He was charged with killing his ex-wife and her friend. A panel of seven men and five women was seated nine days later, with opening arguments begun on April 20. As he strangled her, Rifkin recalled, She did nothing, just accepted it. He remembered her murder as one of the weird ones.. clothing, jewelry, drivers licenses, library cards, and credit cards belonging to approximately 10 women. Today, Joel Rifkin is 60 years old and serving his life sentence at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York. It was really unnerving., Marie Alonso, left,mother of Joel Rifkin victim Anna Lopez, shares an emotional moment with Margarita Gonzales,mother of victim Jenny Soto, outside of Nassau County Court in Mineolaon July 7, 1993. 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. He said he disposed of the bodies in threes. He drifted in and out of jobs, mostly living at home, enjoying one brief relationship with a girl who recalls him as sweet, but always depressed. Because Kramer has no ID on him, the box office employee has to use the public address system. 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. Family: He was living with his mother and sister at the time of his arrest. 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. 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 CNN in 2018. Even before he was sentenced, on May 9, 1994, Rifkin was transferred to Suffolk County, pending trial for the Evens and Marquez slayings. Joel would not strike again for 15 weeks, and when he did, he would take better care to hide his tracks. He picked her up on West 46th Street in Manhattan and strangled her in his car during oral sex, describing the event as very quick. Afterward, he drove back to Long Island with the body slumped beside him, concealing her under a tarp at his rented workplace. She hailed from Metairie, Louisiana, and had been drawn to New York by dreams of acting or dancing. Lorraine Orvieto, age twenty-eight, was strangled by Rifkin a few days before Christmas, jammed in a 55-gallon oil drum and dropped into Coney Island Creek, where her body would remain undiscovered for over six months. 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. According to wikipedia latest update, he is still alive. 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. 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. Rifkin was sentenced to 203 years to life in prison and he is not eligible for parole until 2197. Why not? He didn't wet the bed or torture animals or start fires. 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. 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.". Well, 17 girls thought that, and now theyre dead.. I couldn't function in the real world then. On July 14 of that year, 31-year-old Barbara Jacobs was found, strangled and rotting, in the Hudson River; her body had been wedged inside a plastic bag, then forced into a cardboard box. Known as Joel the Ripper, he murdered and dismembered at least nine women in New York. WebWhen a letter arrives from the army, telling Rory that Dawson is missing in action and presumed dead, her world is shattered. In case there is such a thing as reincarnation, I want you to spend your second life in prison.. Joel Rifkin murdered17 women, making him New York's deadliest serial killer. Mladinich hopes the documentary will show people to be wary of who they choose to associate with. In the trunk was the decaying body of his last victim. DNA tests confirmed her identity. Back at the landscaping lot, Rifkin stuffed her into an oil drum, drove her body to Brooklyn and dropped it into Coney Island Creek. "Leah was not a throwaway," Evans' friend tearfully says in the special. In 2010, Rifkin was interviewed by ABC's Martin Bashir as part of the Nightline Prime mini-series, Secrets of Your Mind. These are more like giant, professionally produced graphic novels. The argument over whose killings were better reportedly ended when Ferguson punched Rifkin in the mouth. In March 1989, Rifkin, who admitted he had often fantasized about strangling women during sex, turned his disturbing ideas into reality. Jenny Soto is one of Joel Rifkin's victims. State and local detectives found Balch's aunt in New York, who identified her picture this month. Rifkin started his own landscaping business in April 1991, renting space at a local nursery to store his equipment. However, a drug problem resulted in sex work to feed her addiction, Newsday reported. Rifkins first two victims have never been found or identified. Her torso surfaced in the Hudson River, wrapped in black plastic, while her arms and legs were found in a discarded suitcase. One girl duped him twice, using the same ruse both times to flee with his cash before sex. Joel Rifkin is now serving 203 years to life in the Clinton, N.Y. correctional facility. Rifkin's prison life In early 1994, it was reported that Rifkin had engaged in a jailhouse scuffle with mass murderer Colin Ferguson. Your IP: It did change me personally, he said. Joel Rafkin is still alive. Evens had been the daughter of a civil court judge and had once attended Sarah Lawrence College. Jenny Soto was the last victim of 1992, a 23-year-old addict whose many trips to detox never turned her life around. I function better in prison. Whatever their employment status, there was no doubt of the body count--unless, some officers suggested, Rifkins estimate was low. Simpson wouldnt be associated with murder that truly makes it one of the worst aged jokes in sitcom history. