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Joel Rifkin

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Joel Rifkin
Rifkin after his arrest.
Born
Joel David Rifkin

(1959-01-20) January 20, 1959 (age 65)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Other namesJoel the Ripper
Criminal penalty203 years to life in prison
Details
Victims9–17
Span of crimes
1989–1993
CountryUnited States
State(s)New York
Date apprehended
June 28, 1993
Imprisoned atClinton Correctional Facility[1]

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 it is believed he had up to 17 victims.[2]

Early life

Rifkin's birth parents were both young college students and his biological father was an Army veteran. On February 14, 1959, when he was three weeks old, Rifkin was adopted by an upper-middle class couple living on Long Island.[3]

Rifkin performed poorly in school due to learning disabilities, and was unpopular with classmates due to his poor social skills.[4] He graduated from East Meadow High School in 1977, then attended classes at Nassau Community College, the State University of New York at Brockport, and the State University of New York at Farmingdale, but left before earning a degree. After leaving college, Rifkin became self-employed as a landscaper.[5]

On February 20, 1987, his father, Bernard, committed suicide, overdosing after having suffered from prostate cancer for several months.[6]

On August 22, 1987, Rifkin was arrested during a sex worker sting in Hempstead, New York, after offering an undercover female police officer money for sex.[7]

Murders

Rifkin committed his first murder on February 20, 1989, killing Heidi Balch in his home in East Meadow. He then dismembered her body, removing her teeth and fingertips, putting her head in a paint can which he left in the woods on a golf course in Hopewell, New Jersey, disposing of her legs further north, and dumping her remaining torso and arms into the East River around New York City. On March 5, 1989, Balch's severed head was discovered on the seventh hole of the golf course.[8] On April 8, 1989, Balch's legs were found in Pequonnock Creek near Jefferson Township, New Jersey.[9] Her remains were not identified until 2013.[10]

It is assumed that Rifkin killed 16 more women during the next four years.[2] He was implicated in Balch's murder after his arrest in 1993.[11] Investigators determined in 2013 that Balch and the woman he described as his first victim were the same person.[12]

Rifkin picked up Tiffany Bresciani, a sex worker who was working on Allen Street in Manhattan, on June 24, 1993. Tiffany was with her boyfriend, punk rock musician Dave Rubinstein. Rifkin told Rubinstein that she was going to be returning in 20 minutes. Rubinstein called the police with a description of the 1984 Mazda pickup truck that Rifkin drove, after Tiffany failed to return.[13][5][14]

Arrest and trial

On June 28, 1993, state troopers patrolling Long Island's Southern State Parkway noticed the pickup truck without a license plate. After pulling Rifkin over, they found Bresciani's body under a tarpaulin.[13][15][16]

He was found guilty of nine counts of second-degree murder in 1994, and sentenced to 203 years up to life in prison.[17]

Prison life

Prison officials decided in 1996 that Rifkin was so notorious that his presence in the general prison population could be disruptive. He was confined to his cell at the Attica Correctional Facility for 23 hours per day. He spent more than four years in solitary confinement, then was transferred to the Clinton Correctional Facility in Clinton County, New York. Rifkin sued, arguing that his solitary imprisonment was unconstitutional. In 2000, a state appellate court determined that prison officials had not violated his constitutional rights by housing him in isolation. Corrections officials said that Rifkin was imprisoned with more than 200 other inmates at Clinton who were not allowed into the general prison population.[1]

