The Gardener Who Confessed to Being New York’s Worst Killer

Police Stop a Pickup Truck at Three AM and Discover Seventeen Bodies: The Serial Murders of Joel RifkinA routine traffic stop on the Southern State Parkway at three in the morning turns into one of New York's darkest discoveries. Officers pull over a pickup truck without rear license plates, but what they find in the back shatters the quiet facade of a suburban gardener living a double life for four years.In this episode, we explore the shocking contradiction between Rifkin's ordinary appearance-a dyslexic gardener mowing lawns in East Meadow-and the systematic homicide investigation that connects seventeen separate murders across New York. How did a man with no violent criminal history escalate to serial killing? What role did his father's suicide play in unleashing violence he had fantasized about since age twelve?Victim: Tiffany Bresiani and 16 othersDate: June 28, 1993Location: Southern State Parkway, Long Island, New YorkStatus: Convicted- Rifkin told arresting officers "I am the worst serial killer in the history of New York" before they even asked questions- His first victim, Heidi Balch, murdered in 1989 in the basement, was not identified until 24 years later through forensic reconstruction- Seventeen separate murder investigations across four years remained unconnected because Rifkin varied his methods-no single police unit saw the pattern- He possessed a photographic memory and kept trophies from each victim in his bedroom while living with his motherJoel Rifkin, East Meadow Long Island serial killer 1989-1993, dyslexia psychology criminal behavior, murder investigation forensic evidence homicide New York unsolved mysteries true crime EnglishTo listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected] you'd like to listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or total or partial commercial use is prohibited without prior written authorization. For permissions, licenses, and commercial inquiries: [email protected]