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. At age 33, Anna Lopez had three children by three different fathers, but she worked the streets primarily to feed her own cocaine addiction. Crossing the Line. With Rifkins detailed confession, investigators got to work. How far is Las Vegas from the California coast? I dont think I could now. Oxygens Serial Killer Week brings viewers inside the minds of the most notorious criminals of all time. Joel Rifkin was born in in January 20, 1959. An odor in Rifkin's truck led to the discovery of a body. Michael Ahearn, then the chief of the Suffolk district attorneys Homicide Bureau, recalled how Rifkin continually corrected him during cross-examination. She would not be found until June 1993, when Rifkin drew detectives a map. He used the next one on Lorraine Orvieto, a 28-year-old manic-depressive who tried to control her mood swings with cocaine. By Becca van Sambeck & Oxygen Staff From 1989 to 1993, a Joel Rifkin, and I am dating Joel Rifkin, laments Elaine, whose coworkers have gotten wind of the creepy coincidence. WebRifkin was found guilty of nine murders in 1994 and sentenced to 203 years to life. He shared his mothers enthusiasm for photography and handicrafts, a brainy child who never quite fit in with other kids his age. He was confined to his cell at the Attica Correctional Facility for 23 hours a day. 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. He killed mostly prostitutes and drug addicts; he was convicted of nine murders, although he is believed to have killed many more. "And a lot of them are dangerous people. He drove to the Hudson River, dropping her into the water near a cement plant. A formal suppression hearing was scheduled for November, but Rifkin had other plans. Soto also had a past record for prostitution, but her family insisted she had been getting her life together before she was killed. Life could only get better, he reasoned. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Eugene Corcoran, shown onJune 18, was one of the lead investigators in the Joel Rifkin case. They could see part of a hand and the head of Rifkins finalvictim. His trial lawyer, John Lawrence of Mineola, planned an insanity defense, but that allowed Klein to introduce evidence of all of Rifkins murders. After sex, he reportedly bludgeoned her with a Howtizer artillery shell and strangled her to death. We were out every night, her 16-year-old sister Jessy Olmedo said at the time. 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. So altogether that makes 299 kills by one man so far, and theres still two more films to come. 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. Fred Klein,the major offense prosecutor on call, drove to the scene. Seven months later, Simpsons name became connected to murder. According to Robert Mladinich in From the Mouth of the Monster, Joels fantasies included some bondage and some rape, plus a gladiator type thing with two girls that would fight to the death. In some daydreams he raped and stabbed women, but his fantasy victims were silent, just passive about it. After a 1972 viewing of Alfred Hitchcocks Frenzy, loosely based on Londons Jack the Ripper homicides of 1964-65, he fixated on strangling prostitutes. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The murder, detectives gathered, was not his first. Even the parents of his victims didnt seem to miss Rifkins prey. He managed to completely slip by unnoticed while committing the most vicious rampage New York had ever seen,capitalizing on his own non-threatening anonymity and pursuingvictims who tended to fall through the cracks of society. 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. Her body was later found in an oil drum in Coney Island Creek, according to ThoughtCo. She was a prostitute, he told the officers. 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. He was still so tense when he got out of his car that he said he sprained his back. 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. After sex, he strangled her to death. Orval was killed by John Rambo after he went into the mountains with his bloodhounds, which he went to use to hunt Rambo down. He was vague on dates, different reports placing the crime 14 months after Susies murder, or late in 1990. Julie Blackbird: Rifkin killed again about 16 months later, after picking up Julie Blackbird in 1990 and bringing her back to his home. Serial killer Joel Rifkin led cops to the skeleton of one victim at the outskirts of New York City's Kennedy International Airport. