Rex Heuermann admits to being Gilgo Beach serial killer

Guilty plea brings resolution to case that has garnered worldwide attention

Rex A. Heuermann, 62, stood before a judge Wednesday morning and admitted for the first time that he was the Gilgo Beach serial killer — bringing resolution to a case that has generated worldwide attention since the first victim's remains were found in 2010.

Heuermann, an architect from of Massapequa Park, pleaded guilty to the murders of seven women and admitted killing an eighth, Karen Vergata, in 1996.

Under questioning, Heuermann said he strangled his eight victims, who officials have said engaged in sex work. He acknowledged luring them with money and contacting them with burner phones.

Heuermann is set to be sentenced in June, when he faces the prospect of multiple life sentences.

"Some of these murder victims were young mothers just trying to earn a little extra money to support their children, because many did not have the funds to go to college or get a decent job...They turned to sex work in order to help their families," attorney Gloria Allred, speaking on behalf of the victims’ families, said at a news conference after Heuermann entered his plea. "It wasn't what they wanted to do, but it was what they felt forced to do because they had no meaningful alternatives."

She added, "Little did they know that the defendant, Rex Heuermann, did not care about their hopes and dreams, or that they had families and friends who loved them. He appeared to care only for himself and executing what he thought was his birthright for murder."

Heuermann family therapist: 'They're accepting this and struggling like everyone else'

Rex Heuermann's daughter returned to her Massapequa Park home Wednesday afternoon after her father pleaded guilty in a Riverhead courtroom to seven murders and admitted an eighth killing.

Victoria Heuermann was joined by the family's therapist, who arrived to help pick up her brother Christopher and their dog, Stewie. Heuermann's ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, did not return home Wednesday afternoon.

The therapist, Alison Winter, said she has been counseling the family for nearly three years and still meets with Rex Heuermann at least once a week.

"They're good people. They're accepting this and struggling like everyone else," she said. "I think they've been ready for it. They're ok with this and trying to figure it out. They don't have a choice, but they're ok."

The children did not speak to reporters as they loaded some belongings into the trunk of their vehicle.

"They want to get away for a while and have some privacy," Winter said.

DA: Heuermann guilty plea happened 'organically'

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, speaking at Wednesday's press conference, declined to discuss how Rex Heuermann's guilty plea came about.

"That's third-rail stuff. That's unethical behavior," he said. "We don't talk about that."

But Tierney said the plea deal happened "organically."

"There was no negotiation with regards to numbers," he said. "The reason why this case pled guilty was because it was the defendant's decision to plead guilty. The defendant wanted to plead guilty. If the defendant didn't want to plead guilty, the defense would have taken this case to trial."

Victims' families speak out after guilty plea

Attorney Gloria Allred spoke on behalf of the families of Rex Heuermann's victims at Wednesday's news conference.

Heuermann pleaded guilty Wednesday to seven murders and admitted to killing an eighth woman. All eight women were said to have engaged in sex work, according to officials.

"Some of these murder victims were young mothers just trying to earn a little extra money to support their children, because many did not have the funds to go to college or get a decent job...They turned to sex work in order to help their families," she said. "It wasn't what they wanted to do, but it was what they felt forced to do because they had no meaningful alternatives."

She added, "Little did they know that the defendant, Rex Heuermann, did not care about their hopes and dreams, or that they had families and friends who loved them. He appeared to care only for himself and executing what he thought was his birthright for murder."

Allred was joined by several members of the victims' families, including the mother of Jessica Taylor.

"I'm glad that it is over, as far as him pleading guilty," said Taylor's mother, Elizabeth Baczkiel. She said she and other family members "wholeheartedly" accepted Heuermann's plea.

Nicollette Brainard-Barnes, the daughter of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, said she also accepted Heuermann's plea.

Maureen Brainard-Barnes's sister, Melissa Cann, addressed her deceased sibling tearfully: "The promise I made to you so long ago was simple. I would have never stop searching for justice for you through every year, every setback, every unanswered question...I kept that promise and today, it has been done. Justice has finally found its way to you."

She added, "Your voice was never silenced, your story never forgotten, and your life will always be more than the tragedy that took you. This moment is not the end, but a reminder that loving does prevail and hope never fades. Because even in the darkest moments, justice will find a way."

DA praises investigators who worked on Gilgo Beach case

Several dozen law enforcement officers, most dressed in dark suits with lapel pins for their respective agencies, gathered for a press conference Wednesday afternoon following Rex Heuermann's guilty pleas to seven murders, as well as one additional killing.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, speaking at the county's Police Training Academy in Brentwood,  thanked members of the Gilgo Beach Task Force.

