Prosecutors to present ‘significant’ new developments in Gilgo Beach murder investigation
Suspected serial killer Rex Heuerman is scheduled to appear before Supreme Court Justice Hon. Heuerman. Timothy Mazzei.
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A man accused of serial murdering women on Long Island for nearly 20 years admitted to eight murders on April 8, according to reports.
New York architect Rex Heuerman, 62, was arrested in 2023 in connection with the Gilgo Beach murder case that has long puzzled law enforcement and was the subject of a 2020 Netflix movie.
Multiple bodies were found in the area in 2010 and 2011, leading investigators to suspect that a serial killer was involved in the deaths. More than a decade later, officials said a key breakthrough in the case came after matching DNA from Heuerman’s pizza to hair from a man found with his body.
Heuerman initially pleaded not guilty to the murders of seven women whose bodies were found in the area between 1993 and 2011, but changed his plea in court on April 8 and admitted to the gruesome killings, BBC and News 12 reported.
He also admitted to killing his eighth victim, Karen Bergata, who was 34 years old at the time of her 1996 disappearance.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney’s office declined to comment ahead of the guilty plea, but he is scheduled to hold a press conference on the afternoon of April 8 with representatives from the Gilgo Beach Murder Task Force and the victim’s family. Mr. Heuerman’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment from USA TODAY.
CBS reported that the district attorney recommended that Heuerman serve three consecutive terms of life in prison without parole, followed by four consecutive terms of 25 years to life in prison. Heuerman is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17, the newspaper said.
Heuerman’s wife and attorney speak after guilty plea
Outside court, his lawyer told reporters that Asa Ellerup never wanted to believe that Heuerman, to whom he was married for 27 years, could commit such a crime, but that she and his daughter “accept today’s outcome without question.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Their loss is immeasurable and the focus should be on them in this moment,” Ellerup said. “I ask for some privacy for my family as we go through this extremely difficult time.”
Heuerman’s lawyer told reporters he could not specify when his client decided to plead guilty and admit to the killing. But Michael J. Brown acknowledged that prosecutors had some “huge” victories in court and that investigators had “done a great job” of gathering a tremendous amount of evidence.
His defense team was ready to go to trial, but Brown said Heuerman wanted to save his family and the victim’s family from the ordeal. Brown also said he believes pleading guilty has brought peace of mind to Heuerman.
“Well, I think there’s a certain amount of catharsis in acknowledging that,” he said.
“Is he sorry?” the reporter asked.
“I hope so,” Brown said.
As part of his plea, Brown said Heuerman agreed to cooperate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s behavioral analysis division. He said Heuerman maintains there were no other victims.
What is the Gilgo Beach Murder Case?
The first murder case Heuerman was charged with dates back to the 1990s, when the body of 28-year-old Sandra Costilla was found in the North Sea off Long Island. But the investigation began in earnest in 2010 after law enforcement discovered human remains during a training exercise along a road in Gilgo Beach.
In December 2010, police discovered the bodies of four women known as the “Gilgo Four.” Megan Waterman, 22 years old. Amber Costello, 27 years old. The women, all believed to have been sex workers at the time of their disappearance, had been missing from July 2007 to September 2010, according to court records.
The skull, hand and forearm of Jessica Taylor, 20, were discovered in 2011 as investigators continued to search the area where Gilgo Four was discovered. The rest of Taylor’s body was first discovered days after Jessica Taylor disappeared in 2003 in Manorville, Long Island, about 40 miles east of Gilgo Beach.
On April 4, 2011, investigators found the partial body of Valerie Mack, 24, along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach. Part of Mack’s body was also first discovered in Manorville in 2000, but his identity was not discovered until 2020.
Investigators also found parts of Vergata’s body on Tobay Beach in 2011. Tobay Beach is approximately 2 miles from Gilgo Beach. Ms. Bergata was initially dubbed the “Jane Doe of Fire Island” after part of her body was discovered near Davis Park on Fire Island in 1996. She was identified in 2023.
Other bodies have been found and identified in the area, but Heuerman has not been charged in connection with their deaths. Gilgo Four’s discovery came as police were searching for Shanann Gilbert, a 24-year-old sex worker who disappeared after leaving a client’s home in Oak Beach.
Who is Rex Heuerman and how was he caught?
Heuerman, the owner and founder of a Manhattan architecture firm, was linked to the Gilgo Beach incident in early 2022 after investigators linked him to a Chevrolet Avalanche pickup truck that a witness reported seeing in 2010. Investigators discovered a connection between Heuerman and the murders through phone and bank records and began surveillance of Heuerman.
In January 2023, police sent the pizza peel Heuerman threw away to a forensic lab for analysis. Months later, the lab reported that swabs taken from the earth’s crust matched hair found where the woman’s body was found. Prosecutors later confirmed that a court-ordered swab taken directly from Heuerman’s mouth matched DNA from the pizza.
He was arrested outside his Manhattan office in July 2023 and initially charged with the murders of Waterman, Barthelemy, and Costello. In 2024, he was charged with the murder of Brainard Burns in January. Taylor and Costilla in June. And Mac in December.
He was scheduled to go on trial in September.
Prosecutors say they have a wealth of evidence against Heuerman.
Investigators searched Heuerman’s home for 12 days after his arrest and found “a large amount of material.” Nearly 300 weapons were discovered in a storage room in the basement.
Authorities conducted a second search in May 2024 and found additional evidence, including documents they believe he used in the murder plot, according to an alternative bail application previously emailed to USA TODAY. The documents include a list of “supplies,” “saws/cutting tools,” and something labeled “DS,” which investigators believe stands for “disposal site.”
Investigators also discovered what prosecutors called “a significant collection of violence, bondage, and torture pornography” among more than 350 electronic devices seized from the home. Prosecutors said some of the pornography dates back to 1994 and included techniques consistent with the injuries sustained by the two victims.
Officials said they collected cell phones used to arrange meetings with the women. Newspaper and magazine articles related to the Gilgo Beach murder investigation over the years were also found in Heuerman’s belongings.
Prosecutors said DNA analysis of hair found at the crime scene linked Heuerman and other people who lived with him to the six victims. New York State Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei ruled in September that the novel analysis, known as whole-genome sequencing, can be used in court.
Contributors: Christopher Cann, Jeanine Santucci, Thao Nguyen, Claire Thornton, and Gabe Hauari
