BOB STRONG/AFP/Getty Images Trending News "You know, I first learned he was accused of being a serial killer while I was on the Long Island Expressway," he recalled. You just wonder about how someone could do what he did and not have any feeling for it, Ahearn said. Each giant issue is perfect bound and chock full of true crime articles, artwork, letters, documents and more. Anna Lopez: Lopezs nude body was found May 25, 1992 in a wooded area off Interstate 84 in Putnam County, according to The New York Times. Officers staked out the house in East Meadow, where Rifkin lived with his sister and elderly mother. If Ahearn got the location wrong of where he picked up a victim, he said Rifkin became indignant . Troopers detected an odor from the back of the truck. / CBS/AP. "Everybody has some kind of fantasy life, whether it's negative or positive. His guide enabled police all over the metropolitan area to find bodies they didnt know existed or to explain how and why bodies had been found earlier. Crossing the Line. 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 also includes the best true crime artwork from around the world. Seventeen women in total were murdered by this shadowy figure but police at the time weren't even aware he existed. Rifkins last victim, Tiffany Bresciani, was another southern girl. "The only difference is that within 20 minutes, we started talking about murder and mayhem. 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. Eugene Corcoran, shown onJune 18, was one of the lead investigators in the Joel Rifkin case. Aside from books and magazines (no more than 10 per isolation cell), Rifkin had lawsuits to amuse himself. After sex, he strangled her to death. I think its a wake-up call that there could be lots of Joel Rifkin'swalking around.". (It was still there, waiting for detectives, at the time of Joels arrest.) Ahearn saidRifkins lack of concern for his victims haunted him for years and still does. After strangling Lopez in his car, Rifkin drove through the night to Brewster, in Putnam County, and dumped her corpse along I-84. Joel Rifkin Joel picked her up on July 13, 1991, and took her home to East Meadow for sex. That was an experience, because Joel aside from the pathological issues had some smarts about him, Lawrence said. In this exclusive sneak peek from April 10's new Oxygen special, Rifkin on Rifkin: Private Confessions of a Serial Killer, Joel Rifkin detailed a murder he committed. Iris Sanchez: Sanchez, 25, was reportedly killed on Mothers Day weekend in 1992. 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. Within weeks, Rifkin faced murder charges not only in Nassau but in the numerous other counties where he had dumped other victims. The New York Times Next Up Episode 5: Oak Beach Another colleague chimes in, adding Hey, Elaine, listen. Instead, he picked up a souvenir howitzer shell and beat her furiously. Oh please, please, please change your name to O.J.! The couple was so happy with their son that they repeated the procedure, with a daughter, three years later. He said he told Rifkin, This is someone who is not trying to work with you and help you. It didn't help matters that he was constantly seeking his father's approval, too. He was easy to make fun of.. Your IP: Credit: Jessica Rotkiewicz. Yun Lee: Authorities believe Lee, 31, was strangled to death on September 23, 1991, Thought Co. reports. (Photo by Andrew Savulich/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images). One girl duped him twice, using the same ruse both times to flee with his cash before sex. With this information, they were able to identify even more of his victims, the New York Times reported. The rest would be revealed to her on television, hours later, when detectives laid the outline of their case before the media. 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. Throughout his trial and incarceration, Rifkin still could not explain one thing: why. Thats why he volunteered to have brain scans whenever they became available and he was willing to talk to mental health professionals. Exclusive: Inside The Mind Of A Serial Killer - CBS New York Rifkin was sentenced to 203 years to life in prison and he is not eligible for parole until 2197. It was finally too much. From breaking news to special features and documentaries, the NewsdayTV team is covering the issues that matter to you. All rights reserved. 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. 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. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Out of the 17 women Rifkin said he murdered, two have yet to be identified. In June of that year, he murdered Bresciani, a 22-year-old who left Louisiana for Los Angeles before arriving inNew York. He took really terrific photos and had an attractive artistic side. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The whole focus of my life, he later said, was on the streets. Even there he proved inept, robbed by hookers or their pimps at least a dozen times. Legal Statement. According to the special, he killed 16 more sex workers. The experience quickly led toan addiction. Currently, Joel Rifkin is 64 years, 1 months and 12 days old. In 1988 Rifkin enrolled in a two-year horticulture-study program at the State College of Technology in Farmingdale, New York. Another 31-year-old victim, Korean hooker Yun Lee, was fished out of the East River on September 23, her body folded inside a steamer trunk. 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. 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. Rifkin on Rifkin: Private Confessions of a Serial Killer Premieres Saturday, April 10th, At first he was telling us like he didnt know anything about the body in the back of the car and then he was basically saying that he knew she was there but he doesnt know what happened, former New York State Police Trooper Sean Ruane told, When police later searched his mothers home, they found a treasure trove of mementos that Rifkin had saved from his victims,including drivers licenses, their underwear, jewelry, and other trophies, according to a 2018. Her body was discovered in Cornwall in October 1991, a month after she had been reported missing by her family. Lees ex-husband identified the body, sparing her from an unmarked grave. In the trunk was the decaying body of his last victim. While 2008s Rambo had John end his wandering, Last Blood sends him back out into the world. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. 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. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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 drove to the Hudson River, dropping her into the water near a cement plant. Revenge, jealousy usually theres some human connection [in a murder]. Featuring specials about fearsome and fascinating serial killers, its a cant-miss event for true crime fans. Rifkin told Dietz in detail how he planned his killings, how he avoided detection, how he got sexual gratification from both the killings and the victims personal effects much to Lawrences dismay. 