embarked on a 30-minute shopping trip, with the corpse still in the trunk. He has been married to Iva Rifkin since August 28, 1966. After strangling Lopez in his car, Rifkin drove through the night to Brewster, in Putnam County, and dumped her corpse along I-84. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Rifkin drove her to the same parking lot where he had taken Yun Lee and strangled her during fellatio. Jenny Soto's family. Still, Rifkin liked to vary his technique from time to time. 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. Eugene Corcoran, shown onJune 18, was one of the lead investigators in the Joel Rifkin case. Ahearn saidRifkins lack of concern for his victims haunted him for years and still does. A telephone call from police told 71-year-old Jeanne Rifkin that her son had been detained after a traffic accident. If you are interested in joining our team, contact us at Joel Rifkin Death Fact Check Joel is alive and kicking and is currently 64 years old. The son of unwed teenage parents, born in 1959, Joel was adopted by Ben and Jeanne Rifkin at three weeks of age. Instead, he picked up a souvenir howitzer shell and beat her furiously. He was subtly obnoxious, like his presence annoyed you. Rifkin joined the track team, in an effort to fit in, and was rewarded with the nickname lard ass. Teammates hid his clothes and shoved his head into a toilet bowl. He raged at Joel, Why cant you do anything to please me? Jeanne Rifkin shared her love of gardening and photography with Joel oblivious to his torment by peers. Please enter valid email address to continue. (Photo by Neil Schneider/New York Post Archives /(c) NYP Holdings, Inc. via Getty Images). Nonetheless, after Ben Rifkin died by suicide in 1987, one year after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, Joel chose to remember his father as a loving parent when he was delivering his eulogy. In case there is such a thing as reincarnation, I want you to spend your second life in prison.. Rifkin responded to the news by firing Soshnick on the spot, leaving Lawrence, a lawyer with no criminal experience, to wage the battle alone. Featuring specials about fearsome and fascinating serial killers, its a cant-miss event for true crime fans. Mladinich, Robert. Instead of keeping him away from prostitutes, the incident made him more devious. Prosecutor Fred Klein described Rifkin as a killing machine who acted in deliberate, premediated and methodical ways to carry out his gruesome murders. Tune in on Oxygen April 10 to April 18. Success breeds repetition. In 2002, New Yorks Supreme Court rejected Rifkins appeal of his convictions for the murder of nine women. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. 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. 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. 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. In 1989, Rifkin picked up a sex worker named "Susie." He kept her credit cards and a wicker handbag filled with costume jewelry--so much, in fact, that the amount would briefly cause detectives to inflate his body count. With Joel Rifkin, Julian Attaway, Robert Mladinich, Sean Ruane. The recordingsof their conversations are the focus of the special, as Rifkin's horrific killing spree is explored. Aside from books and magazines (no more than 10 per isolation cell), Rifkin had lawsuits to amuse himself. Rifkin initially claimed he had blacked out, but soon admitted that Bresciani had not been his only victim. Crack addict Mary Ellen DeLuca, a 22-year-old Long Island native, was last seen alive at 11:00 p.m. on September 1, 1991, when she left a group of friends to earn the price of her next fix. When told his truck had no rear license plate, Rifkin assured the officers it had been present when he left his home, some 40 minutes earlier. Rifkins first attempt at higher education took him to Nassau Community College, on Long Island. There was none of that. According to the documentary, Rifkin picked up hundreds of sex workersand he eventually left college before finishing. 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. Rifkins first victim of 1993 was Leah Evens, a 28-year-old who lived with her mother in Brooklyn. (Robert Mladinich), "I wanted to reach out to him right away after the arrest," Mladinich told Fox News. Before the trial, Lawrence said, Rifkin established a better rapport with the prosecution psychiatrist, serial killer expert Eliot Park Dietz, than he did with his own mental health expert, forensic psychologist Barbara Kirwin of Huntington. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. They also found a blood-stained wheelbarrow and chainsaw at the residence. This massive 8.5 x 11 perfect bound book contains over 150 pages of rare interviews, letters, documents, transcripts, art and articles about serial killer, John Wayne Gacy. "Oh! This addictioncrippled him, as he had to to leavecollege before finishing and was unable to ever really hold down a job. 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. SERIAL KILLER MAGAZINE is an official release of the talented artists and writers at SerialKillerCalendar.com. O.J. 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. do i need an appointment for secretary of state, royal family kids camp,