Gilgo Beach murders - live: Rex Heuermann lawyer claims police are ignoring ‘stronger’ serial killer suspects
Attorneys for alleged Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann have insisted on their client’s innocence.
Criminal defence attorney Michael J Brown described 59-year-old Mr Heuermann as a loving husband and devoted father and suggested that investigators are ignoring stronger leads in the probe into the deaths of slain sex workers Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello and Megan Waterman.
“There is nothing about Mr Heuermann that would suggest that he is involved in these incidents,” Mr Brown said in a statement to New 12.
“And while the government has decided to focus on him despite more significant and stronger leads, we are looking forward to defending him in a court of law before a fair and impartial jury of his peers.”
Mr Heuermann lived in Massapequa Park, where the victims were last seen, while his architecture consulting firm is located near the area in Midtown Manhattan where taunting calls were made to the women’s families.
He first came into investigators’ radar last year, when a witness recognized his vehicle, while DNA evidence and a forensic analysis of his cellphone records and online searches have further tied him to the crime, police said.
On Sunday night, Suffolk Police Officers executed a search warrant at a single unit at Omega Self Storage in Amityville for evidence and possible trophies from the killings.
Key points
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Suffolk County Police Commissioner says Rex Heuermann is ‘a monster’
14:36 , Andrea Blanco
Long Island police are searching for “body parts” in a storage unit tied to Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann following his bombshell arrest last week.
Suffolk Police Officers executed a search warrant at a single unit at Omega Self Storage in Amityville late on Sunday night, according to PIX 11.
Police confirmed to the local outlet that the search was part of the investigation into the Manhattan architect’s alleged murders of at least three women whose bodies were found dumped on the shores of Gilgo Beach over a decade ago.
The storage unit is just two miles from the married father-of-two’s home in Massapequa Park which investigators have been combing for evidence – and possible trophies and body parts – linking him to the slayings.
“He’s a monster,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told PIX 11. “It was a very cluttered house. He was like a pack rat.”
WATCH: Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann ‘a demon that walks amongst us’, police say
14:00 , Andrea Blanco
Rex Heuermann’s family cooperating with investigation
13:40 , Rachel Sharp
The “shocked” family of accused serial killer Rex Heuermann are cooperating with the investigation, according to authorities.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told News 12 that the investigators have spoken with Mr Heuermann’s wife, daughter and son.
He said that they had been cooperative with the probe and appeared to be “shocked” by the allegations against their famiyl member.
The police chief said that Mr Heuermann appeared to be living a double life.
“A very, very bizarre lifestyle that he lived,” he said.
“Two types of lives where he was a family man, architect, but when his wife would go out of town, some of the things that he participated in was very, very dangerous for our community.”
South Carolina police helped gather evidence on Rex Heuermann
13:21 , Rachel Sharp
The Chester County Sheriff’s Office has revealed that it helped gather evidence on accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann.
The Chester County Sheriff’s Office was requested by the Gilgo Beach Task Force to assist in gathering evidence in Chester County relevant to their investigation.
Full Post Here: https://t.co/5LPj3nQAcj— Chester County Sheriff's Office (@ChesterSheriff) July 18, 2023
Mr Heuermann’s brother Craig Heuermann lives in Chester in rural South Carolina and his neighbours have said that the suspected killer also owned a plot there.
One neighbour told Fox News Digital that Craig had told them his brother was planning to retire on the secluded property.
“[Craig Heuermann] keeps saying his brother is going into retirement,” they said.
“He told me when I first moved down here that his brother owns that lot across the road, and that his brother’s going to retire down here, and when he does, everybody’s leaving.”
Video shows dramatic moment police swept in to arrest Rex Heuermann for Gilgo Beach murders
13:00 , Rachel Sharp
Dramatic video captured the moment that the hunt for the Gilgo Beach serial killer came to a sudden end with the arrest of suspect Rex Heuermann.
Law enforcement officers swooped on the 59-year-old married father-of-two on the night of 13 July as he left the offices of his architecture business in midtown Manhattan.
The towering architect, who lives in Long Island, was seen walking along a busy Manhattan road dressed in pants and a grey T-shirt with a bag on his shoulder. He appeared unaware that he was being tailed by multiple officers – dressed plainclothes in dark suits – as he made his way along the street.
Passers-by also went about their nights unaware of what was going on.
The footage then shows the officers stopping Mr Heuermann, making a circle to surround him.
Did serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann strike beyond Gilgo Beach? Police probe links to unsolved killings
12:38 , Rachel Sharp
Investigators are exploring the possibility that Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann could be linked to other unsolved murders further afield than the Long Beach shores – as questions mount as to whether he committed any other alleged crimes before, during or after the discovery of the victims’ bodies.
An NYPD official told ABC News that, following the 59-year-old’s sudden arrest last week, he is now being looked at in connection to missing persons cases and murders across all five boroughs of New York City.
The married father-of-two’s DNA has been entered into a statewide database and his alleged MO is being compared to other cases – including those during the period he was allegedly active in Gilgo Beach.