"I want to say thank you to our detective investigators, our analysts," he said.

Tierney praised the investigators for the collection and retention of evidence over the decades-long investigation, especially hair samples that became important after DNA technology advanced.

He also gave a nod to New York State Trooper Tifini Atai, who connected Heuermann's Chevrolet Avalanche to the crimes — a crucial break in the case.

DA to victims' loved ones: 'Without them, this defendant would have never been brought to justice'

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, speaking at a news conference Wednesday afternoon, commended the families of Rex Heuermann's victims for their advocacy on behalf of their loved ones.

"We are grateful to them and their families, because without them, this defendant would have never been brought to justice and he would still be walking amongst us," Tierney said. "He would still be portraying himself as some harmless father next door, instead of what he is — a convicted murderer."

Tierney spoke in the gym at the Suffolk County Police Training Academy in Brentwood. He was joined by several relatives of Heuermann's victims.

Tierney individually thanked the family members for coming in to the district attorney's office and giving interviews and providing information that he said played a crucial role in solving the case.

"They inspired us. They're the reason we do what we do," he said. "We told you we're going to do everything we can to bring closure to you. That's why we work in law enforcement."

Heuermann to cooperate with FBI's behavioral analysis unit

The FBI has taken an interest in interviewing Heuermann, who plans on cooperating with the agency’s behavioral analysis unit as part of his plea agreement, according to his attorney Michael Brown.

According to the FBI’s website, the unit was created in 1972 and uses “in-house, cutting-edge psychological research and operational experience to better understand criminal behavior and assist in solving cases.”

It’s unclear what agents want from Heuermann, who admitted to killing multiple women and dumping their remains in Gilgo Beach.

Brown declined to say if Heuermann is a suspect in any federal investigations.

What punishment is Heuermann facing?

Rex Heuermann is expected to be sentenced in June. According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, Heuermann is expected to get three consecutive life sentences for killing three people — Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. 

He's also expected to receive consecutive sentences of 100 years to life in prison for the deaths of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla and Valerie Mack. At a hearing this morning, Heuermann admitted to strangling the women and dumping their remains at Gilgo Beach.

Heuermann's ex-wife offers thoughts and prayers

Asa Ellerup, the ex-wife of Rex Heuermann, briefly spoke at a news conference shortly after the hearing.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims," Ellerup said. "Their loss is immeasurable, and the focus should be on them at this moment."

She declined to answer any questions.

Attorney Robert Macedonio also joined Ellerup and her daughter, Victoria Heuermann.

“We just heard in the courtroom [that] Rex Heuermann, and Rex Heuermann alone, is responsible for these horrific crimes," he said. "Any suggestion that Asa Ellerup or Victoria Heuermann were involved is irresponsible. They have no knowledge, no involvement or any connection to these heinous acts. The evidence simply does not support any other fact patterns."

He added, "She and her family have cooperated fully since day one with law enforcement and will continue to respect this legal process as it comes to a conclusion. This situation is deeply personal and profoundly painful to Ms. Ellerup and her family. She never wanted to believe the man she was married to for 27 years, the father of Victoria, would be capable of committing such heinous acts like so many others. She is still trying to process what was just revealed inside that courtroom, and she has to remain strong for her family."

Judge accepts Heuermann's guilty pleas; sets sentencing date

"Guilty," Rex Heuermann said when asked how he now pleads.

"I'll accept your pleas of guilty," Judge Timothy Mazzei said. 

Sentencing is scheduled for June 17. 

Heuermann is being escorted out of the courtroom as Mazzei addresses attendees. 

"I don't know where you all have to be, but you have to get the hell out of here," Mazzei jokingly told the audience as the proceeding ended.

Heuermann says he strangled his victims

During questioning, Heuermann admits to luring victims in with money and contacting them with burner phones, wrapping them in burlap, establishing a common scheme, details key to establishing the charges.

He admits he strangled Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor, Karen Vergata and Valerie Mack.

He is also admitting to dismembering Taylor and Mack and spreading their remains in Manorville and near Gilgo Beach.

The murders took place in Nassau County, Heuermann admits, but he dumped the bodies in Suffolk County.

Heuermann, in court, admits to killings

Rex Heuermann also admitted to dumping victims' bodies near Gilgo Beach, establishing jurisdiction in Suffolk County.

He said he strangled Amber Lynn Costello, offering a matter-of-fact account. 

