Rex Heuermann – live: Gilgo Beach murder suspect ‘traumatised’ by arrest as wife’s behaviour revealed

Alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann was in distress at his arraignment last week following his bombshell arrest, his attorney has claimed.

Mr Heuermann, 59, is charged with the murders of three women who vanished between 2007 and 2010, and is the prime suspect in a fourth murder.

The suspect’s attorney, Michael Brown, told ABC News that his client had been left “traumatised” by his arrest on 13 July.

Nothing struck me as unusual about him. He was articulate, he was intelligent, he was soft spoken,” Mr Brown, who previously described Mr Heuermann as a “loving husband and devoted father,” said.

Massapequa Park residents have also told The New York Times that Mr Huermann, his wife and their two adult children were unusually reclusive.

“I’m friendly with everybody around here but [his wife] didn’t talk to anyone,” Frankie Musto told the Times.

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.

Authorities in New York State, Connecticut and Las Vegas, are now investigating potential links between Mr Heuermann and other unsolved murders.

Key points

• How pizza crust helped link Rex Heuermann to the Gilgo Beach murders

• Billy Baldwin says Gilgo Beach murders suspect was former classmate

• Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann arrested

• Suffolk police confirm ‘significant development’ in Gilgo Beach case

• At least 11 bodies found in Gilgo Beach in 2010s

Gilgo Beach murder suspect’s company was hired to do work at Trump Building in Manhattan

23:35 , Andrea Blanco

New York City Department of Buildings records unearthed by The Real Deal on Wednesday show that Mr Heuermann’s firm RH Architecture was hired by a tenant at the Trump Building on 40 Wall Street.

The job was completed in 2018 and Mr Heuermann’s firm was paid $200,000 to complete it.

The Trump Organization said in a statement that it has never hired Mr Heuermann’s services and it was a third-party tenant who employed the now suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer.

“Mr Heuermann has never worked for the Trump Organization in any capacity,” a spokesperson told TRD. “According to our records, he was hired by a third-party tenant, who vacated years ago, to perform minor architectural work in their individual space.”

It’s unclear whether Mr Heuermann ever visited the building as part of the job he was hired to do. The Independent has reached out for comment.

Officials are ‘confident’ that Mr Heuermann will soon be charged with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes

21:59 , 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.

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.”

Rex Heuermann’s client reveals his ‘chilling’ comments about Gilgo Beach serial killings

21:20 , Andrea Blanco

A woman who worked with the Gilgo Beach murders suspect has revealed a chilling interaction she had with him last year.

Rex Heuermann, 59, was arrested last week in connection with the murders of Amber Costello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy, whose remains were found along with seven other bodies in the shoreline community of Gilgo Beach in December 2010.

He is also the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, with authorities saying they’re confident more charges loom ahead.

Mr Heuermann lived in Massapequa Park, near the sites where some of the victims were last seen, and has an architecture business in Midtown Manhattan.

Real state agent Jeffrey St Arromand, who worked with Mr Heuermann on a Brooklyn brownstone project last year, told The New York Post that the now alleged serial killer had a bizarre conversation with one of their shared clients.

The female client, who spoke to the Post under the condition of anonymity, said that Mr Heuermann was in charge of renovations to her Crown Heights home, which she was looking to sell at the time.

During one of those exchanges, the woman claims Mr Heuermann brought up the Gilgo Beach slayings.

“I was only with him in my home to review the scope of work,” she said. “I even gave him a ride to his home in Long Island from Brooklyn. At one point on the drive, we talked about the Gilgo Beach murders — we even discussed the burlap and why someone would use that. In retrospect, thinking about that conversation, it’s just bone-chilling.”

Costello, Waterman, Barthelemy and Brainard-Barnes were found within one-quarter mile of each other.

They were bound by belts or tape and some of them were wrapped in burlap.

How Long Island police tied Rex Heuermann to the Gilgo Beach murders

20:50 , 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

Where exactly were the Gilgo Beach murder victims found?