Read more here:
Did serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann strike beyond Gilgo Beach?
What have investigators found at storage unit?
12:21 , Rachel Sharp
Police continue to search Rex Heuermann’s family home in Massapequa Park and a storage unit two miles away in Amityville.
Officials said that they are looking for possible “body parts” and “trophies” taken from victims by the killer.
It is unclear if anything of that nature has been found however the Suffolk County Medical Examiner was spotted on the scene of the storage unit on Monday.
The Suffolk County Medical Examiner is now at the storage facility - very interesting. #GilgoBeach #RexHeuermann
— Joseph L. Giacalone (@JoeGiacalone) July 17, 2023
Rex Heuermann’s string of car crash lawsuits and tax issues revealed after Gilgo Beach murders arrest
12:00 , Andrea Blanco
Rex Heuermann’s tax issues and string of personal injury lawsuits have been revealed in the aftermath of his bombshell arrest in connection with the Gilgo Beach murders.
Mr Heuermann, a 59-year-old father of two, was taken into custody last week and charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three of second-degree murder over the deaths of slain sex workers Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello and Megan Waterman. He has pleaded not guilty.
The Independent reports:
Rex Heuermann car crash lawsuits and tax issues revealed after Gilgo Beach arrest
Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect had one chilling question for officials after his arrest
11:40 , Rachel Sharp
Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann had just one chilling question for jail officials following his arrest last week, it has been revealed.
As the 59-year-old married father-of-two was processed into Suffolk County Jail on a string of murder charges, sources told CNN he was curious about his newfound notoriety.
“Is it in the news?” he asked.
Mr Heuermann’s interest in the media coverage of the killings isn’t new.
Read the full story here:
Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect had one chilling question after his arrest
Rex Heuermann is placed on suicide watch
11:20 , Rachel Sharp
Following his arrest, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office said that Rex Heuermann has been placed on suicide watch in the local jail.
This is routine for such cases, officials said.
It comes after police swooped on the accused killer on Thursday night as he left his office in Midtown Manhattan.
Dramatic video shows a team of plainclothes officers surrounding him and taking him into custody on the busy block.
He was charged with three counts of murder in the first degree and three in the second degree over the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello.
He is also the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Who is Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann?
11:00 , Andrea Blanco
His Manhattan business describes him as a registered architect with over 30 years’ experience.
His neighbours describe him as a “family man” living with his wife and two children in a tight-knit community in Suffolk County. But now authorities are describing him as the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer who unleashed terror along the shores of Long Island more than a decade ago.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:
Rex Heuermann: Who is serial killer suspect in Gilgo Beach murders
Gilgo Beach killer suspect’s chilling question to jail officials revealed
10:40 , Rachel Sharp
Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann had just one chilling question for jail officials following his arrest last week, it has been revealed.
As the 59-year-old married father-of-two was processed into Suffolk County Jail on a string of murder charges, sources told CNN he was curious about his newfound notoriety.
“Is it in the news?” he asked.
Mr Heuermann’s interest in the media coverage of the killings isn’t new.
Court documents have revealed that over the last year between March 2022 and June 2023, he repeatedly looked online for updates in the investigation, searched for details about the victims and their families, read news stories about the case and looked for podcasts and documentaries about the murders.
He also took a keen interest in the task force launched by Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison in January 2022 that was actively hunting for him, the documents state.
Among the questions he looked for answers to online was: “why could law enforcement not trace the calls made by the long island serial killer”, and “why hasn’t the long island serial killer been caught”, “Long Island killer” and “Long Island serial killer phone call”.
Knowing he was keeping a close eye on the investigation, police have said they kept the developments under close guard until they swooped on him on Thursday night as he left his office in Midtown Manhattan.
Police probe possible links to other murders across NYC
10:20 , Rachel Sharp
Police in New York City have revealed they are exploring potential links between Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann and other unsolved murders outside of Long Beach.
An NYPD official told ABC News the 59-year-old is being looked at in connection to missing persons cases and murders across all five boroughs of New York City.
The married father-of-two’s DNA has been entered into a statewide database and his alleged MO is being compared to other cases – including those during the period he was allegedly active in Gilgo Beach.
Mr Heuermann is charged with the murders of three women who vanished between 2007 and 2010, and is the prime suspect in a fourth murder.
It’s not clear whether he committed any more alleged crimes between the discovery of the bodies in 2010 and his arrest 13 years later. He lived close to Gilgo Beach in Massapequa Park but worked in the heart of Midtown Manhattan where he runs an architecture firm.
He also has ties to South Carolina and Las Vegas, owning properties in both locations.
Rex Heuermann expected to be charged with fourth murder
10:00 , Andrea Blanco
Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann is now expected to be charged with a fourth murder – as tips and evidence pour in following his shock arrest last week.
The 59-year-old married father-of-two – who has lived on Long Island his entire life and runs an architecture firm in Manhattan – was arrested on 13 July and charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello.
