Cold Case Files: The Rifkin Murders

The case of serial killer Joel Rifkin is unique in multiple ways, not the least of which has been his willingness to openly discuss his crimes.

As a result of that candor on Rifkin's part, the documentary filmmaker behind this series was able to get new information from Rifkin in order to assist the police, who were still trying to identify two of the victims who remained as Jane Does (Victims 6 & 9)

I was impressed by the determination of the many police officers who have continued to work long hours on the case, all in order to find out who these girls were in the hope of giving some form of closure to the families. That is the kind of professionalism that one likes to see happen and I applaud them for it.

During the course of the many interviews conducted with Rifkin in prison, I was constantly amazed at how much detail Rifkin could still remember after more than 30 years, such as which piece of jewelry he kept as souvenirs belonged to which victim, how he had killed each one and, most importantly to the subject matter of the film, where he had left some of the victim's bodies.

This film may not be for everyone and it is hard to listen to a person such as Rifkin discuss his crimes with what appears to be severe emotional detachment. But then again, I suppose that is exactly why he kept going for as long as he did.

Definitely worth a watch if you enjoy true crime stories.