Alleged N.Y. Serial Killer Pleads Not Guilty to Murder Charge

A Long Island man who has confessed to 17 murders pleaded not guilty Thursday to one murder charge as he stood in a courtroom packed with relatives of the women believed to be his victims.

As Joel Rifkin entered his plea, the cries of the mother of one alleged victim were heard throughout the courtroom.

Rifkin, 34, of East Meadow, N.Y., was arraigned on two counts, one of intentional murder and the other of showing a depraved indifference to human life.

Both counts involve the death of Tiffany Bresciani, 22, whose body was found in Rifkin’s pickup truck when he was stopped June 28 for a traffic violation on Long Island.

After his arrest, Rifkin confessed to 17 murders, prompting a search across three states for victims. Police have found evidence of 15 dead young women, most of them prostitutes, including one not mentioned by the unemployed landscaper.

He was ordered held without bail.