In addition to killing and dismembering a number of women before disposing of their remains in the New York area, Joel Rifkin reportedly kept grim mementos from his victims in the second-floor bedroom of the home he shared with his sister, Jan Rifkin, and their mother. According to The Times, state police called those personal items “trophies.” Rifkin, who was adopted and described by those who knew him as kind and mild-mannered if a loner, recorded his crimes in writing and with photographs. He made no effort to keep those things hidden.
Before his arrest, Rifkin stored Tiffany Bresciani’s body, the sex worker discovered in the back of his pickup, in the unlocked garage of his home. His own bedroom, where items related to the murders were kept in full view, was also kept unlocked and anyone could enter. At Rifkin’s trial, his mother, Jeanne was questioned on the stand, and she said she knew nothing of the heinous acts her son confessed to; she simply never entered his bedroom.
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According to Joy Reiter, Rifkin’s neighbor, “You only have to go in there and take one look at her to know she had no inkling of this,” referring to Rifkin’s mother, Jeanne, The Times reported. Not everyone involved in the case agreed. According to prosecutor Fred Klein (via NYT): “Mrs. Rifkin is completely lying to protect her son, who she knows killed all those girls. She knew about what Joel was doing.”