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Joel Rifkin was someone who was used to being invisible. Jenny Soto was the fighter, breaking off her fingernails on Rifkins face before he snapped her neck on November 16, 1992. That was an experience, because Joel aside from the pathological issues had some smarts about him, Lawrence said. Another time, Rifkin made it as far as a local pizza parlor with his date, but the same bullies chased them out, pursuing the couple on foot until Joel and the girl found refuge in a public library. Three were in oil drums. After Rifkin was convicted in Nassau, he was sent to Suffolk where he faced two murder charges. In 1965, the family settled in East Meadow, where Joel would spend most of his remaining years. In November, he pleaded guilty to the Sanchez homicide in Queens and to three more counts in Brooklyn: victims Orvieto, Holloman and the Jane Doe killed in 1992. Some of the bodies already found had not been classified as homicides, Klein said. Eftimiades, Maria. NASHVILLE TV PRODUCER VERONICA BOZZAS MURDER EXPLORED IN TRUE CRIME DOC: THE WHOLE THING WAS SENSELESS, O.J. Rifkin was found guilty of nine murders in 1994 and sentenced to 203 years to life. Briefly distracted by a man who passed the car walking a dog, he almost let Marquez escape. He said he had demanded an attorney 20 times. Rifkin didn't display the typical signs of a budding murderer. Credit: Newsday/K. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Her body was discovered in Cornwall in October 1991, a month after she had been reported missing by her family. It was a trick for handling corpses, to avoid their stench, portrayed by Hollywood two years earlier in the Oscar-winning Silence of the Lambs. Some were in water. He wanted to know why he lacked that empathy and humanity. A 9 a.m. media report cleared up the mystery, and Jeanne phoned her lawyer, who referred her to criminal attorney Robert Sale. His fantasies about strangling women became more frequent. Fred Klein, shown in his office at Hofstra Universityon June 13, was the lead Nassau County prosecutor in the Joel Rifkincase. They talked about trial strategy and how to present his case. March 27, 2013 / 3:17 PM 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. The experience soon explodedinto a full-on addiction, as he blew through all his money picking up hundreds of sex workers. In 2013, DNA evidence confirmed that "Susie," his first known victim, was Heidi Balch, a 25-year-old New York City woman who was working as aprostitute. Performance & security by Cloudflare. In the trunk was the decaying body of his last victim. . Police found Evens drivers license at his home. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. "They would suspect a serial killer was on the loose and his car would have easily been spotted by cameras.". 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. As much as I say I wanted to stop, there probably wouldve been others, he admitted. 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. At some point in the litany, Rifkin asked DeLuca if she wanted to die, and she allegedly said yes. The driver wasnt speeding, but the absence of a tag was in itself a minor violation, and they turned the flashers on, prepared to write a quick citation. One week after he killed Lorraine Orvieto, on January 2, 1992, Rifkin went hunting again. They also found a blood-stained wheelbarrow and chainsaw at the residence. Rifkin painstakingly covered up his crimes. From the Mouth of the Monster. All of our Serial Killer Magazines and books are massive, perfect bound editions. "Three were dismembered. "I don't know. Welcome to November, the month when, according to some studies, serial killers and mass murderers are most likely to be born. Wexner gave Rifkin 25 years to life for murder, plus two and one-third to seven years on the lesser charge. As his mother was out of town, he brought her back home. Would Joel Rifkin report to the stadium office? (Photo by Jerry Engel/New York Post Archives /(c) NYP Holdings, Inc. via Getty Images). About to leave, he was confronted by patrolmen who accused him of illegal dumping, but Joel persuaded them he was collecting junk instead. 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. Hikers found her on May 9 after they spied a withered hand protruding from the ground. (Robert Mladinich), "I wanted to reach out to him right away after the arrest," Mladinich told Fox News. He was later acquitted. 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. 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 was ultimately sentenced to 203 years in prison, where he remains to this day. It worked. "You think of people as things.". Before Rifkin left for college, hedrove to New York City and picked up a sex workerfor the first time. Oxygen's new documentary on Joel Rifkin is part of their 'Serial Killer Week" line-up. The recordingsof their conversations are the focus of the special, as Rifkin's horrific killing spree is explored. Her body was never recovered. He will be eligible for parole in 2197. Rifkins last victim, Tiffany Bresciani, was another southern girl.
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