Joel Rifkin (Joel the Ripper)

Joel David Rifkin was born on January 20, 1959, in New York City and was adopted shortly after birth by Ben and Jeanne Rifkin. The family later settled on Long Island, where Rifkin experienced a lonely childhood and struggled academically and socially.

Friends and classmates described him as shy, awkward, and frequently bullied. Despite graduating from high school, he found it difficult to maintain employment or complete college. Throughout adulthood, Rifkin drifted between temporary jobs while becoming increasingly isolated.

By the late 1980s, investigators believe his violent fantasies had escalated into serial murder.

Between 1989 and 1993, Rifkin murdered at least 17 women across New York and surrounding areas. Most of his victims were women involved in sex work, many of whom were vulnerable because of addiction or unstable living conditions.

After meeting victims in areas known for street prostitution, Rifkin took them to his home or other secluded locations where he murdered them. He later disposed of their bodies throughout New York State, including wooded areas, rivers, canals, and abandoned industrial sites.

Because several victims remained unidentified for years, investigators believe additional murders may have occurred beyond the 17 officially attributed to Rifkin.

Investigators determined Rifkin generally targeted women he met while soliciting sex. After transporting victims to a private location, he murdered them before disposing of their bodies in remote areas using a variety of concealment methods.

The changing methods used to dispose of victims complicated investigations, while many victims' vulnerable lifestyles delayed missing person reports and hindered identification.

Following his arrest, Rifkin confessed in detail to numerous murders and assisted investigators in identifying several previously unknown victims.

On June 28, 1993, New York State Police attempted to stop Rifkin after noticing his pickup truck lacked a rear licence plate.

Rather than pulling over, Rifkin fled, leading officers on a brief pursuit before crashing into a utility pole. When officers approached the vehicle, they discovered the body of 22-year-old Tiffany Bresciani in the truck bed.

The discovery immediately transformed a routine traffic stop into one of the largest serial murder investigations in New York history. Subsequent searches of Rifkin's home and detailed interviews linked him to numerous unsolved disappearances.

Joel Rifkin pleaded guilty to multiple murders committed between 1989 and 1993.

Rather than standing trial for every homicide, he entered guilty pleas in a series of prosecutions across several New York jurisdictions. In total, he was convicted of nine murders, although he confessed to 17 killings.

Rifkin received a combined sentence of 203 years to life in prison. He remains incarcerated within the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and is not expected to be released.

Joel Rifkin is regarded as one of New York's most prolific convicted serial killers. His case highlighted the vulnerability of women involved in sex work and the investigative challenges associated with missing persons whose disappearances often receive limited public attention.

Following his arrest, advances in forensic science enabled authorities to identify additional victims over many years. Several victims remained unidentified for decades before DNA technology and genealogical research provided names to previously unknown remains.

Today, Rifkin's crimes continue to be studied because of their scale, the number of unidentified victims, and the role his confessions played in resolving numerous cold cases.