
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, July 16, 1993                   TAG: 9307160266
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: MINEOLA, N.Y.                                LENGTH: Short

SERIAL KILLER SUSPECT ENTERS PLEA: INNOCENT

Joel Rifkin walked into the west wing of the Nassau County (N.Y.) Court Building Thursday with his head held high and minutes later told County Court Judge Ira Wexner in a voice devoid of emotion, "I am not guilty."

After Rifkin pleaded innocent to two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the death of Tiffany Bresciani, 22, of Manhattan, and one count of reckless endangerment related to his arrest June 28, the mother of another victim police say Rifkin has admitted killing broke into sobs near the rear of the courtroom.

"If I could take him with my own hands, I'd kill him," said Margarita Gonzalez, mother of Jennie Soto, 23, whose partially clad body washed up on the Bronx side of the Harlem River last November. State police say Rifkin has admitted to killing 17 women and they have linked him to an 18th victim he did not tell them about. Of those 18, police have found the remains of 14, and have identified 10 of them.

Thursday, they asked the public's help in identifying a woman whose photographs were found in Rifkin's possession. Police would not say whether they believed the woman was one of the eight unidentified victims, and they refused to say exactly where or how the photographs were found. According to a list of items seized during an initial search of Rifkin's East Meadow, N.Y., home, 17 rolls of film, two black-and-white photographs and 39 other photographs were found in Rifkin's bedroom.

- Newsday

by CNB