He is also the prime suspect in the murder of a fourth woman Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who was last seen alive in New York City in early June 2007.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:
Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann expected to be charged with fourth murder
WATCH: Police remove evidence from home of Long Island serial killer suspect
09:00 , Andrea Blanco
Rex Heuermann’s lawyer dismisses evidence against ‘loving father and husband’
08:00 , Andrea Blanco
Rex Heuermann’s defence attorney has dismissed a mountain of evidence presented by prosecutors linking him to the Gilgo Beach murders.
Mr Heuermann, 59, was ordered held without bail on Friday after pleading not guilty to six counts of murder over the deaths of Gilgo Beach murder victims Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello and Megan Waterman.
He is also the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes. The women, all sex workers in their 20s, were found within one-quarter mile of each other in December 2010 during a separate missing persons investigation in the Long Island community of Gilgo Beach.
The married father of two lived in Massapequa Park, where the victims were last seen, while his architecture consulting firm is located near the area in Midtown Manhattan, where taunting calls were made to the women’s families. His wife’s hair and his DNA evidence matched evidence found at the crime scene, while forensic analysis of his cellphone records and chilling online searches have further tied him to the crime, police said.
But despite the damning evidence, Mr Heuermann’s defence attorney says that his client is nothing but a “loving husband” and “devoted father”, also suggesting that the Suffolk County task force leading the investigation is ignoring “stronger leads.”
“Rex Heuermann is 59 years old with no prior criminal history,” criminal defence lawyer Michael Brown said in a statement to News 12 Long Island. “He is a loving husband to his wife of over 25 years and an involved and dedicated father to his daughter and stepson.
“There is nothing about Mr Heuermann that would suggest that he is involved in these incidents.
“And while the government has decided to focus on him despite more significant and stronger leads, we are looking forward to defending him in a court of law before a fair and impartial jury of his peers.”
Witness reportedly spotted suspect’s vehicle at the scene where Amber Costello went missing
07:00 , Andrea Blanco
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said in a press conference on 14 July that the net closed in on Mr Heuermann last year when they connected him to a pickup truck seen by a witness at the scene when Costello disappeared.
Court records show that he was then further linked to the killings through DNA obtained from a discarded pizza box, a trove of burner phones he allegedly used to contact the murdered women, and his wife’s hair which was found on one of the victim’s bodies.
Rex Heuermann charged with three Gilgo Beach murders as burner phones and truck tie him to serial killings
06:00 , Andrea Blanco
New York architect Rex Heuermann is facing charges in the murders of three Gilgo Beach victims, court documents released by the Suffolk County District Attorney on Friday revealed.
Mr Heuermann, 59, is accused of murdering Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello — all sex workers in their 20s who disappeared in the Long Island area before their bodies were found during a separate missing person investigation in 2010.
The bodies were found within one-quarter mile of each other.
Mr Heuermann was taken into custody outside his Midtown office on Thursday night in connection with the unsolved murders which sent fear through the shoreline community of Gilgo Beach more than a decade ago.
A bail application released by the Suffolk County District Attorney revealed that Mr Heuermann was linked to the serial killings through cellphone evidence and surveillance.
IN PICTURES: Long Island police raid Rex Heuermann’s police
05:00 , Andrea Blanco
How Long Island police tied Rex Heuermann to the Gilgo Beach murders
04:00 , Andrea Blanco
It’s taken 13 years but Suffolk County Police finally say they’ve caught the serial killer who dumped his victims along the shores of Gilgo Beach – thanks to a pimp’s tip about his pickup truck, a stash of burner phones, his wife’s hair and a pizza crust.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:
How pizza crust, burner phones and wife’s hairs led police to Gilgo Beach suspect
Long Island police search for ‘body parts’ in storage unit tied to Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann
03:00 , Andrea Blanco
Long Island police are searching for “body parts” in a storage unit tied to Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann following his bombshell arrest last week.
Suffolk Police Officers executed a search warrant at a single unit at Omega Self Storage in Amityville late on Sunday night, according to PIX 11.
Police confirmed to the local outlet that the search was part of the investigation into the Manhattan architect’s alleged murders of at least three women whose bodies were found dumped on the shores of Gilgo Beach over a decade ago.
The storage unit is just two miles from the married father-of-two’s home in Massapequa Park which investigators have been combing for evidence – and possible trophies and body parts – linking him to the slayings.
“He’s a monster,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told PIX 11. “It was a very cluttered house. He was like a pack rat.”
How the Gilgo Beach serial killer turned the Long Island shore into a graveyard
02:00 , Andrea Blanco
For around two decades, the sands and marshes of Long Island’s Gilgo Beach kept a dark secret.
A killer or killers roamed the locality, luring in escorts and sex workers and brutally murdering them.
Body after body was dumped along the shoreline, hidden for months and even years without being discovered.
Then, in 2010, a chilling 911 call made by a woman in fear for her life led police to search the area.