He also admitted it was his intent to kill the victims during a two-year period, in order to satisfy the first-degree murder charges.

DA questions Heuermann in courtroom

Nicolette Brainard-Barnes, daughter of victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes, wipes away tears as Heuermann is sworn in to admit to his actions.

The judge praised the lawyers in the case, both prosecutor and defense attorney. "They have both been excellent lawyers," Mazzei said.

Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney is questioning Heuermann directly.

Melissa Barthelemy is first to be discussed.

"Yes," Heuermann says when asked if he was with Barthelemy and caused her death in 2009.

"Strangulation," he says when asked how.

Same for Megan Waterman: "Strangulation."

Heuermann speaks directly to judge on charges

Judge Timothy Mazzei is now asking Heuermann a series of questions about his readiness to enter a guilty plea and he's answering, “Yes, your honor,” to questions including whether he is satisfied with his legal representation in the case.

"Yes, I am,” Heuermann said when asked by Mazzei if he was entering the plea on his “own free will.”

Heuermann is informed that he could face an enhanced sentence if convicted of another crime in the future.

Heuermann has been uncuffed so he can sign documents.

Tierney: Heuermann to plead guilty to 7 murder counts

Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney has just informed the judge that Rex A. Heuermann will plead guilty to counts 1-3 and 7-10 in the indictment

That's three counts of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder.

He admitted as part of his plea that he intentionally killed Karen Vergata and transported her body to Suffolk County, the district attorney said.

He will be sentenced to life without parole on the first-degree counts and to four terms of 25 years to life in prison for the four second-degree counts.

Judge lays out rules for press at Heuermann hearing

Newsday photographer James Carbone and a News 12 cameraman have been let into the conference with Judge Timothy Mazzei.

Carbone, who was at the scene when the first remains were found near Gilgo Beach in 2010, has been the only photographer permitted in the courtroom since Heuermann's arrest, and was granted access under a court order from the judge mandating that Newsday provide the photographs to all other credentialed media.

His photographs have appeared in newspapers and television news programs all over the world since July 2023.

The News 12 access is new and allowed under a revised order that will allow the outlet to provide limited video of today's proceeding to media. The judge is instructing them of the rules for today.

Reaction on Heuermann plea muted at Gilgo Beach, resident says

Dorian Dale, Suffolk County’s former sustainability chief who has lived year-round on West Gilgo for decades, said reaction to Heuermann’s anticipated guilty plea was muted amongst barrier beach residents.

“I don’t think this has been a topic of conversation for some time,” he said. “Once Heuermann was apprehended, most people jumped to the conclusion that he was the fellow principally responsible.”

Dale played a minor role in the Gilgo investigation, he said: in 2010, not long after the first bodies were found in the Gilgo Beach thicket, his springer spaniel, Shaman, found a Barbie doll wrapped in burlap near his house. Dale said he phoned police and was visited by a uniformed patrolman who took the doll, but “I never heard anything about it again.”

Massapequa Park residents fatigued by Heuermann coverage

Neighbors were fatigued by the media horde descending on Massapequa Park while other gawkers drove by the Heuermann home Wednesday morning awaiting news of a plea.

Some residents leaving for work and walking their dogs greeted reporters with an emphatic "no, no, no!" as they passed by.

Other curious onlookers like Liz Engel, of Seaford, drove by admitting she was nosy.

"I've been following it since day one. It's just amazing to me that this person lived here all along and everything else fell by the wayside" Engel said. "We've wasted three years of taxpayer dollars and the court system when everyone thought he was guilty from the beginning. I'm just relieved he was found."

Suffolk DA, defense conferencing with judge in chambers

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney has arrived in court with fellow prosecutors overseeing the case.

Tierney, who has taken the uncommon step of trying the case himself, will appear at the prosecutor's table along with assistant district attorneys Nicholas Santomartino, Andrew Lee and Lawrence Opisso. 

The district attorney made bail arguments during Heuermann's first appearance but has mainly deferred to Santomartino since then.

Lead defense attorney Michael J. Brown is also now present and both sides have entered the judge's chambers to conference in private before the case is called, standard procedure for most cases in Suffolk County.

Heuermann's defense team begins to arrive

Members of the court-appointed defense team for Rex A. Heuermann have begun to arrive in court. Danielle Coysh, the second chair who has been the public facing part of the team along with lead counsel Michael J. Brown, is at the table where Heuermann may sit for a portion of the proceeding.

Sabato Caponi, who assisted Coysh on precedent-setting legal challenges on the case, is also present. Several more seats are being held in the gallery for others who aided in the defense to varying degrees, revealing the full scope of the team.