20:20 , Andrea Blanco

Mother of Gilgo Beach murders victim hopes suspect ‘suffers at hands of other inmates’

19:48 , Andrea Blanco

Rex Heuermann, 59, has pleaded not guilty to 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 women are among the “Gilgo Four” whose bodies were found along a stretch of Ocean Parkway in Long Island in 2010.

“I’d like him to suffer at the hands of other inmates,” Lynn Barthelemy told NBC News on Friday. “Let him receive what the girls received.”

And she added: “Death is too good for him. It’s too easy.”

Court documents state that Mr Heuermann is also the “prime suspect” in the murder of the fourth woman in that group, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, though he is not facing charges related to her death.

Mr Heuermann, a Manhattan architect who lives in Massapequa Park in Long Island’s Nassau County, was arrested on Friday.

This booking image provided by Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, shows Rex Heuermann, a Long Island architect who was charged Friday, July 14, 2023, with murder in the deaths of three of the 11 victims in a long-unsolved string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders.

He was taken into custody more than a decade after the first set of remains was discovered on Gilgo Beach in Suffolk County.

The remains of 11 victims have so far been discovered, including Ms Barthelemy’s 24-year-old daughter, Melissa.

“Our family has suffered every day,” added Ms Barthelemy, who lives in upstate New York.

Former escort describes eerie Rex Heuermann ‘date’ where he obsessed over Gilgo Beach murders

19:24 , Andrea Blanco

Thirteen years after a trail of bodies were discovered in the shoreline community of Gilgo Beach, the Suffolk County Police Department made a long-awaited arrest in the case last week. Rex Heuermann, 59, was taken into custody and charged with the murders of Amber Costello, Melissa Barthelemy and Megan Waterman.

Long Island resident and former escort Nicole Brass has since come forward with claims that she went on a date with Mr Heuermann sometime between 2014 and 2016.

Ms Brass, 34, first claimed in a TikTok video that she had met Mr Heuermann at a seafood restaurant in Port Jefferson and he then decided to bring up the Gilgo Beach murders while trying “to make it look just like someone who was very interested in the case”.

The Independent reports:

Former escort claims Rex Heuermann obsessed over Gilgo Beach murders on ‘date’

WATCH: Neighbour claims he confronted suspected Gilgo Beach killer for leering at his wife

18:48 , Andrea Blanco

Rex Heuermann was ‘awkward in many ways,’ former colleague says

18:07 , Andrea Blanco

In the aftermath of Mr Huermann’s arrest last week, 62-year-old design director Niv Miyasota, who worked with the alleged murderer for years, told DailyMail.com that Mr Heuermann “seemed to have no empathy.”

“We used to butt heads sometimes,” Mr Miyasota told the Mail. “I’m a creative so I wanted to maintain my creative position, and he would bring things back to reality.”

“He was socially awkward in many ways ... guess the word for it is, he just didn’t seem to have empathy.

“He was sort of like a cipher, like, what is this person? I didn’t get angry, kind or sad from him. I just got blank. I didn’t get his deal.”

WATCH: Law enforcement brands Rex Heuermann ‘demon who walked among us'

17:37 , Andrea Blanco

Rex Heuermann’s neighbors describe him as ‘reclusive’

17:07 , Andrea Blanco

Speaking to The New York Times, Massapequa Park resident Frankie Musto said the Heuermanns were “reclusive” and kept to themselves. Ms Musto said her daughter grew up with Mr Heuermann’s daughter, who would often ask her friend to come over.

“I didn’t want her in that house,” Ms Musto told the Times.

Shanna Gilbert’s family react to news of Rex Heuermann’s arrest

16:20 , Andrea Blanco

The sister of Shannan Gilbert, whose disappearance in May 2010 led to the discovery of a string of human remains, also spoke out about the arrest.

“I am overwhelmed but relieved that they finally caught him. It’s been a long time coming and I never gave up hope that one day justice would be served,” Sherre Gilbert said in a statement to NBC News.