Read more:
How the Gilgo Beach serial killer turned the Long Island shore into a graveyard
Firearms seized from Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann
01:00 , Andrea Blanco
Over the weekend, multiple other items, including a trove of firearms, were also seized from the suspect’s home – a home he has lived in his whole life and which is located just a 20-minute drive from Gilgo Beach where the killer dumped the bodies of his victims.
A plastic tub full of rifles was taken from the family property and loaded into a police van, as it emerged that the Manhattan architect owned a large gun safe and had legal permits for a staggering 92 firearms.
Billy Baldwin reveals unlikely connection to Gilgo Beach murders suspect
Tuesday 18 July 2023 00:00 , Andrea Blanco
Billy Baldwin has revealed he has an unlikely connection to suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann – following the shock arrest of the architect and married father-of-two.
The actor took to Twitter on Friday to announce his shock that his high school classmate had been arrested on suspicion of carrying out up to 11 unsolved murders on Long Island.
“Woke up this morning to learn that the Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect was my high school classmate Rex Heuermann,” he tweeted.
“Berner High School Massapequa, New York Class of 1981 Married, two kids, architect. “Average guy… quiet, family man.” Mind-boggling… Massapequa is in shock. 23andMe strikes again???”
Baldwin – part of the Baldwin family of actors including Alec Baldwin – grew up in the Massapequa suburb of Long Island.
It was there that multiple law enforcement agencies descended late on Thursday and into Friday at Mr Heuermann’s home on First Avenue in Massapequa Park – located just a 20-minute drive from Gilgo Beach.
‘They’re going through utter hell:’ BTK Killer’s daughter sympathises with Gilgo Beach suspect’s family
Monday 17 July 2023 22:55 , Andrea Blanco
Kerri Rawson was just 26 when her father was unmasked in 2005 as the BTK predator who’d terrorised Kansas for more than three decades.
Now a victim advocate and 45-year-old mother, she tells The Independent’s Sheila Flynn that she’s ‘heartbroken’ as another family comes to terms with a loved one’s arrest in the Long Island serial killer case:
BTK Killer’s daughter sympathises with Gilgo Beach suspect’s family: ‘Utter hell’
Rex Heuermann ‘liked talking about Long Island slayings,’ acquaintance claims
Monday 17 July 2023 22:25 , Andrea Blanco
A former acquaintance of suspect Rex Heuermann says that he used to enjoy talking about the Gilgo Beach murders during social events.
Dominique Vidal told ABC7 that the murder suspect left her a voicemail in February after she left a networking group for architects and designers that they both belonged to.
“I assumed he just wanted to do some work together, but he always made me a little bit uncomfortable,” said Ms Vidal.
And she added: “He (previously) asked me if I knew about the Gilgo Beach murders. And back then I will say ‘Oh you know, he’s just from the area, maybe you know, he’s just a local talking about and would think that I’d find it interesting.’ But now I see it as a serial killer.”
WATCH: Rex Heuermann ‘a demon that walks amongst us’, police say
Monday 17 July 2023 21:55 , Andrea Blanco
Authorities say they’re confident they can link fourth murder to Mr Heuermann
Monday 17 July 2023 21:25 , Andrea Blanco
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said on Monday that officials are “confident” that Mr Heuermann will soon be charged with the murder of Brainard-Barnes.
“We feel we can prove these three murders,” Mr Tierney told CNN.
“We’re also confident that we’re going to be able to eventually charge that fourth murder.”
It’s also possible that he could also face charges for other victims as a total of 11 sets of human remains were found dumped along the shores of Gilgo Beach back in 2010 and 2011.
“As we continue to gather evidence, anything is possible,” said the DA.
Victims’ families received taunting calls, police say
Monday 17 July 2023 20:55 , Andrea Blanco
Suffolk County district attorney Raymond Tierney wrote in a court filing that the sister of victim Melissa Barthelemy received “taunting calls” near to Mr Heuermann’s office in Midtown Manhattan after her disappearance in July 2009.
Mr Heuerman also used the phones of Barthelemy and another victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes to check their voicemails after they disappeared, the district attorney wrote while requesting the suspect be held without bail.
Mr Heuerman has been charged with first and second-degree murders of sex workers Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22; and Amber Costello, 27, and is considered a “prime suspect” in the murder of Brainard-Barnes, 25.
Cache of 200 weapons seized from suspect’s home
Monday 17 July 2023 20:25 , Andrea Blanco
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told Fox News Heuermann that at least 200 weapons were seized from Mr Heuermann’s home in Massapequa Park. Authorities only were aware of 90 weapons registered to his name
“He had an arsenal in a vault that he had downstairs,” Mr Harrison told the outlet. “It’s concerning, regarding the guns being registered or legal or not, that’s something we’re still taking a look at. Anytime somebody has that type of arsenal, we have some concerns.”
The weapons were found inside a room in the basement of Mr Heuermann’s home.
IN PICTURES: Law enforcement searches the home of Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann
Monday 17 July 2023 19:55 , Andrea Blanco
Rudy Giuliani makes bizarre appearance at Gilgo Beach murder suspect’s house
Monday 17 July 2023 19:25 , Andrea Blanco
Rudy Giuliani made a bizarre appearance at the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer’s home as investigators searched it following his arrest.