One thing to watch for will be if Heuermann, who reportedly suffered a leg injury in jail, will sit at the defense table or stand for the proceeding.

Pleas are typically taken with the defendant standing at the railing near the judge. But Heuermann is expected to plead to eight killings, which will take some time.

Familiar face loosely linked to Heuermann case makes same-day court appearance

Among the other cases being heard on the same floor of the courthouse is the trial of Christopher Loeb, a figure loosely connected to the case for more than a decade. His beating at the hands of Suffolk police in 2012 led to the arrest and conviction of former Chief of Police James Burke and District Attorney Thomas Spota. Spota was the district attorney when the Gilgo victims were first discovered. Burke, who became chief in 2012, oversaw the investigation for several years.

Loeb has been on trial since Monday for allegedly assaulting his 89-year-old grandmother in 2024.

Police stand guard outside Heuermann's home

The Heuermann house remains an eyesore on the quiet Massapequa Park street, surrounded by bright white homes with American flags and manicured lawns.

Nassau County police circled the home Wednesday morning as a few reporters waited outside before an expected guilty plea.

The village erected no parking signs on the streets surrounding the homes following Heuermann's arrest and multiple searches by police.

Heuermann’s son Christopher briefly left the home to walk the family dog. Few other visitors or neighbors passed by and neighbors were not interested in discussing the case.

Judge calls Heuermann case for 11 a.m.

Judge Timothy Mazzei has taken the bench. He is calling other calendar matters. Mazzei often keeps a full caseload on days when major cases are called. It's an awkward dynamic as the vast majority of people in the courtroom are awaiting one specific case but must wait for the calendar to clear.

"That is on for 11 o'clock," he said as the clerk called Heuermann's case.

When a defense attorney was not present for another case just called, Mazzei told a prosecutor to get him on the phone. "Ask him what the hell he's doing," the judge said as he left the bench, placing the court in recess.

The wait continues.

Police officers, victims' families expected inside courtroom

The courtroom has opened to media.

The first two rows have been reserved for law enforcement. Half the seats are being held for victims' families and other select individuals who have not yet arrived. Reporters have been seated in most of the remaining seats. The public has not yet been let in. The judge, attorneys and Heuermann have not yet made an appearance in court.

Heuermann's ex-wife and daughter, who have arrived at the courthouse, are among those expected to be inside the courtroom.  

Another courtroom has been designated an overflow courtroom to accommodate the large crowds interested in viewing the proceedings. The courtroom is equipped with a large TV that will show the proceedings live. By 9:30 a.m., the overflow courtroom was nearly full. A second overflow courtroom was also set up on the 3rd floor, a court officer said.

At Gilgo Beach the day of Heuermann's hearing, a barren and frigid scene

Hours before alleged Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann was expected to plead guilty in the deaths of eight women, the beach itself was frigid and deserted Wednesday morning.

Gilgo is on a barrier beach 2½ miles off Long Island’s South Shore and a half-hour drive from Heuermann’s Massapequa Park home. It gets few visitors outside the summer months, though a small year-round population lives on the beach’s Great South Bay side, not far from where authorities started to find the bodies of Heuermann’s alleged victims in 2010.

The thicket where scores of police officers and body-sniffing dogs once searched is populated by ground-hugging pine and bayberry bushes so dense as to make passage difficult. On Wednesday it was hard to see much in the bramble, save a few beer cans and rabbits at the edge.

Family of Rex Heuermann arrives at court

The family of Rex Heuermann arrived in court shortly before 9 a.m., hours before Heuermann is expected to confess to eight killings. Heuermann's daughter, Victoria Heuermann, was met by a crowd of reporters and cameras. Asa Ellerup, Heuermann's ex-wife, was among those heading into the courthouse.

LIers troubled by depravity of Gilgo Beach killings make it to courthouse

The gravity of Rex Heuermann's alleged crimes has Long Islanders coming out early to the courthouse where a guilty plea is expected today. 

Patti Rozea and her daughter, Katie Ann Rozea, of Babylon, lined up outside the courthouse to make sure they got a seat in the courtroom.

They said that they were "shocked by the inhumanity of the killings."

"I don't think you can avoid violence and danger in the world we live in, but you just have to be careful," Rozea said.

There are now more than 60 people in line to enter the Riverhead courthouse, where  Heuermann is expected to plead guilty at 11 a.m.

