After listless sex, Susie again asked Joel to take her out in search of drugs. Mary Catherine Williams was number 13, Joels omission of her name confusing police and some reporters into citing Williams as an 18th victim. Prison officials decided in 1996 that Rifkin was so notorious that his presence in the general prison population could be disruptive. He was vague on dates, different reports placing the crime 14 months after Susies murder, or late in 1990. 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. When they signaled for him to pull over, Rifkin kept driving. The wild chase was on. A shy, awkward child, he was a target for bullies. Back at the landscaping lot, Rifkin stuffed her into an oil drum, drove her body to Brooklyn and dropped it into Coney Island Creek. This perfect bound Serial Killer Calendar book includes detailed facts and trivia about serial killers for every day of the year. On the far right is Gonzales'daughter, also named Margarita Gonzales. Rifkin transferred to the state university at Brockport, a Rochester suburb, in fall 1978. ", I wanted to be normal. Jenny Soto was the last victim of 1992, a 23-year-old addict whose many trips to detox never turned her life around. Why not? 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. Whats in a name? We used him, to be blunt about it, one of them recalled, years later. And she had fake nails and those were ripped off when she fought him.. The break came in 2013 when investigators discovered that Balch, who had been reported missing by her aunt in 2001, had also used the name Susan Spencer. They were able to successfully match her to the remains, according to the AP. Featuring specials about fearsome and fascinating serial killers, its a cant-miss event for true crime fans. Police learned their mistake a year later, when Rifkin confessed to her slaying, but number nine remains anonymous, the last Jane Doe. Sotos grim fight for life gave Rifkin pause. Family members of his victims either could not be reached or declined to comment. He was confined to his cell at the Attica Correctional Facility for 23 hours a day. Despite his history of morbid fantasy, Rifkin would later claim he had to plan the murder of his first victim, in March 1989. He kind of leaned back and said, One or 100, whats the difference? Corcoran said. Birthday: January 20, 1959 How Old - Age: 64 Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. His lawyer argued that his statements to the police at the time of his arrest should be suppressed because he had not been informed of his rights. The killing game was over, but the quest for justice had only begun. This guy seems like the real deal.". These are not the kind of tiny paperback novels that you are accustomed to. 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. There was no emotion whatsoever. I just lost control, he said later. They didn't realizeone man was targeting sex workers in New York City. He then dismembered her body, leaving her head at a New Jersey golf course, where it was quickly found, according to the AP. WebRon Rifkin was born on October 31, 1939 in New York City, New York, USA. His lawyer Bob Sale sought to have Rifkins confession thrown out on grounds that police could not prove he was ever advised of his rights. Joel dismembered her body into the East River. Curiously, though, the driver of the pickup did not stop. 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. New York State's most prolific serial killer might not have been discovered on a hot summer night 25 years ago if the license plate on his pickup truck had not fallen off, authorities say. She was missing one earring, later found in Rifkins bedroom stash. In custody, Rifkin soon began confessing to other homicides, a total of seventeen, including Bresciani. (Photo by Neil Schneider/New York Post Archives /(c) NYP Holdings, Inc. via Getty Images). WebJoel Rifkin was born in in January 20, 1959. The remains were never found. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Some he hid in oil drums, others in blocks of concrete. 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. Please ignore rumors and hoaxes. 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. 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. The New York Times Next Up Episode 5: Oak Beach (It was still there, waiting for detectives, at the time of Joels arrest.) 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. Rambo: The Franchises 10 Most Brutal Kills. Mladinich said he and Rifkin, now 62, wrote to each other regularly until they saw each other again in the fall of 1999. In its year in review, Newsday described 1993 as Long Islands own annus horribilis the year that violence, abuse, bloody mayhem and sexual perversion tore at the fabric of Nassau and Suffolk Counties suburban life.. There, Rifkin testified himself in a pretrial hearing to contest that his confession was voluntary. 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. Lawrence said he paid an enormous toll, starting with the day of the conviction. The murderous rampage of notorious Long Island serial killer Rifkin came to an end. About to leave, he was confronted by patrolmen who accused him of illegal dumping, but Joel persuaded them he was collecting junk instead. "Water is harder to investigate than land because it washes everything," he said. Five months after Rifkin was caught, "Seinfeld" released an episode titled "The Masseuse" in which Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is dating a man named Joel Rifkin (Anthony Cistaro) at the same time the murderer was drawing headlines. I thought of him as a loner, she subsequently told reporters. Joel Rifkin was born in in January 20, 1959. 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. Legal Statement. He held down various odd jobs, spending much of the little money he made on prostitutes. Jenny Soto's family. They opened the truck and found Bresciani. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. Except for his grades, Joel was the stereotypical nerd, in glasses and high-water pants with white socks. ", 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. Long Island psychiatrist Barbara Kirwin deemed Rifkins psychological test results the most pathological she had seen in 20 years of practice. Rifkins father was chronically ill. A heavy smoker, already afflicted with emphysema, Bernard was diagnosed with prostate cancer in fall 1986. 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. A 9 a.m. media report cleared up the mystery, and Jeanne phoned her lawyer, who referred her to criminal attorney Robert Sale. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. In an exclusive 2011 interview with CBS-2's Mary Calvi, Rifkin talked about his killing spree. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. One drivers license belonged to Mary DeLuca, found dead in Cornwall, New York, in October 1991. 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. Credit: AP/Pool Photo/ Bill Turnbull. They were probably alone on the streets, but not in the world.. Market data provided by Factset. He will be eligible for parole in 2197. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. That explained Rifkins use of Noxema. Some were dismembered, others were not. It didnt fully come home to me what was happening until later., Things went from bad to worse at East Meadow High School. I couldnt put two nickels together, Rifkin recalled of those years, and most of what he did earn went to prostitutes. 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. Orvieto, 28, disappeared in Dec. 1991. Rifkin's lawsuit seeks $50,000 for each of his 1,540 days in solitary confinement (totaling $77 million). Police finally caught up to Rifkin in June 1993, when state troopers spotted his pickup truck without license plates on the Southern State Parkway. You just wonder about how someone could do what he did and not have any feeling for it, Ahearn said. (Photo by Andrew Savulich/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images). Joel Rifkin Death Fact Check Joel is alive and kicking and is currently 64 years old. Rifkin didnt stop after his first murder. 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. By Becca van Sambeck & Oxygen Staff From 1989 to 1993, a Jenny Soto: Jenny Soto'sbody later washed up along the rocks of the Harlem River in November of 1992. Three were in oil drums. He maintained his interest in photography and horticulture, but failed to make either a paying proposition. 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 1988 Rifkin enrolled in a two-year horticulture-study program at the State College of Technology in Farmingdale, New York. Credit: Jessica Rotkiewicz. Pulitzer, Lisa, and Joan Swirsky. If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) . Mary Catherine Williams, 31, was linked to Rifkin after some of her credit cards were found among Rifkins belongings, according to a, She had pieces of skin under her fingernails, her sister Margarita Gonzales told, in 1993. 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). Buoyed perhaps by that effort, in August 1999 Rifkin unveiled his plans for Oholah House, a proposed shelter for prostitutes that would include drug treatment, counseling, medical care and job training. Sheriff Teasle hated Rambo because he represented a threat to his own power base. Rambo: Last Blood is currently in theaters. Check out our sister site VHS WASTELAND. He had an I.Q. 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. Rifkin launched into great detail about each of the 17 women he killed, even drawing maps of where the bodies were. He would be eligible for parole only in 2197, at the age of 238. He offered no resistance as police removed him from the pickup, frisked him for weapons and removed an X-acto knife from his pocket. Actually, he later said, I thought I liked her.. It is chock full of artwork, rare documents, FBI files and in depth articles regarding serial murder. Every issue of Serial Killer Magazine, every Ultimate Collection, trainscript, FBI file and more! This is a savings of over $100! 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. Infamous New York mass murderer Joel Rifkin was caught in June 1993. 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. Rifkin believed his victim would never be found, but he had been careless. And Rifkin told WCBS-TV in 2011 that his victim count would have likely been much higher if he hadnt been arrested in 1993. Tragedy plus time equals comedy, so its been said. A childless couple from Upstate New York, Bernard and Jeanne Rifkin, adopted him on Valentines Day and named him Joel David. Each giant issue is perfect bound and chock full of true crime articles, artwork, letters, documents and more. We know Blackbirds fate today only from Rifkins confession, and from her diary stashed in his bedroom. Rifkin then asked for paper, a pen, a map and a calendar, and wrote out a list of 17 victims, how he killed them and where he left them. Lawrence said preparing for hearings and the trial with Rifkin was bizarre. ", 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. In 1965, the family settled in East Meadow, New York, where Rifkin would spend most of his remaining years. "You know, I first learned he was accused of being a serial killer while I was on the Long Island Expressway," he recalled. . Over the next four years, he killed 16 more prostitutes. Theyre never disturbed by the sounds of murdering, just stereo. A Jane Doe victim, thus entombed, was dredged from Newtown Creek, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, on May 13, 1992. Thanks to its ruling planet Mars and the fact it belongs to the element of Fire (just like Leo and Sagittarius), Aries is one of the most active zodiac signs. He is an actor, known for Alias (2001), L.A. Lauren Marquez: Marquez, 28, was found dead in Westhampton. Joel Rifkin is a member of Criminal Does Joel Rifkin Dead or Alive? Rifkin had been bludgeoning or strangling women for five years, dismembering some of them. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Known as Joel the Ripper, he murdered and dismembered at least nine women in New York. Rifkins first two victims have never been found or identified. Not much with that one. He followed the same disposal procedure as with Orvieto: back to Long Island, the oil drum and Coney Island Creek. Joel Rifkin was one of the worst serial killers in New York's history, suspected of killing as many as 17 women between 1989 and 1993. Joel picked her up on July 13, 1991, and took her home to East Meadow for sex. Jane Doe #2: A second unidentified woman was killed some time during 1991. This huge, perfect bound copy of SERIAL KILLER MAGAZINE is chock full of artwork, rare documents, trivia and in depth articles regarding serial murder. 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. Tragedy plus time equals comedy, so its been said. Hikers found her on May 9 after they spied a withered hand protruding from the ground. 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. 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. Rifkin said. ", VIRGINIAS HORRIFYING COLONIAL PARKWAY MURDERS CAN STILL BE SOLVED DECADES LATER WITH NEW LEADS, DOC REVEALS, According to Joel Rifkin, it was a '25-cent mistake' that finally led to his capture. 