“The suspect (Rex) deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life. He destroyed many lives so while it won’t bring our loved ones back, it does help that one less monster is off the streets and he can’t ever hurt anyone else!”

These are the women Suffolk County PD believes were murdered by Rex Heuermann

15:42 , Andrea Blanco

Mr Heuermann, a 59-year-old father of two, was 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.

Mr Heuermann has not been charged with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes but is the prime suspect in the investigation.

Eerie Google Street View appears to capture Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann chatting to woman near office

15:12 , Andrea Blanco

An eerie Google Street View image has appeared to capture Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann chatting to an unidentified woman close to his Midtown Manhattan office.

The Independent’s Maroosha Muzaffar reports:

Eerie Google Street View appears to capture Gilgo Beach suspect chatting to woman

Bryan Kohberger’s criminology professor weighs in on Rex Heuermann’s arrest

14:42 , Andrea Blanco

Prior to his arrest, Mr Heuermann, 59, had outwardly led a normal life, working as an architect in Midtown Manhattan and apparently making very little impression on his neighbours in Massapequa Park.

Renowned forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland, who has interviewed the BTK serial killer Dennis Rader and taught criminal justice graduate Mr Kohberger at DeSales University, said that she wasn’t shocked by the suspect’s lifestyle.

Read more:

Bryan Kohberger’s criminology professor weighs in on Rex Heuermann’s arrest

Las Vegas police investigating potential ties between Mr Heuermann and unsolved cases

14:00 , Andrea Blanco

Authorities in Las Vegas are reviewing local cold cases for potential links to alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann.

Mr Heuermann, 59, is now being looked at in connection to missing person cases and murders far beyond the shores of Long Island, where he stands accused of murdering three women before dumping their bodies across the community of Gilgo Beach more than a decade ago.

His bombshell arrest on Friday was a major breakthrough after a 2010 investigation led to the gruesome discovery of at least 10 bodies now linked to the Gilgo Beach murders case.

In the aftermath of his arrest, it has emerged that Mr Heuermann, who has pleaded not guilty to the crimes, has ties to both South Carolina and Las Vegas, owning properties in both locations. In a statement to The Independent on Tuesday, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed that the department is probing a link between Mr Heuermann and unsolved cases in the area.

“We are aware of Rex Heuermann’s connection to Las Vegas. We are currently reviewing our unsolved cases to see if he has any involvement,” a spokesperson said.

Gilbert and Taylor families ‘content’ over Rex Heuermann’s arrest

13:00 , Andrea Blanco

Attorney John Ray represents the families of Gilbert and Jessica Taylor,

Mr Ray said his clients have welcomed news of the arrest and now hope their loved ones’ killer or killers will also face the criminal system.

“Both families are very happy that this man was caught and they’re happy for the other family members of the other victims,” Mr Ray told The Independent.

“But the murderer of their loved ones has not been found. And even if it turns out to be this Tyrannosaurus Rex monster, there’s no solace in the end. Justice is an idea, but it’s not a feeling in a sense, and their feelings and their senses are still hurt and this resurrected those feelings. So it’s a bittersweet condition.”

Long Island police reveal how Rex Heuermann’s family reacted to his arrest for Gilgo Beach murders

12:00 , Andrea Blanco

The family of Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann was disgusted and shocked to learn about the damning evidence linking him to at least three murders, according to law enforcement.

Mr Heuermann’s bombshell arrest last sent shockwaves across the shoreline community of Gilgo Beach in Long Island following 13 years of unanswered questions over a trail of bodies found in the area. The married father-of-two is facing six charges over the murders of Amber Castello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy — all sex workers in their 20s whose bodies were found during a missing persons investigation in 2010.

He is also the prime suspect in the murder of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard- Barnes, with authorities saying more charges are expected. The Suffolk County Police Department is also probing potential ties to the other six bodies linked to the Gilgo Beach case, as well as other murders nationwide.

Read more.

