LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK: Currently, most of the top headlines are talking about Rex Heuermann, accused of allegedly being a serial killer who killed women in their 20s over a decade ago. The 59-year-old architect was arrested on July 13 for allegedly killing Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, whose remains were found not very far from each other on the shoreline of Gilgo Beach, Long Island, in 2010.
Though families of the victims and people across the nation are happy with the arrest of Heuermann, there are numerous unsolved mysteries that need to be answered yet. As per reports, between 2010 and 2011 eleven bodies, including Heuermann’s alleged victims, have been located near the same shoreline. It has been speculated that there could be other serial killers also being active in the same region at the time and dumping the body near the water. Names of two convicted criminals — John Bittfrolff and Joel Rifkin — have surfaced who might have been involved during those years.
Where is Joel Rifkin now?
Rifkin, infamously called New York’s most prolific serial killer, is reportedly serving his 203 years of sentence at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, after being convicted of killing nine of at least 17 murdered women between 1989 and 1993. It has been said that he mostly used to target sex workers, like Heuermann, and during his trial, it was found out that the reason behind his crimes was “psychosexual sadism.”
However, when Rifkin was once questioned about bodies found near Gilgo Beach, he denied his involvement. He stated, “I have nothing to do with those bodies.” While Barbara Connelly, director of the Long Island New York Parents of Murdered Victims Outreach, a support group had asserted, “People like Joel Rifkin should be tossed away and never heard from again. We need to remember the victims and know that they were people who were loved and we need to keep their voices out there.”
‘Joel was a bit of an eccentric’
However, as per Robert Mladinich, who was friends with Rifkin in college, the murderer was “a very nice fellow”. Mladinich said as per Fox News, “You know, I first learned he was accused of being a serial killer while I was on the Long Island Expressway. When I heard his name on the radio, I pulled over. I was breathing heavily. I was just in complete shock that someone like him could be arrested for these crimes.”
Describing him, Rifkin’s pal continued, “Joel was a bit of an eccentric. Some people viewed him as an oddball. I saw him as artistically inclined. I remember I wrote about a boxing match for one of our assignments as journalism students and he photographed the event. He took really terrific photos and had an attractive artistic side. I just struggled to come to grips that this same person was a serial killer capable of such barbarism.”
Mladinich, the former cop, also added, “Even when we first spoke at the correctional facility, it was like we had been friends the previous 20 years. The only difference is that within 20 minutes, we started talking about murder and mayhem.”