The former New York mayor was driven up to the property of suspect Rex Heuermann on Long Island as investigators continued to comb through it and remove items on Saturday.
Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer sat in his car and chatted with police officers outside the property in the Massapequa Park neighbourhood before driving away.
Read the story here:
Rudy Giuliani sparks backlash with bizarre stop at Gilgo Beach murder suspect’s home
Who is Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann?
Monday 17 July 2023 18:47 , Andrea Blanco
Manhattan architect and married father-of-two Rex Heuermann was taken into custody at around 8.30pm on Thursday night near his Midtown office.
Dramatic video captured him walking along a Manhattan road when he was suddenly surrounded by plainclothes officers and taken into custody.
The accused killer has been married twice and shares a 26-year-old daughter and stepson, with special needs, with his second wife.
Mr Heuermann is president of architecture firm RH Consultants & Associates, a company which he founded in 1994 and which his adult daughter also works for.
The architecture firm is based in Midtown Manhattan – where some of the Gilgo Beach victims were last seen alive.
According to court records, phone calls made from burner phones and some of the victims’ cellphones can be traced to his office.
In his professional life, some acquaintances described him as arrogant while others said he was “creepy”.
Paul Teitelbaum, who worked with Mr Heuermann on a building in Brooklyn Heights, told The New York Times that the suspect had a “swagger” and an attitude that said: “I’m the expert, you’re lucky to have me.”
WATCH: Moment Gilgo Beach suspect arrested in crowded New York street
Monday 17 July 2023 18:27 , Andrea Blanco
Rex Heuermann ‘kept secret room’ in his basement, intetior designer claims
Monday 17 July 2023 18:29 , Andrea Blanco
Interior designer Katherine Shepherd told DailyMail.com that Mr Heuermann had an odd reaction when she found out he had a 12’x15’ room in his basement.
Mr Heuermann reportedly refused to let Ms Sheperd in, telling her he had stored guns inside.
‘” didn’t understand why he was being so weird about it, and now I’m thinking “What was he hiding?”” Ms Sheperd said. “It was a big room. What was happening in that room? Is that where he took the women?”
Suffolk Police Officers executed a search warrant at a single unit at Omega Self Storage in Amityville late on Sunday night, according to News 12 Long Island.
Police confirmed to the local outlet that the search was part of the investigation into the Manhattan architect’s alleged murders of at least three women whose bodies were found dumped on the shores of Gilgo Beach over a decade ago.
The storage unit is just two miles from the married father-of-two’s home in Massapequa Park which investigators have been combing for evidence – and possible trophies – linking him to the slayings.
Who are the victims Mr Heuermann is accused of murdering?
Monday 17 July 2023 18:07 , Andrea Blanco
Mr Heuermann was charged with three counts of murder in the first degree and three in the second degree over the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello.
The three women all vanished without a trace while working as escorts. Their bodies were found in December 2011 during a search for Shannan Gilbert – a 24-year-old sex worker from New Jersey who vanished after visiting a client in Oak Park and making a chilling 911 call where she revealed fears for her life.
Mr Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes – who together with the three is known as the “Gilgo Beach Four” – who was last seen alive in early June 2007 in New York City.
The four women were found within one-quarter mile of each other, bound by belts or tape.
Defence double down on Rex Heuermann’s innocence
Monday 17 July 2023 17:40 , Andrea Blanco
Attorneys for Mr Heurmann released the followign statement to News 12:
“Rex Heuermann is 59 years old with no prior criminal history. He is a college graduate and is a hardworking licensed architect who has his own NYC firm.
“He is a loving husband to his wife of over 25 years and an involved and dedicated father to his daughter and stepson.
“He has entered a not guilty plea and has insisted he did not commit these crimes.
“There is nothing about Mr. Heuermann that would suggest that he is involved in these incidents. And while the government has decided to focus on him despite more significant and stronger leads, we are looking forward to defending him in a court of law before a fair and impartial jury of his peers.
Neighbours ‘warned children to avoid Rex Heuermann’s house’
Monday 17 July 2023 17:20 , Andrea Blanco
A neighbour of Mr Heuermann told The New York Times that sometimes he would glower at neighbours while he swung an ax in the front yard of his home. Other neighbours told the Times that they had cautioned their children to avoid Mr Heuermann’s home.
“We would cross the street,” Nicholas Ferchaw, 24, told the outlet. “He was somebody you don’t want to approach.”
Rex Heuermann was charged Friday with six counts of murder in connection with the infamous Gilgo Beach killings, which were believed to be the work of a
Meanwhile, one long-time neighbour of the Heuermanns, who has lived a few doors down from the family for more than two decades, told The Independent on Friday that the suspect, his wife and two children were “a very quiet family” who made “no imprint at all” on the local community.
“Basically, we never had any contact with him ... living here 22 years and never said two words to him,” she said – while quick to point out that “one bad apple doesn’t spoil the bunch” in a “great neighbourhood.”