Everything we know about Gilgo Beach murder victims

11:00 , Andrea Blanco

Court records show that Mr Heuermann was further linked to the mystery through DNA obtained from a discarded pizza box, the records relating to a trove of burner phones he allegedly used to contact the murdered women and his wife’s hair being found on one of the victim’s bodies.

The Independent’s Joe Sommerlad reports:

What we know about the Gilgo Beach murder victims

Netflix 2020 documentary ‘Lost Girls’ delved into Gilgo Beach murders

10:00 , Andrea Blanco

Most of the Gilgo Beach murders victims were young women who had been sex workers.

Their deaths long stumped investigators, and the mystery fueled immense public attention and led to a 2020 Netflix film, “Lost Girls.”

A two-hour documentary also aired on A&E that year, and the deaths were covered on CBS’ “48 Hours.”

This is what the Gilgo Beach mruders suspect asked police after his arrest

09:00 , Andrea Blanco

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.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect had one chilling question after his arrest

Officials are ‘confident’ that Mr Heuermann will soon be charged with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes

08:00 , 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 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.

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.”

The evidence linking Rex Heuermann to police

07:00 , 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

Police believe suspect may have kept ‘trophy’ from crimes

06:00 , Andrea Blanco

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.”

Mother of Gilgo Beach murders victim hopes suspect ‘suffers at hands of other inmates’

05:00 , Graeme Massie

Rex Heuermann, 59, has pleaded not guilty to 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 women are among the “Gilgo Four” whose bodies were found along a stretch of Ocean Parkway in Long Island in 2010.

“I’d like him to suffer at the hands of other inmates,” Lynn Barthelemy told NBC News on Friday. “Let him receive what the girls received.”

And she added: “Death is too good for him. It’s too easy.”

Court documents state that Mr Heuermann is also the “prime suspect” in the murder of the fourth woman in that group, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, though he is not facing charges related to her death.

Mr Heuermann, a Manhattan architect who lives in Massapequa Park in Long Island’s Nassau County, was arrested on Friday.

This booking image provided by Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, shows Rex Heuermann, a Long Island architect who was charged Friday, July 14, 2023, with murder in the deaths of three of the 11 victims in a long-unsolved string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders.

He was taken into custody more than a decade after the first set of remains was discovered on Gilgo Beach in Suffolk County.

The remains of 11 victims have so far been discovered, including Ms Barthelemy’s 24-year-old daughter, Melissa.

“Our family has suffered every day,” added Ms Barthelemy, who lives in upstate New York.

Who is Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann?

04:00 , Andrea Blanco

A Manhattan architect and father-of-two has been arrested in connection to one of the most infamous unsolved serial killer cases along the East Coast. So who really is Rex Heuermann?

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

Rex Heuermann: Who is serial killer suspect in Gilgo Beach murders

‘They’re going through utter hell:’ BTK Killer’s daughter sympathises with Gilgo Beach suspect’s family

03:00 , 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 exclusively 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’s lawyer says suspect is loving father and husband’

02:00 , Andrea Blanco

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.”

WATCH: Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann ‘a demon that walks amongst us’, police say

01:00 , Andrea Blanco

Rex Heuermann’s string of car crash lawsuits and tax issues revealed

Wednesday 19 July 2023 00:00 , Andrea Blanco

In the aftermath of his arrest, court records have resurfaced indicating that Mr Heuermann has a history of filing lawsuits against several drivers. Mr Heuermann has filed at least four suits claiming to have been hit by vehicles, allegedly sustaining “serious and permanent personal injuries,” CNN reports.

Three of the lawsuits, filed since 2014, have been settled or discontinued. The most recent one, which was filed in 2022, remains ongoing.

Mr Heuermann is president of the architecture firm RH Consultants & Associates, a company he founded in 1994.

On his company website, Mr Heuermann boasted about working with the likes of Catholic Charities, NYC-DEP Sewerage Treatment and American Airlines and other major tenants at the JFK International Airport.