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. Simpson. ", "If I didnt kill them, they would have died anyhow. O.J.! Good works notwithstanding, Rifkin had no luck in his bids to escape solitary confinement. Rifkins last victim, Tiffany Bresciani, was another southern girl. Joel David Rifkin (born January 20, 1959) is an American serial killer convicted of the murder of 9 women (although it is believed he killed as many as 17), mostly drug addicted prostitutes, between 1989 and 1993 in New York City. What is the current air quality in Salem Oregon? I had sex with her, and then I killed her. 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. She had pieces of skin under her fingernails, her sister Margarita Gonzales told The Associated Press in 1993. 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. At age 33, Anna Lopez had three children by three different fathers, but she worked the streets primarily to feed her own cocaine addiction. Hes not evil. [Sex workers are]easy because they travel a lot. 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. Despite a tested IQ of 128, Joel did poorly in school, at least part of his problem traceable to the merciless teasing of class-mates. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. In the trunk was the decaying body of his last victim. , After the Giant game, he says, I realized that this this problem isn't going away.. 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. 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. 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. Even the parents of his victims didnt seem to miss Rifkins prey. Her body was never recovered. And she had fake nails and those were ripped off when she fought him.. He placed her body into a 55-gallon oil drum and dumped it into the East River. Her body was thrown into the East River. Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com. He didnt speed up, either, but he kept on driving. / CBS/AP. Three months later, he killed Leah Evens and left her in rural Northampton, where her skeleton was found on Mothers Day. The crowd stops cheering and squirm, while Elaine does damage control. I stopped when I got tired.. I picked her up on Allen Street in Manhattan. So altogether that makes 299 kills by one man so far, and theres still two more films to come. Joels parents gave him a car that year, and he used it to troll for prostitutes, first in nearby Hempstead, later in Manhattan. It seemed like the only people who noticed him were his childhood tormenters,he thought. She had been the mother of two children. Eugene Corcoran, shown onJune 18, was one of the lead investigators in the Joel Rifkin case. 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. And in a moment that really tested the "too soon?" 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. He was living with his mother and sister at the time of his arrest. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Most of Rifkins 20 paintings and sketches depicted wildlife or flowers, but one--titled Guardians Failure--showed a bare foot with a coroners toe tag and an angel weeping in the corner. As before, Joel cut most of his classes, focused for the most part on repairing his truck, renting video porn and trolling for prey. It was hell from day one. Credit: Randee Daddona. Instead of keeping him away from prostitutes, the incident made him more devious. She fought him, resisting strangulation until he snapped her neck. It is in their nature to take action, sometimes before they think about it well. Click to reveal Still, Rifkin liked to vary his technique from time to time. Joel Rifkin murdered17 women, making him New York's deadliest serial killer. But that all change in 1993 after Rifkin said he made a "25 cent mistake. In 1965, the family settled in East Meadow, where Joel would spend most of his remaining years. 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). Market data provided by Factset. He was very interested in horticulture and interned at the Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park. During his trial, Rifkin was represented by Mineola-based attorney John Lawrence. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa. He bought Williams a fix that night, then tried to choke her when she dozed off in his mothers car. Orval was killed by John Rambo after he went into the mountains with his bloodhounds, which he went to use to hunt Rambo down. There was really no coordination between police precincts. Revenge, jealousy usually theres some human connection [in a murder]. 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. If you are interested in joining our team, contact us at At the police station, Rifkin was asked if he had killed anybody else. In the documentary, readers will learn how Rifkin was a meek, mild-mannered child. He never relishedtalking about these horrible crimes. "Some people viewed him as an oddball. In February 1987, Rifkin's adoptive father committed suicide to end the pain of cancer, thereby increasing Rifkins depression. How far is Las Vegas from the California coast? Out in the garage, they found a wheelbarrow and a chainsaw stained with human gore. Scattering the remains throughout New York also made it less likely for authorities to notice a pattern. 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. Ruane and Spaargaren called for backup as they pursued their quarry at nearly 90 miles an hour. June 29, 1993. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Rifkin was bullied throughout his school years, an experience that left him feeling angry and isolated. He used the next one on Lorraine Orvieto, a 28-year-old manic-depressive who tried to control her mood swings with cocaine. 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. There was ample room for Jane Doe in the barrel, safely hidden for their ride to the South Bronx, where Rifkin found a district rife with junkyards and rolled her into the East River. . Portions of her remains were later discovered inside an oil drum in New Creek in Brooklyn, according to ThoughtCo. 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. 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. June 29, 1993. "Back in the late 80s and early 90s, it really was not hard to get away with such crimes," said Mladinich. We have to be more aware when we see people who have been exposed to so much meanness, so much emotional brutality, physical brutality.
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