Known victims

Victims of Joel Rifkin
Victims Notes
Heidi "Susie" Balch, 25 Remains found in 1989. Identified in March 2013.[18]
Julie Blackbird Remains never found
Barbara Jacobs, 31 Remains found on July 14, 1991, in the Hudson River.[19]
Mary Ellen DeLuca, 22 Remains found on October 1, 1991, in Cornwall, New York.[20][21] Identified on July 4, 1993.[21]
Yun Lee, 31 Remains found on September 23, 1991, in the East River off Randalls Island.[20]
"Number 6" Never identified, remains never recovered
Lorraine Orvieto, 28 Remains found on July 11, 1992, in Coney Island Creek.[22] Identified on July 4, 1993.[21]
Mary Ann Holloman, 39 Remains found on July 9, 1992, in Coney Island Creek.[23]
"Number 9" Found March 1992. Identity remains unknown.[24]
Iris Sanchez, 25 Remains found on June 29, 1993, near John F. Kennedy International Airport.[20][25]
Anna Lopez, 33 Remains found on May 25, 1992, in Patterson, New York.[20]
Violet O'Neill, 21 Remains found in July 1992 in the Harlem River at 123rd Street, the East River at 23rd Street, and near Governors Island. Identified in September 1993.[26]
Mary Catherine Williams, 31 Remains found on December 21, 1992, in Yorktown, New York.[23][27] Identified on July 6, 1993.[28]
Jenny Soto, 23 Remains found on November 17, 1992, on the shores of Harlem River in the South Bronx.[29]
Leah Evans, 28 Remains found on May 9, 1993, in Northampton, Suffolk County, New York.[20]
Lauren Marquez, 28 Remains found on June 29, 1993, in the Long Island Central Pine Barrens in Suffolk County, New York.[30] Identified on August 20, 1993.
Tiffany Bresciani, 22 Body found on June 28, 1993, on the floor of Rifkin's pickup truck
  • The 2018 independent film Joel was based on Rifkin's life and crimes.[31]
  • In the Seinfeld episode "The Masseuse," Elaine's boyfriend is named Joel Rifkin (played by Anthony Cistaro) and references to the serial killer are made throughout the episode. At a New York Giants game they are attending, the crowd's reaction to her boyfriend's name when it is announced over the loudspeaker prompts him to agree to Elaine's suggestion to change his name. (Ironically, one of Elaine's suggestions for a new name was O.J., O.J. Simpson would be arrested for the murder of his ex-wife and her friend on June 12, 1994, six months after the episode aired on November 18, 1993, and be tried yet acquitted two years after airing on October 3, 1995).
  • The Howard Stern Show producer Gary Dell'Abate briefly worked with Rifkin at a Record World location in New York.[32]
  • Covered on the podcast, The Last Podcast on the Left, during episodes 498 and 499.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Joel Rifkin". Biography.com. 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  2. ^ a b Eftimiades, Maria (1993-12-06). "The Quiet Man". People. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
  3. ^ "The Drifter, Joel Rifkin". Archived from the original on 2005-12-16. Retrieved 2007-03-08.
  4. ^ Schechter, Harold (2003). The Serial Killer Files: The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World's Most Terrifying Murderers. Ballantine Books. p. 163. ISBN 0-345-46566-0.
  5. ^ a b Russell Kasindorf, Jeanie (1993-08-09). "The Bad Seed". New York Magazine. Vol. 26, no. 31. pp. 42–3.
  6. ^ Eftimiades, Maria (February 11, 2014). Garden of Graves: The Shocking True Story of Long Island Serial Killer Joel Rifkin. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 281. ISBN 9781466863125. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  7. ^ "N.Y. police are led to two bodies 10 other cases may be involved". Baltimore Sun. baltimoresun.com. June 30, 1993. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  8. ^ Zdan, Alex (March 26, 2013). "Woman whose severed head was found on Hopewell golf course in 1989 is identified". Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  9. ^ "Severed head found in New Jersey in '89 ID'd, linked to serial killer". foxnews.com. Fox News. March 27, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  10. ^ "Heidi Balch Identified: Severed Head Found On Golf Course Was Serial Killer Joel Rifkin's First Victim". Huffington Post. 2013-03-27. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  11. ^ "Accused Serial Killer on L.I. Called a Suspect in 1989 Slaying of a Woman". New York Times. March 24, 1994. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  12. ^ "Joel Rifkin's first victim ID'd from severed head, was Heidi Balch, cops say". Newsday. 2013-03-27. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  13. ^ a b Smith, Andrew (2018-06-27). "25 years after Joel Rifkin's arrest, key players look back at the case". Newsday. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
  14. ^ Simmonds, Jeremy. "Dave Insurgent". The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches, p. 301, Chicago Review Press, 2008, accessed 2011-08-21 ISBN 1-55652-754-3
  15. ^ Simmonds, Jeremy. "Dave Insurgent". The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches, p. 301, Chicago Review Press, 2008, accessed August 21, 2011 ISBN 1-55652-754-3
  16. ^ Kasindorf, Jeanie Russell. "The Bad Seed", New York Magazine, pp. 38–40, August 9, 1993
  17. ^ Baker, Al; Fernandez, Manny (April 22, 2011). "Bright, Careful and Sadistic: Profiling Long Island's Mystery Serial Killer". New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  18. ^ Newcomb, Alyssa (March 27, 2013). "How Police Identified Severed Head After 24-Year Mystery". abcnews.go.com. ABC News. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  19. ^ "In Serial-Killer Inquiry, Doubts Arise on Prostitute Link". New York Times. July 3, 1993. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  20. ^ a b c d e Marks, Peter (July 1, 1993). "Three States Investigating Tale of Killing". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  21. ^ a b c Rabinovitz, Jonathan (July 4, 1993). "3 More Victims of Serial Killer Are Identified". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  22. ^ "Thousands of Missing-Persons Cases". New York Times. July 25, 1993. Archived from the original on January 8, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  23. ^ a b "State Police Link Possible 18th Victim to Suspect in Slayings". New York Times. July 8, 1993. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  24. ^ "NY - NY - Sayville, WHT/HispFem 25-39, UP11852, nude in dumpster, poss Joel Rifkin victim, Mar'92".
  25. ^ McQuiston, John (November 14, 1993). "Reporter's Notebook; The Sad, Angry Vigils at Rifkin's Court Hearings". New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  26. ^ Marks, Peter (September 3, 1993). "Police Identify 13th Body As Victim of L.I. Killer". The New York Times. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  27. ^ "18TH VICTIM TIED TO SUSPECT IN SERIAL KILLINGS, POLICE SAY". sun-sentinel. Sun Sentinel. July 7, 1993. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  28. ^ Faison, Seth (July 7, 1993). "14th Body Is Linked to Suspect in Serial Killings, Police Say". The New York Times. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  29. ^ McLarin, Kimberly J. (July 3, 1993). "One Name on a Roll Call of Death". The New York Times. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  30. ^ "Rifkin Pleads Not Guilty In Deaths of Two Women". The New York Times. October 1, 1993. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  31. ^ "Joel" – via www.imdb.com.
  32. ^ June 11, 1999 - The Howard Stern Show - Lo Fidelity Allstars segment - approx. 6:55 am
  • Adoption:Uncharted Waters by David Kirschner, PhD includes three chapters detailing his psychological interviews with Rifkin prior to and during the trial.
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