Suspect in Gilgo Beach serial killings charged with seventh death

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — The New York architect charged with murder in a series of deaths known as the Gilgo Beach murders was charged Tuesday in the death of a seventh woman.

Rex Heuermann pleaded not guilty to killing Valerie Mack, whose remains were first found on Long Island in 2000. Mack, 24, had worked as an escort in Philadelphia and was last seen by her family in New Jersey this year.

Some of Mack’s skeletal remains were originally discovered in Manorville, New York; More than a decade later, authorities found more of her remains about 50 miles west, in Gilgo Beach. They remained unknown until genetic testing revealed their identities in 2020.

Human hair found on Mack’s remains was sent for testing earlier this year and was found to likely match the genetic profile of Heuermann’s daughter, prosecutors said in court papers. His daughter is not accused of wrongdoing and would have been 3 or 4 years old when Mack died.

Heuermann, 61, is accused of killing six other women whose remains were found on Long Island. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

“These women’s lives matter. We as investigators understand that. Nobody understands that better than the families,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at a news conference with Mack’s parents and other victims’ relatives.

Mack’s parents said nothing. Four other relatives of the victims gave the Macks roses and hugs and expressed their sadness and solidarity through an attorney.

“You were and are loved. And they are missed every day by those who knew them and had a strong bond with them,” said Gloria Allred, who represents the families of Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor and Megan Waterman.

Waterman grew up in South Portland and Scarborough, Maine, and went missing in 2010.

Outside court, Heuermann’s attorney, Michael Brown, disputed the evidence presented in connection with Mack’s death. He noted that hair samples taken from Mack’s body were recovered more than a year ago and that the DNA technology used to link her and other victims to Heuermann was never considered reliable in the New case York.

He also argued that Tierney’s office could not yet provide evidence that a victim’s DNA was found in Heuermann’s home, including the many weapons and tools seized during recent searches of the property.

“There’s something strange about these allegations,” Brown said. “Something that’s not right.”

A lawyer for Heuermann’s estranged wife, Asa Ellerup, said his client would “withhold judgment until trial.”

“The only information Ms. Ellerup has about these alleged crimes comes from media reports and she has taken the position that she does not believe Rex was capable of committing the crimes he is accused of,” Robert Macedonio said in a statement E-mail.

An attorney for the Long Island couple’s son and daughter said in a separate statement that they were children when Mack was killed.

“They remain steadfast in observing the progress of the legal process, no matter how long it takes or how difficult it is,” Vess Mitev wrote in an email.

The investigation into the Gilgo Beach murders dates back to 2010, when police searching for a missing woman found 10 human remains in brush along an offshore island park path, sparking fears of a serial killer.

Over the years, investigators used DNA analysis and other clues to identify the victims, many of whom were sex workers. In some cases, authorities linked them to remains found years earlier elsewhere on Long Island. Police also began re-investigating other unsolved murders of women found dead on Long Island.

The case dragged on through five police commissioners, more than 1,000 tips and doubts about whether there even was a serial killer.

Heuermann, who lived with his wife and two children in Massapequa Park on Long Island and commuted to an architectural firm in Manhattan, was arrested on July 13, 2023. At that time, he was charged with the murders of Barthelemy, Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello.

Earlier this year, he was charged in the deaths of three other women – Brainard-Barnes, Taylor and Sandra Costilla.

In a June court filing, prosecutors said they recovered a file on a hard drive in Heuermann’s basement that he used to “methodically plan” his murders – including checklists of tasks for before, during and after, as well as lessons for “next time.” “. .”

In court filings Tuesday, prosecutors said the document, created the same year as Mack’s murder, contains details consistent with their case.

For example, “Mill Road” – a road near where Mack’s first remains were found – is named under the heading “DS,” which investigators believe stands for “Dump Site.”

The document also lists “foam drain cleaners” under “consumables.” Prosecutors say that on Oct. 3, 2000, Heuermann’s phone records appear to show that he made two calls to a Long Island plumbing company and that the following month he paid another company to check his main drain.

During recent searches of Heuermann’s home and office, authorities said they found old magazines and newspapers with articles about the Gilgo Beach murders and investigations, which prosecutors believe he kept as “souvenirs” or “keepsakes.” Among them was a copy of the New York Post dated July 29, 2003, which contained an article about the examination of Mack and Taylor’s remains.

Investigators say the evidence suggests Heuermann’s home was the scene of the murders – in most cases when his family was out of town. Tierney said authorities don’t know where his relatives were when Mack was killed.

Authorities still have not charged anyone in the deaths of several other people whose remains were found on Long Island. Among them is Karen Vergata, whose remains were first discovered on Fire Island in 1996 before more of her bones were discovered near Gilgo Beach in 2011. In 2022 she was finally identified after another DNA analysis.

In September, authorities released new accounts of an unidentified victim whose remains were found in Gilgo Beach in 2011. Officials said the victim, whom they had identified as male for years, may have been masquerading as female and died in 2006.

Copy the story link