Joel Rifkin's house

This is Joel Rifkin's former house.

It is located at 1492 Garden Street in East Meadow, New York.

Rifkin was a serial killer who confessed to murdering 17 women between 1989 and 1993. An unemployed gardener, he targeted sex workers and other vulnerable women.

He later confessed to murdering several victims at this address.

Background

Rifkin's parents, Bernard and Jeanne, adopted him when he was three weeks old. His biological parents were reportedly two university students who were not ready to raise a child.

While in school, he was nicknamed "Lard Ass" and "The Turtle" due to his slow walking speed and slouched posture.

After graduating from high school, he attended Nassau Community College and SUNY Brockport but dropped out before earning a degree.

On February 20, 1987, his father died by suicide after a battle with prostate cancer. Six months later, in August 1987, Rifkin was arrested for the first time after soliciting sex from an undercover female police officer.

Rifkin lived with his mother, Jeanne, a retired school teacher, and his sister.

Neighbors described him as a quiet loner who was always respectful and pleasant.

Killings

Rifkin started killing at the age of 30.

He murdered his first victim on February 20, 1989, which was the second anniversary of his father's death. That night, he beat and strangled 25-year-old Heidi "Susie" Balch to death in his bedroom.

Following Balch's murder, Rifkin slept for six hours before dismembering her body.

He discarded Balch's remains at different locations. A golfer discovered her severed head in an empty paint can near the seventh green at the Hopewell Valley Golf Course in New Jersey.

Balch was not identified until 2013.

Although she was murdered in 1989, she was not reported missing until 2001.

The timeline was further complicated by her aunt's belief that Balch had last been seen in 1995, six years after her death.

Investigators later determined that the purported 1995 sighting was based on unreliable second-hand information.

Final murder

Rifkin was caught after murdering a sex worker named Tiffany Bresciani.

On June 24, 1993, Rifkin picked up Bresciani in his mother's blue Toyota sedan in Manhattan. At the time, she was with her boyfriend, Dave Rubinstein.

Rubinstein was a former member of the punk band Reagan Youth, which had broken up three years earlier. By the time he crossed paths with Rifkin, he was heavily addicted to heroin.

Bresciani, who was also addicted to heroin, funded both of their habits by working as a sex worker on Allen Street. Whenever Bresciani returned to Rubinstein after seeing a client, the couple would walk off together to find a dealer.

That night, she got into Rifkin's car and told Rubinstein that she would be back in 20 minutes. However, she never returned.

Sensing that something was wrong, Rubinstein called the police and provided a description of the Toyota. He also checked local hospitals and the club where his girlfriend danced.

Arrest

Four days later, two police officers noticed Rifkin's Mazda truck driving along the Southern State Parkway on Long Island with no license plates. Although they activated their emergency lights and ordered him to pull over using the PA system, Rifkin continued driving.

The 20-minute chase ended after he overshot an intersection and struck a utility pole.

After arresting Rifkin, officers discovered Bresciani's remains hidden underneath a tarp in the back.

At the time, he had been en route to dispose of her body.

When the police arrived at his house on Garden Street, they discovered human blood in a wheelbarrow in the garage and a chainsaw with pieces of flesh on it. Neighbors reported that a foul odor had been coming from the garage for some time.

During a search of his bedroom, investigators found jewelry, clothing, identification cards, and handbags belonging to some of his victims.

Aftermath

Rubinstein was devastated following Bresciani's murder. His grief was compounded less than one week later when his father accidentally killed his mother in a vehicle accident at their family home.

Following the deaths of his girlfriend and mother, Rubinstein took his own life by overdosing on heroin.

Although Rifkin confessed to killing 17 women, he attempted to mount an insanity defense.

The jury rejected this defense, concluding that he understood the nature of his actions.

On May 9, 1994, Rifkin was convicted of Bresciani's murder. One month later, a judge sentenced him to life in prison.