Records obtained by CNN show that one associate described his work as a “not a pleasant process” in a civil court hearing in 2018. The associate said that “[he didn’t] want to be Mr Heuermann in that respect for a minute.”

Rudy Giuliani sparks backlash with bizarre appearance at Gilgo Beach murder suspect’s home

Tuesday 18 July 2023 23:00 , Andrea Blanco

Rudy Giuliani stirred backlash with a bizarre appearance at the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer’s home.

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 following his arrest two days earlier.

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.

A spokesperson for Mr Giuliani told The New York Post that he was there to cover the case as part of a new livestream show.

“Mayor Rudy Giuliani – one of the most effective federal prosecutors in American history – was on scene to cover this heinous crime as part of his hit new livestream show, ‘America’s Mayor Live’,” said Ted Goodman, Mr Giuliani’s political adviser.

“The mayor commends all involved in the case, but knows there is still work to be done in order to deliver justice.”

The drop-by visit drew confused reactions on social media, with users calling it “creepy” and “weird” that Mr Giuliani was inserting himself in the case.

Mr Heuermann, 59, has pleaded not guilty to 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.

Shanna Gilbert’s family react to news of Rex Heuermann’s arrest

Tuesday 18 July 2023 22:12 , Graeme Massie

The sister of Shannan Gilbert, whose disappearance in May 2010 led to the discovery of a string of human remains, also spoke out about the arrest.

“I am overwhelmed but relieved that they finally caught him. It’s been a long time coming and I never gave up hope that one day justice would be served,” Sherre Gilbert said in a statement to NBC News.

“The suspect (Rex) deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life. He destroyed many lives so while it won’t bring our loved ones back, it does help that one less monster is off the streets and he can’t ever hurt anyone else!”

Las Vegas police investigating potential ties between Mr Heuermann and unsolved cases

Tuesday 18 July 2023 21:20 , Andrea Blanco

Mr Heuermann lived close to Gilgo Beach in Massapequa Park, Long Island, but worked in the heart of Midtown Manhattan where he runs an architecture firm. Some of the victims were last seen alive in the city.

Yet, Mr Heuermann also has ties to both South Carolina and Las Vegas, owning properties in both locations.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement to The Independent on Tuesday: “We are aware of Rex Heuermann’s connection to Las Vegas. We are currently reviewing our unsolved cases to see if he has any involvement.’

Gilgo Beach murder suspect may have had female accomplice, attorney for victim families says

Tuesday 18 July 2023 20:50 , Andrea Blanco

“We have a number of reasons to think a woman may have been involved,” attorney John Ray tells The Independent.

Gilgo Beach murder suspect may have had female accomplice, attorney says

Defence claims Suffolk County Police is ignoring ‘stronger leads'

Tuesday 18 July 2023 20:20 , Andrea Blanco

Mr Heuermann lived in Massapequa Park with his wife of more than 25 years. His attorney said in a statement last week that Mr Heuermann is nothing but a “loving husband” and “devoted father and suggested 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.”

Mr Heuermann’s family cooperating with police

Tuesday 18 July 2023 20:10 , Andrea Blanco

Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told CNN that Mr Heuermann’s family had reacted with shock to his arrest and are now cooperating with the investigation. Before being taken into custody, Mr Heuermann, 59, had outwardly led a normal life, working as an architect in Midtown Manhattan and making very little impression on his neighbours in Massapequa Park.

“They were disgusted. They were embarrassed,” Mr Harrison said. “So, if you ask me, I don’t believe they knew about this double life that Heuermann was living.”

Rex Heuermann’s DNA has been entered into statewide databse

Tuesday 18 July 2023 19:53 , Andrea Blanco

An NYPD official told ABC News that the married father-of-two’s DNA has been entered into a statewide database and that his alleged MO is being compared to other cases across New York state – including those during the period he was allegedly active in Gilgo Beach.