'I had to see it end': Early morning LIers head to courthouse

Eileen Coletti, 64, got to the courthouse at 7 am. Her father, Gus Coletti, who died in 2015, answered the door for Shannan Gilbert the morning she disappeared in 2010. Gilbert's frantic 911 call and the discovery of her remains near the marsh in Oak Beach led to the discovery of Heuermann's alleged victims. While Gilbert has not been named as one of his Heuermann's possible victims, her case kick-started the investigation into the Gilgo Beach killings. 

Coletti has followed the case ever since. She said she attended Alfred Berner Middle School in East Massapequa with Heuermann, were she was a year ahead of him.

"I had to see it end," she said.

Heuermann family leaves Massapequa Park home

Rex Heuermann’s family left their home just after 6:30 a.m. as the sun was rising over Massapequa Park.

Heuermann’s ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, and his daughter, Victoria, pulled out of the driveway in a red SUV and sped away without speaking to Newsday outside.

They left the tattered red ranch where they had lived for many years and where police conducted multiple searches over the past three years.

Line forms hours before Heuermann's court appearance

The line to get into Suffolk County Criminal Court in Riverhead Wednesday was 18-people deep by 6:15 a.m., all to get inside for a chance to see alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex A. Heuermann's anticipated guilty plea.

Early scene from the courthouse

A crowd of mostly media members began to gather  outside the criminal court building in Riverhead before 5 a.m. Wednesday in anticipation of Rex Heuermann's guilty plea.

Television crews filmed live shots near the steps leading to the courthouse as others began preparations to cover this landmark day in Suffolk courts.

The anticipated guilty plea was the talk of the courthouse this week.

Security preparations began inside the building at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Court officers set up stanchions that extend from Judge Timothy Mazzei's courtroom down most of the hallway, where a press line will form after the building opens. The line outside the courthouse will first filter through an additional checkpoint that was set up beyond the front entrance, which opens at 9 a.m., to prescreen individuals (mostly media and attorneys) who have a state-issued Secure Pass. Everyone else will have to wait on an additional line before making their way up to the proceeding.

An overflow courtroom has been prepped for anyone beyond the roughly 150 people who will fill the chairs in Mazzei's gallery.

The proceeding is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann set to plead guilty in court today

Alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex A. Heuermann is scheduled to appear in a Riverhead courtroom Wednesday morning, where he's expected to plead guilty to a superseding indictment charging him with the murders of seven women over a span of decades.

Heuermann is also expected to admit killing an eighth victim, Karen Vergata, whose homicide is not charged in the indictment. Prosecutors have said that Heuermann was a suspect in Vergata's killing.

Heuermann, 62, of Massapequa Park, has publicly maintained his innocence in the killings since his July 13, 2023, arrest.

Heuermann is charged with killing Amber Costello, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla.

Suffolk DA to address media after Heuermann enters plea

After alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex A. Heuermann appears Wednesday morning in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, where he's expected to admit to killing eight women, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney will address the news media.

Tierney's office has scheduled a news conference at the Suffolk County Police Academy in Brentwood for 2 p.m. Wednesday, after Heuermann appears in court.

Tierney will be joined at the news  conference by Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina, Suffolk Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. and representatives of the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force, state Police, the FBI and relatives of the homicide victims.

The families of Heuermann's alleged victims were told by Suffolk police to expect Heuermann to change his plea to guilty during Wednesday's court appearance, family members exclusively told Newsday two weeks ago.

Heuermann has denied any involvement in the seven charged killings dating back to 1992. He was arrested on July 13, 2023.

Gilgo Beach killings: Why would Rex Heuermann plead guilty? Experts point to strategies.

Alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex A. Heuermann's apparent plan to plead guilty, perhaps ending the mystery of who was killing sex workers and dumping their bodies across Long Island, has left many who have followed the case asking a simple question: Why?

Legal experts who spoke to Newsday expressed surprise at the apparent turn of events after Newsday broke the story that the families of the victims had been notified by authorities Heuermann was planning to plead guilty at his next court appearance, scheduled for April 8.

Read more here.

Gilgo Beach victim's son files wrongful death suit against alleged serial killer Rex Heuermann and family

The son of Valerie Mack, one of the seven known female victims prosecutors said were killed by Rex A. Heuermann, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the accused Gilgo Beach serial killer, his ex-wife and daughter, records show.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in State Supreme Court in Suffolk County — the first known litigation brought by any of the Gilgo victims' family members against Heuermann — comes as the 62-year-old from Massapequa Park is reportedly expected to plead guilty on Wednesday to the killings that have haunted the region for more than a decade.

Read more here.