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. Simpson. He remembered her tattoos, a pickup in Manhattan, and the way she fought for life when he began to strangle her. Classmates dubbed him The Turtle, after his slouching posture and slow gait. And Rifkin told WCBS-TV in 2011 that his victim count would have likely been much higher if he hadnt been arrested in 1993. They could see part of a hand and the head of Rifkins finalvictim. Please ignore rumors and hoaxes. 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. Rifkin committed his first murder in 1989, killing a prostitute, dismembering her body and tossing it into the East River. And Rifkin told WCBS-TV in 2011 that his victim count would have likely been much higher if he hadnt been arrested in 1993. I wouldn't sleep with my back to him if I were you, cracks a colleague. "Joel was very calm about it," Mladinich continued. 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. Known as Joel the Ripper, he murdered and dismembered at least nine women in New York. At 39, Mary Ann Holloman was his oldest victim, an addict who sewed personalized G-strings for strippers when she wasnt working the streets. They enjoy helping others and are good companions until someone close crosses them, then look out! Script writer Peter Mehlman had clearly read reports about how the serial killer was captured. He wanted to know why he lacked that empathy and humanity. I couldnt put two nickels together, Rifkin recalled of those years, and most of what he did earn went to prostitutes. Williams would fill another nameless paupers grave until Rifkin confessed to her murder, six months after she was found. Every issue of Serial Killer Magazine, every Ultimate Collection, trainscript, FBI file and more! Joel Rifkin Rifkin's other victims includeTiffanyBresciani, 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,according to a 2018 Newsday article. ", Joel Rifkin is currently serving a life sentence. "He always seemed like he was slower or a step behind," Fred Reiter, who lived next door to Rifkin in East Meadow, New Yorkgrowing up, recalls in the special. Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines for April 9, Prince Harry's 'attacks' on 'villain' Camilla led to Frogmore Cottage eviction: expert, Film industry reacts to death of 'Saving Private Ryan' star Tom Sizemore: 'You're a legend', Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves take bumpy second flight after 'CHAOS' on Lufthansa plane: 'Wish me luck', Kelsey Grammer wont apologize for the 'difference' that Jesus has made in his life, Person roaming in 'Scream' Ghostface costume prompts multiple police calls. 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. Fred Klein, shown in his office at Hofstra Universityon June 13, was the lead Nassau County prosecutor in the Joel Rifkincase. Check out our sister site VHS WASTELAND. 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. They didn't realizeone man was targeting sex workers in New York City. That one was easy.' "There were no cameras on every block. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Jenny Soto was the last victim of 1992, a 23-year-old addict whose many trips to detox never turned her life around. In the trunk was the decaying body of his last victim. He is referenced in a "Seinfeld" episode in which Elaine, played by Julia Louis Dreyfus, is embarrassed to be dating a man who shares a serial killer's name. Afraid to drag the corpse out in broad daylight, he drew inspiration from Hitchcocks Frenzy and went out to purchase a cheap steamer trunk, squeezing DeLuca inside it. Rifkin was dispassionate, referring to the murders as events or incidents, listing his victims by number. 202.3.109.12 Why not? Sometimes he would take his victims back to East Meadow, to the house where he lived with his sister and elderly mother. Rifkin could not recall the name of number six, murdered a few days shy of Christmas 1991. Lawrence said preparing for hearings and the trial with Rifkin was bizarre. Life could only get better, he reasoned. There was none of that. 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. He was deployed to South Vietnam in September of 1966 with the 101st Airborne, which he would complete two tours of duty with. She hailed from Metairie, Louisiana, and had been drawn to New York by dreams of acting or dancing. He shared his mothers enthusiasm for photography and handicrafts, a brainy child who never quite fit in with other kids his age. Throughout the 1980s, Rifkin worked a series of odd jobs around Long Island, seldom staying long at any. Still, Rifkin liked to vary his technique from time to time. If theres a serial killer loose in your neighborhood, it seems like the safest thing is to be the neighbor, he says. Evens had been the daughter of a civil court judge and had once attended Sarah Lawrence College. New York. The appointment was an honor, and it had an unexpected bonus. It was the smell of death, and it would linger long after the source had been removed. Soto also had a past record for prostitution, but her family insisted she had been getting her life together before she was killed. 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. she suggested, inspired by O.J. "Oh! Elaines boyfriend had resisted her earlier suggestion to change his name, but now hes ready to make a switch. As he strangled her, Rifkin recalled, She did nothing, just accepted it. He remembered her murder as one of the weird ones.. Rambo hasnt died and he hasnt found some sort of peace in his life that means hes going to stop fighting. Legal Statement. "He was very matter of fact about it. Whats in a name? With Rifkins detailed confession, investigators got to work. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Violet ONeill, a 21-year-old prostitute, was the first victim Rifkin had taken home to East Meadow in nearly a year. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Midway through the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Fred Klein offered Rifkin a sweetheart deal--46 years to life on all 17 murders, in return for a blanket guilty plea--but Rifkin refused the bargain, apparently convinced that he would be acquitted on grounds of insanity. Rifkin didnt stop after his first murder. 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. During the course of the episode, Rifkin underwent a brain scan to see if abnormal brain chemistry could have possibly made him more likely to commit murder. This includes ebooks of every book and magazine on the site. Joel delivered a eulogy at his fathers funeral, moving the mourners to tears, and his depression deepened.