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A man who killed eight women in Long Island has been jailed for life without the possibility of parole.
Rex Heuermann was handed multiple life sentences over the deaths of eight women, who the former architect had admitted to strangling and dismembering.
Judge Timothy Mazzei told the Gilgo Beach serial killed he is a ‘disgusting, despicable and small man, and you are a coward’ after families of the victims had read out their emotional statements.
Heuermann was labelled a ‘remorseless and sadistic serial killer who only cares about himself’ by district attorney Ray Tierney during the sentencing, which was attended by grieving families.
Heuermann had pleaded guilty to the murders of seven women and admitted the killing of an eighth woman in the period spanning 1993 to 2010.
Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amber Costello, Sandra Costilla, Valerie Mack Jessica Taylor, Karen Vergata and Megan Waterman died in the hands of the killer who terrorised Long Island for years.
Ms Barthelemy, 24, Ms Waterman, 22, and Ms Costello, 27, who were sex workers, had disappeared in 2009 and 2010.
Their bodies were discovered on Gilgo Beach in 2010 in a gruesome state with the head, midsection and legs bound together.
Heuermann was charged with the killing of Ms Brainard-Barnes, 25, in 2024.
Detectives were led to Heuermann after the bodies of Ms Taylor, 20, Ms Costilla, 28, and Ms Mack, 24, were found in a beachside park.
Melissa Cann, the sister of Ms Brainard-Barnes, came face to face with the killer in the court telling him: ‘You are a coward who preyed on vulnerable, innocent women behind a mask, a man without empathy, without a soul, who hunted tortured and murdered women.’
Liliana Waterman, Ms Waterman’s daughter, was three years old when her mum went missing, and her body was found a year later.
She told the court today how she is ‘constantly confronted’ by her mother’s death through true crime podcasts, social media and news.
She said: ‘The damage he caused extends far beyond the day he committed this crime.
‘Today’s proceedings do not erase what happened, and nothing ever will. But today brings accountability.’
Key evidence that led detectives to Heuermann included his dark-green Chevrolet, which matched the car described by a witness of one of the killings.
His phone records also showed contact with three of the four victims along with DNA samples linking him to the burlap used to tie one of the victims.
A seemingly innocuous pizza box thrown away by Heuermann contributed to his downfall after DNA taken from the leftover crust matched a hair on the burlap around Ms Waterman’s body.
It took until July 2023 for Heuermann to face charges over the deaths of the ‘Gilgo Four’ – Ms Bainard-Barnes, Ms Barthelemy, Ms Waterman and Ms Costello – all of whom were discovered in 2010.
You can read more about the phone call that led to Heuermann’s capture here.
Time of the Long Island murders
November 20, 1993 – Sandra Costilla is found dead and later identified as the earliest known victim linked to Heuermann
2000 – Valerie Mack goes missing, with partial remains later found in Manorville and additional remains discovered more than a decade later near Gilgo Beach
July 26, 2003 – Jessica Taylor is found dismembered in Manorville, with further remains discovered along Ocean Parkway in 2011
2007 – Maureen Brainard-Barnes disappears after being contacted repeatedly by a burner phone
July 2009 – Melissa Barthelemy disappears
July 17, 2009 – Barthelemy’s sister receives the first of several taunting calls from a man using Melissa’s phone
May 1, 2010 – Shannan Gilbert disappears after making a 21-minute 911 call
June 6, 2010 – Megan Waterman is last seen leaving a hotel in Hauppauge after contact with a burner phone
September 2, 2010 – Amber Lynn Costello disappears after leaving home to meet a client described as ‘ogre-like’
December 2010 – Police discover the remains of ‘The Gilgo Four’
May 2011 – The number of discovered remains in the area rises to 10
December 2011 – Shannan Gilbert’s remains are found, though authorities do not link her death to Heuermann
2022 – A new task force revisits the case and focuses on old leads including burner phones and a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche
January 2023 – Investigators recover DNA from a pizza crust Heuermann threw away outside his Manhattan office
July 13, 2023 – Heuermann is arrested
June 2024 – Heuermann is charged with the murders of Sandra Costilla and Jessica Taylor
December 2024 – Heuermann is charged with the murder of Valerie Mack
April 8, 2026 – Heuermann pleads guilty to killing seven women and admits an eighth murder
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