JonBenét Ramsey’s brother says he believes her killer has ‘same bio’ as Gilgo Beach murders suspect
Monday 17 July 2023 17:00 , Andrea Blanco
The brother of slain child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey has said he believes her killer could have a similar profile to the man accused of perpetrating a string of murders that terrorised Long Island more than a decade ago.
Read more:
JonBenét Ramsey’s brother reacts to arrest in Gilgo Beach murders
Long Island prosecutors expected to charge Rex Heuermann with fourth murder
Monday 17 July 2023 16:40 , Andrea Blanco
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said on Monday that officials are ‘confident’ that Mr Heuermann will soon be charged with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes – who was last seen alive in 2007.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:
Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann expected to be charged with fourth murder
Moment Gilgo Beach suspect arrested in crowded New York street
Monday 17 July 2023 16:20 , Andrea Blanco
Rex Heuermann kept track of victims, police say
Monday 17 July 2023 16:00 , Andrea Blanco
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said on Friday that Mr Heuermann had carried out online searches for pictures of the Gilgo Bech murder victims and their families.
“He was compulsively searching pictures of the victims, but not only pictures of the victims, pictures of their relatives, their sisters, their children, and he was trying to locate those individuals,” Mr Tierney said.
Firearms seized from Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann
Monday 17 July 2023 15:40 , Andrea Blanco
Over the weekend, multiple other items, including a trove of firearms, were also seized from the suspect’s home – a home he has lived in his whole life and which is located just a 20-minute drive from Gilgo Beach where the killer dumped the bodies of his victims.
A plastic tub full of rifles was taken from the family property and loaded into a police van, as it emerged that the Manhattan architect owned a large gun safe and had legal permits for a staggering 92 firearms.
Witness reportedly spotted suspect’s vehicle at the scene where Amber Costello went missing
Monday 17 July 2023 15:20 , Andrea Blanco
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said in a press conference on 14 July that the net closed in on Mr Heuermann last year when they connected him to a pickup truck seen by a witness at the scene when Costello disappeared.
Court records show that he was then further linked to the killings through DNA obtained from a discarded pizza box, a trove of burner phones he allegedly used to contact the murdered women, and his wife’s hair which was found on one of the victim’s bodies.
Why was Rex Heuermann arrested now?
Monday 17 July 2023 15:00 , Andrea Blanco
While he was under surveillance in recent months as detectives continued to investigate the case, Commissioner Harrison said that Mr Heuermann continued to use burner phones and patronise sex workers.
He also carried out depraved online searches including for child porn – as well as searches about the Long Island serial killer, he said.
Because of these concerns – and the fact that Mr Heuermann has permits for 92 firearms – Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said that authorities felt they needed to bring him off the streets now.
As a result, authorities decided now was the time to charge him with three of the killings “out of concern for this defendant fleeing and the danger to the community” and will continue to work towards charging him with Brainard-Barnes’ murder.
Who are the victims Mr Heuermann is accused of murdering?
Monday 17 July 2023 14:40 , Andrea Blanco
Mr Heuermann was charged with three counts of murder in the first degree and three in the second degree over the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello.
The three women all vanished without a trace while working as escorts. Their bodies were found in December 2011 during a search for Shannan Gilbert – a 24-year-old sex worker from New Jersey who vanished after visiting a client in Oak Park and making a chilling 911 call where she revealed fears for her life.
Mr Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes – who together with the three is known as the “Gilgo Beach Four” – who was last seen alive in early June 2007 in New York City.
The four women were found within one-quarter mile of each other, bound by belts or tape.
Authorities looking into possibility Gilgo Beach murder suspect took ‘trophies from victims’
Monday 17 July 2023 14:20 , Andrea Blanco
A source told The New York Post that investigators are looking to see if the accused killer took any trophies from his victims.
“We’re just going through his house looking to see if there’s any evidence. If he has any trophies,” they said.
Classmate of Gilgo Beach murders suspect reveals he left ‘love notes’ in her locker
Monday 17 July 2023 14:00 , Rachel Sharp
A former classmate of Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann says the alleged serial killer was very quiet in high school.
Maureen Holpit, 59, who attended Berner High School in Massapequa with Rex Heuermann, told The Independent that Mr Heuermann was once a shy teen who would often leave “love notes” in her locker. Ms Holpit said her exchanges with the now suspected serial killer were always pleasant and polite.
“I was always nice and friendly to him, you know. Seemed like he kind of got picked on and people would maybe portray him as a little nerdy. He was very quiet, mild-mannered. So I was nice and would say, ‘Hey, Rex, how are you?,’” Ms Holpit, who now lives in Florida, tells The Independent.
Read the full story:
Classmate of Gilgo Beach murders suspect reveals he left ‘love notes’ in her locker
Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann expected to be charged with fourth murder
Monday 17 July 2023 13:49 , Rachel Sharp
Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann is now expected to be charged with a fourth murder – as tips and evidence pour in following his shock arrest last week.
