Bio

Joel David Rifkin was born on January 20, 1959. His biological parents were unwed college students who were not ready for parenthood. When he was just three weeks old, he was adopted by Bernard and Jeanne Rifkin, a couple who lived in Upstate New York. They were happy to have him, and they later adopted a daughter named Jan, who was three years younger than Joel. In 1965, the Rifkin family moved to East Meadow, Long Island, where Joel would live for most of his life.

As a child, Joel was shy and awkward, which made him a target for bullying at school. Despite having a high IQ of 128, he struggled academically due to severe dyslexia. His classmates mocked him, calling him "The Turtle" because of his slouched posture and slow walk. They would tease him relentlessly, pulling pranks and physically bullying him. This treatment left him feeling isolated.

Joel attended East Meadow High School, where things continued to be tough. He struggled to fit in and was often ridiculed by his peers. He joined the track team, hoping to make friends, but he was ridiculed with names like "lard ass." Even when he tried to support school activities like the yearbook, he faced rejection after being excluded from celebrations. He graduated in 1977, but his high school experience left him feeling devastated.

After high school, Joel attempted to further his education by enrolling in Nassau Community College. However, he quickly lost interest and only completed one course in his first academic year. He then transferred to the State University of New York at Brockport, where he worked with the school newspaper. He enjoyed subjects like horticulture and photography but struggled to keep up with his studies and dropped out in 1980.

Throughout the 1980s, Rifkin held various odd jobs but had trouble sticking with any of them due to his chronic absenteeism and poor hygiene. He spent much of his little money on prostitutes, which would later become a significant part of his life. In February 1987, his father died by suicide after a long battle with cancer, which deepened Joel's depression.

Rifkin was arrested for soliciting a prostitute on August 22, 1987, but he managed to keep this incident hidden from his mother. This was a turning point that led him to become more secretive about his behavior. He collected books about serial killers and began developing a troubling fascination with violence and murder.

By 1989, he claimed to have committed his first murder, although this would not be discovered until years later.

Murder Story

Joel David Rifkin is an American serial killer known to have murdered between 9 and 17 women, mostly prostitutes, in New York City from 1989 to 1993. Rifkin's crimes primarily included the strangulation of his victims, after which he would often dismember their bodies.

Rifkin's first known murder occurred in 1989. He killed a young woman he identified only as "Susie," dismembering her body and disposing of it in various locations, including the East River. His second victim was a prostitute named Julie Blackbird, whom he murdered in late 1990. He also dismembered her body and disposed of parts in different places, but her remains were never recovered.

Throughout his killing spree, Rifkin continued to target women he encountered on the streets, most of whom struggled with drug addiction. In total, he is connected to at least 17 murders. Some of his other known victims included Barbara Jacobs, Mary Ellen DeLuca, Yun Lee, Lorraine Orvieto, and Mary Ann Holloman. He often suffocated his victims before disposing of their bodies in remote locations using various methods, including hiding them in oil drums.

Rifkin's last known victim was Tiffany Bresciani, a 22-year-old prostitute. After killing her in June 1993, he attempted to dispose of her body, which led to his arrest. His reckless driving during a traffic stop prompted police to discover Bresciani's decomposing body in his truck.

After his arrest, Rifkin confessed to numerous murders. He described the killings in detail, recounting how he had carefully disposed of the bodies. His confessions implicated him in several more cases, leading to a lengthy investigation.

In 1994, Rifkin was convicted of nine murders and was sentenced to 203 years to life in prison. He is currently incarcerated at the Clinton Correctional Facility in New York, where he remains eligible for parole only in the year 2197, at the age of 238.