Joel the Ripper Rifkin
Case Studies CJ211 Christine Levers
Term Paper – Criminal Behavior April 3, 2013
Joel Rifkin – “Joel the Ripper” Joel David Rifkin, also known as “Joel the Ripper”, who was born on January 20, 1959 is a serial killer convicted of the murder of nine women. Although it is believed he killed as many as 17 drug addicted prostitutes, between 1989 and 1993 in New York City and Long Island. He is suspected by some to be responsible for some of the Long Island prostitutes whose remains were found in March and April 2011. In an April 2011 prison interview with Newsday, Rifkin denied having anything to do with the recently discovered remains. Rifkin often hired prostitutes in Brooklyn and Manhattan; he lived in East Meadow, a suburban town on Long Island. While viewing all the videos, reading books, viewing documentaries and newspaper articles on this man it is truly hard to pinpoint the exact type of killer he truly is; considering the many traits of a few different serial killer types he could fit. This person, I won’t even classify as a man could fit a few serial killer types; such as mission, but has so many characteristics of a hedonistic sexual sadist as well as power/control traits. He for the most part would have sex with most of his victims and then kill them, which were all prostitutes that would go undetected as missing for quite a while and he very well knew this information. He would make them comfortable, have sex with them and for most of the cases beat and strangle them and later dismember them and distribute their body parts. Although, in some cases he incased them in a trunk and dumped them but typically keeping to his usual dumping sites; some cases he used concrete and threw them in the East River never to be found. I consider him a mission killer because he targeted prostitutes with a random selection but mainly did it when his mother and sister were out of town which to me sounds planned to a certain degree. He has stated in many
Term Paper – Criminal Behavior April 3, 2013
Joel Rifkin – “Joel the Ripper” Joel David Rifkin, also known as “Joel the Ripper”, who was born on January 20, 1959 is a serial killer convicted of the murder of nine women. Although it is believed he killed as many as 17 drug addicted prostitutes, between 1989 and 1993 in New York City and Long Island. He is suspected by some to be responsible for some of the Long Island prostitutes whose remains were found in March and April 2011. In an April 2011 prison interview with Newsday, Rifkin denied having anything to do with the recently discovered remains. Rifkin often hired prostitutes in Brooklyn and Manhattan; he lived in East Meadow, a suburban town on Long Island. While viewing all the videos, reading books, viewing documentaries and newspaper articles on this man it is truly hard to pinpoint the exact type of killer he truly is; considering the many traits of a few different serial killer types he could fit. This person, I won’t even classify as a man could fit a few serial killer types; such as mission, but has so many characteristics of a hedonistic sexual sadist as well as power/control traits. He for the most part would have sex with most of his victims and then kill them, which were all prostitutes that would go undetected as missing for quite a while and he very well knew this information. He would make them comfortable, have sex with them and for most of the cases beat and strangle them and later dismember them and distribute their body parts. Although, in some cases he incased them in a trunk and dumped them but typically keeping to his usual dumping sites; some cases he used concrete and threw them in the East River never to be found. I consider him a mission killer because he targeted prostitutes with a random selection but mainly did it when his mother and sister were out of town which to me sounds planned to a certain degree. He has stated in many
References: Holmes, R.M., Holmes, S.T. (1998). Serial Murderer., 2nd Edition. Sage Publications, Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA. Joel Rifkin Interview Part 1/5 – 5/5, You Tube. Joel David Rifkin Interviews. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2kjkBXCxdA Mladinich, Robert (2001). From the Mouth of the Monster: The Joel Rifkin Story. New York: Pocket Books. Newton, Michael. Joel David Rifkin: New York’s Most Prolific Serial Killer. Retrieved from www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/rifkin/7.html