The 59-year-old married father-of-two – who has lived on Long Island his entire life and runs an architcture firm in Manhattan – was arrested on Thursday and charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello.
He is also the prime suspect in the murder of a fourth woman Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who was last seen alive in New York City in early June 2007.
All four women – known as the “Gilgo Beach Four” – worked as sex workers and vanished after going to meet clients.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said on Monday that officials are “confident” that Mr Heuermann will soon be charged with the murder of Brainard-Barnes.
“We feel we can prove these three murders,” Mr Tierney told CNN.
“We’re also confident that we’re going to be able to eventually charge that fourth murder.”
It’s also possible that he could also face charges for other victims as a total of 11 sets of human remains were found dumped along the shores of Gilgo Beach back in 2010 and 2011.
“As we continue to gather evidence, anything is possible,” said the DA.
Since Mr Heuermann’s arrest late last week, the DA said that investigators have received a wealth of evidence and information about the accused serial killer.
It is not clear what that new evidence is but investigators have been searching the married father-of-two’s home in Massapequa Park for evidence – and possible trophies – linking him to the slayings.
Long Island police execute search warrant at storage unit connected to Gilgo Beach suspected serial killer
Monday 17 July 2023 13:20 , Rachel Sharp
Long Island police are searching a storage unit in connection to suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann following his bombshell arrest on Thursday.
Suffolk Police Officers executed a search warrant at a single unit at Omega Self Storage in Amityville late on Sunday night, according to News 12 Long Island.
Police confirmed to the local outlet that the search was part of the investigation into the Manhattan architect’s alleged murders of at least three women whose bodies were found dumped on the shores of Gilgo Beach over a decade ago.
Read more here:
Long Island police search storage unit connected to Gilgo Beach murder suspect
Acquaintance recalls how Rex Heuermann liked talking about Long Island slayings
Monday 17 July 2023 13:00 , Graeme Massie
A former acquaintance of suspect Rex Heuermann says that he used to enjoy talking about the Gilgo Beach murders during social events.
Dominique Vidal told ABC7 that the murder suspect left her a voicemail in February after she left a networking group for architects and designers that they both belonged to.
“I assumed he just wanted to do some work together, but he always made me a little bit uncomfortable,” said Ms Vidal.
And she added: “He (previously) asked me if I knew about the Gilgo Beach murders. And back then I will say ‘Oh you know, he’s just from the area, maybe you know, he’s just a local talking about and would think that I’d find it interesting.’ But now I see it as a serial killer.”
Rudy Giuliani makes bizarre appearance at Gilgo Beach murder suspect’s house
Monday 17 July 2023 12:40 , Rachel Sharp
Rudy Giuliani made a bizarre appearance at the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer’s home as investigators searched it following his arrest.
The former New York mayor was driven up to the property of suspect Rex Heuermann on Long Island as investigators continued to comb through it and remove items on Saturday.
Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer sat in his car and chatted with police officers outside the property in the Massapequa Park neighbourhood before driving away.
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Rudy Giuliani makes bizarre appearance at Gilgo Beach murder suspect’s house
WATCH: Moment Gilgo Beach suspect arrested in crowded New York street
Monday 17 July 2023 12:20 , Rachel Sharp
How the Gilgo Beach serial killer turned the Long Island shore into a graveyard
Monday 17 July 2023 12:01 , Graeme Massie
For around two decades, the sands and marshes of Long Island’s Gilgo Beach kept a dark secret.
A killer or killers was at large, luring in escorts and sex workers and brutally murdering them.
Body after body was dumped along the shoreline, hidden for months and even years without being discovered.
Then, in 2010, a chilling 911 call made by a woman in fear for her life led police to search the area.
What they discovered was far more horrifying than anyone could have imagined.
Read more:
How the Gilgo Beach serial killer turned the Long Island shore into a graveyard
Uncanny resemblance between criminologist’s profile for Gilgo Beach killer and Rex Heuermann
Monday 17 July 2023 11:40 , Rachel Sharp
Back in April 2011, criminologist Scott Bonn created a profile for the Gilgo Becah serial killer for The New York Times.
He said that the killer was likely a white man with a family, who was educated and in professional work and lived on the South Shore of Long Island.
Following Rex Heuermann’s arrest, this criminal profile has resurfaced as it shows an uncanny resemblance to the accused killer.
Mr Heuermann is a married father of two, white male, an architect with his own firm in Manhattan and lives in Massapequa Park in the same home he grew up in – close to the shores of Gilgo Beach.
“When I heard the news yesterday, I sort of had to smile to myself because it was pretty much what I had predicted,” Mr Bonn told The New York Times on Saturday.
WATCH: Police call Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann ‘a demon that walks amongst us’
Monday 17 July 2023 11:20 , Rachel Sharp
How pizza crust helped link Rex Heuermann to the Gilgo Beach murders
Monday 17 July 2023 11:00 , Rachel Sharp
DNA results came back on 12 June with a 99.96 per cent degree of accuracy.
