Ex-NYS court officer Brian Burke talks about Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann's chilling admissions

The victim impact statements at Rex A. Heuermann’s June 17 sentencing hearing were delivered by relatives of the eight women the Gilgo Beach serial killer admitted strangling with the raw pain, boiling anger and grievous loss that had bubbled inside them for decades.

The Massapequa Park architect had shown little emotion — and no remorse — since his 2023 arrest, but he seemed rattled by the fury of his victims’ relatives when he returned to his cell at the Suffolk County courthouse in Riverhead. He told a New York State Court officer that he got through it all by staring at a large plaque behind state Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei, who sentenced Heuermann to multiple life sentences.

The plaque says "In God We Trust."

Brian Burke, the now-retired court officer who accompanied Heuermann to nearly all of his court appearances, said the serial killer then made references to several Bible passages, including Psalm 51: "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me."

Burke, 59, a court officer for 29 years before retiring in July, said he had an unobstructed view of the most notorious criminal in Long Island history. In an exclusive interview, Burke said Heuermann liked to chitchat with him and other court officers, seemingly unbothered that he was accused of horrific slayings.

Heuermann seemed less calm and collected after he was sentenced, Burke said. He was clearly disturbed by the victim impact statements and told Burke that he began feeling the urge to kill as a teen in the 1970s. He also acknowledged he made a life-changing mistake that led to his arrest. 

"I have to ask forgiveness from God, repent," Burke said Heuermann told him after the sentencing hearing, "and that’s the only way I’m gonna get through this."

Burke, a Suffolk County resident, said he doesn’t know if Heuermann is truly religious, or if his turn to the Bible is more manipulation from a man who literally got away with murder for almost two decades.

"Throughout my entire career, this is hands down the most disturbing case I ever worked," he said.

Developing trust

A crucial part of a court officer’s job, Burke said, is to build a rapport with criminal defendants. Developing trust with defendants helps de-escalate situations where a defendant — especially a large, heavy man like Heuermann — might become aggressive or agitated in court, he said, reducing the risk of injuries to court officers, the staff or the public.

"So we built this rapport, and then afterward, hearing the victim impact statements and everything, I’m not going to lie, I was actually kind of disgusted that I had a rapport with him," Burke said. "But it was a job I had to do, and I did it."

Heuermann's prosecution may be the most notorious case Burke worked, but it was not his only high-profile case. He was also a court officer during the trial of Michael Valva, the former NYPD officer who was convicted of killing his son, Thomas, in 2020 in Center Moriches. Burke was also involved in the case of Zachary Gibian, of Hauppauge, who was convicted in 2011 of second-degree murder after he killed his stepfather, retired NYPD officer Scott Nager. His conviction was overturned because he was barred from testifying that Nager had sexually abused him and that his mother was actually the killer. Gibian later pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and admitted killing Nager.

Heuermann is motivated by a desire for control, fueled by his belief that he is more intelligent than everybody else, according to Burke. The serial killer said he was not worried when Suffolk police found the body of Shannan Gilbert in December 2011, Burke said, or the remains of a dozen other people along Ocean Parkway in 2010, because he had not been arrested or charged in 17 years.

The longtime court officer speculated Heuermann pleaded guilty in April not because he wanted to spare his family, or his victims’ families, the pain of a lengthy trial. It was because he could not control the testimony that would come with a trial, Burke said.

Heuermann said very little about his motives or methods when he pleaded guilty in April to seven murders and admitted to an eighth killing. He tried to manipulate the narrative, even if he could not contain the fury that fueled the victim impact statements, Burke said.

Heuermann's attorney, Michael Brown, of Central Islip, did not respond to a request for comment. Robert Macedonio, who represents Heuermann's ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, declined to comment. 

After Heuermann was sentenced, Burke said, the killer confided he began having murderous urges in the 1970s, when he was just a teenager. Heuermann knew something was not right with him, Burke said.

"He said he can pinpoint the exact turning point where it took off, but he wouldn’t elaborate on it," Burke said. "He just said, 'Something happens, and that’s when it took place.' "

When Burke asked about the two-page manifesto investigators found on Heuermann’s computer, which authorities said was basically a killing manual, the serial killer told him he had just had a long conversation with the FBI about the document but left it at that. Heuermann, Burke said, seemed to enjoy feeling relevant. He also seemed to enjoy the widespread notoriety he received for his crimes.

"He would tell me, ‘Oh, we were on the cover of a magazine or newspaper in Japan,’ " Burke recalled.

Archaeological digs, gun collection

Heuermann, now imprisoned at  Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate Dannemora, did not have many opportunities to socialize while incarcerated at the Suffolk County jail in Riverhead, and seemed eager to chat with court officers before and after his hearings with Mazzei, Burke said. He talked about participating in archaeological digs as a college student, his gun collection, his architecture business, NASCAR and his family.

Burke described Heuermann as someone hungry for human interaction — but he was also trying to ingratiate himself with court officers, hoping he’d benefit from a relationship with them by convincing them he was a regular Joe, Burke said.

Heuermann tipped his hand when he told the court officers a story about a college archaeological dig. He spied on a professor who was sleeping with a student, then used that information as leverage to get better shower conditions and other benefits at the dig site. Heuermann conceded he had manipulated his professor, Burke said.

During one of his conversations, Heuermann acknowledged he made a mistake that led to his capture. Amber Lynn Costello, a sex worker and one of Heuermann’s victims, had scheduled an appointment with Heuermann at her home in West Babylon. After Heuermann arrived, one of Costello’s roommates burst in, pretending to be an irate boyfriend. Heuermann left — after paying Costello — but returned the next night in his green Chevrolet Avalanche. Costello left with Heuermann and was never seen alive again.

The roommate later described Heuermann, who he said looked like an "ogre," and the green Avalanche to investigators. That information ultimately led to Heuermann’s arrest.

"After sentencing, I did ask him about that. ... He’s like, that was a mistake," Burke said. "That was one of my mistakes."