How pizza crust helped link Rex Heuermann to the Gilgo Beach murders
JonBenet Ramsey’s brother says he believes her killer has ‘same bio’ as Gilgo Beach killer
Monday 17 July 2023 10:40 , Rachel Sharp
JonBenet Ramsey's brother has said that he believes her killer has the “same bio” as the Gilgo Beach serial killer as the major breakthrough in the Long Island case has raised hopes that her murder can also be solved.
“No criminal record but you can’t hide this level of darkness. It will manifest itself in other areas of your life. Try as you might you can’t blend. JonBenet’s killer will likely have a similar bio. #psychopath,” he tweeted about the news of Rex Heuermann’s arrest.
In a follow-up post, he spoke of his optimism that improvements in law enforcement will also lead to an arrest in his sister’s case after all these years.
“LE has come along way since 1996. Turf wars are becoming a thing of the past with partnerships becoming standard operating procedure. This new approach just might net JonBenet’s killer,” he tweeted.
LE has come along way since 1996. Turf wars are becoming a thing of the past with partnerships becoming standard operating procedure. This new approach just might net JonBenet’s killer. https://t.co/Kgdhl7UlUo
— John Andrew Ramsey (@JRamsey_Truth) July 15, 2023
Trove of firearms seized from Rex Heuermann’s home
Monday 17 July 2023 10:20 , Rachel Sharp
A trove of firearms has been seized from the home of suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann.
Over the weekend, investigators combed through the married father-of-two’s home in Massapequa Park in connection to the unsolved murders looking for evidence of the killings.
At one point, officers were seen removing a plastic tub full of rifles from the family property.
The Manhattan architect had legal permits for 92 firearms.
A source told The New York Post that investigators are looking to see if the accused killer took any trophies from his victims.
“We’re just going through his house looking to see if there’s any evidence. If he has any trophies,” they said.
Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer’s ‘taunting’ calls
Monday 17 July 2023 10:03 , Graeme Massie
Rex Heuermann, 59, was arrested on Thursday and charged with six counts of murder in connection with three of 11 unsolved killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders.
Suffolk County district attorney Raymond Tierney wrote in a court filing that the sister of victim Melissa Barthelemy received “taunting calls” near to Mr Heuermann’s office in Midtown Manhattan after her disappearance in July 2009.
Mr Heuerman also used the phones of Barthelemy and another victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes to check their voicemails after they disappeared, the district attorney wrote while requesting the suspect be held without bail.
Mr Heuerman has been charged with first and second-degree murders of sex workers Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22; and Amber Costello, 27, and is considered a “prime suspect” in the murder of Brainard-Barnes, 25.
The Independent’s Bevan Hurley reports:
Long Island police search storage unit connected to Gilgo Beach killer suspect
Monday 17 July 2023 09:39 , Rachel Sharp
Long Island police have been searching a storage unit in connection to suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann following his bombshell arrest on Thursday.
Suffolk Police Officers executed a search warrant at a single unit at Omega Self Storage in Amityville late on Sunday night, according to News 12 Long Island.
Police confirmed to the local outlet that the search was in relation to the investigation into the architect’s alleged connection to the murders of at least three women.
The storage unit is just two miles from the married father-of-two’s home in Massapequa Park.
Truck seized from Gilgo Beach murders suspect’s house as neighbour describes ‘very quiet family’
Monday 17 July 2023 09:02 , Graeme Massie
Neighbours congregated in shock in Massapequa Park on Friday after the arrest of long-time resident Rex Heuermann in connection with the Gilgo Beach murders, looking on as police loaded and hauled away a black pickup truck and another large, tarped-over piece of evidence on flatbeds.
The Independent’s Sheila Flynn reports:
Truck seized from Gilgo Beach murders suspect’s home as shocked neighbours look on
WATCH: Police remove evidence from home of Long Island serial killer suspect
Monday 17 July 2023 22:23 , Andrea Blanco
WATCH: Police remove evidence from home of Long Island serial killer suspect
Monday 17 July 2023 07:57 , Graeme Massie
Map showing sites where victims of Gilgo Beach killer were found along Ocean Parkway in Suffolk County, Long Island,
Monday 17 July 2023 07:05 , Graeme Massie
Neighbour says Gilgo Beach murders suspect was ‘very quiet'
Monday 17 July 2023 05:03 , Graeme Massie
Rex Heuermann was charged Friday with six counts of murder in connection with the infamous Gilgo Beach killings, which were believed to be the work of a serial killer after the first bodies were found in 2010 along remote stretches of Long Island shoreline. The killer is believed to have claimed at least 10 victims.
One long-time neighbor of the Heuermanns, who has lived a few doors down from the family for more than two decades, told The Independent on Friday that the suspect, his wife and two children were “a very quiet family” who made “no imprint at all” on the local community.
“Basically, we never had any contact with him ... living here 22 years and never said two words to him,” she said – while quick to point out that “one bad apple doesn’t spoil the bunch” in a “great neighbourhood.”
WATCH: What we know so far about the Gilgo Beach murders
Monday 17 July 2023 22:23 , Andrea Blanco