Lawyer for family of Gilgo Beach murders victim shares suspicion woman may be involved

Tuesday 18 July 2023 19:21 , Andrea Blanco

Attorney John Ray represents the families of Shannan Gilbert and Jessica Taylor. Mr Ray told The Independent on Tuesday that he has long suspected that a woman may have helped the killer lure the victims.

“We have a number of reasons to think a woman may have been involved. Nothing is certain here, [I want] to emphasize that, but there was some evidence that a woman was involved,” Mr Ray said.

The attorney said that some of the evidence that could suggest a woman was involved in the killings is the way a baby Doe’s body was found.

The child’s mother, dubbed “Peaches” for a tattoo on her torso, was found in Nassau County in 1997. Additional remains and those of her child were found years later, and the murders have been linked to the Gilgo Beach case.

“The baby was wrapped in a blanket of some kind. And that’s something, you know, if you’re a depraved murderer, as a man ... Would you take the time to do that?” Mr Ray said. “But a mother might do that. That’s just one I use that as one of several reasons why we think that, but we don’t have any dispositive evidence that it was so.”

Young mothers, a recovering addict – and tragic disappearances: What we know about Gilgo Beach murder victims

Tuesday 18 July 2023 18:56 , Andrea Blanco

New York architect Rex Heuermann has pleaded not guilty after being charged with killing of three women found dead near Long Island seafront a decade ago.

The Independent’s Joe Sommerlad reports:

What we know about the Gilgo Beach murder victims

How many bodies were recovered in 2010?

Tuesday 18 July 2023 18:07 , Andrea Blanco

The Gilgo Beach murders stumped police in the gated community in Long Island for more than a decade. It began in May 2010 when Shannan Gilbert, a 24-year-old sex worker, vanished after leaving a client’s house and an investigation into her disappearance led authorities to a trail of young women’s remains.

Eleven bodies were recovered along a stretch of a remote highway, prompting fears of a serial killer terrorising the area. Some of the victims were identified, while the identities of a young Asian male, a female dubbed “Peaches” for a tattoo on her body, and her toddler remain a mystery to this day.

Last week, an interagency task force investigating the murders arrested 59-year-old Manhattan architect Rex Heuermann, reigniting hopes that the victims’ families might finally be able to obtain justice.

Mr Heuermann is only facing charges for the murders of three of the Gilgo Beach murder victims — Amber Costello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy. But authorities have revealed they’re confident further charges over the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes are pending, and haven’t ruled out the possibility that the disgraced architect could become the prime suspect in the other slayings.

Gilgo Beach murders were featured in 2020 Netflix documentary

Tuesday 18 July 2023 17:39 , Andrea Blanco

Most of the Gilgo Beach murders victims were young women who had been sex workers.

Their deaths long stumped investigators, and the mystery fueled immense public attention and led to a 2020 Netflix film, “Lost Girls.”

A two-hour documentary also aired on A&E that year, and the deaths were covered on CBS’ “48 Hours.”

Former NYPD chief of detectives says task force was fundamental in breakthrough

Tuesday 18 July 2023 17:30 , Andrea Blanco

Defence attorney says client Rex Heuermann is loving father and husband’

Tuesday 18 July 2023 17:00 , 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.”

How pizza crust helped link Rex Heuermann to the Gilgo Beach murders

Tuesday 18 July 2023 16:30 , Andrea Blanco

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

JonBenét Ramsey’s brother weighs in on Gilgo Beach murders arrest

Tuesday 18 July 2023 16:00 , 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.

Rex Heuermann, 59, was arrested last week in connection with the brutal murders of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello, whose bodies were found within one-quarter mile of each other in the shoreline community of Gilgo Beach. The grim discovery was made amid a separate missing persons investigation in December 2010 but the case went cold for years before Mr Heuermann’s bombshell arrest.

Some neighbours have said that Mr Heuermann seemingly led a normal life in Massapequa Park — where he lived with his wife and near the site where the three victims were last seen — while others claimed they warned their children never to approach his house. The father-of-two also had a booming architecture consulting firm located in Midtown Manhattan.

Reacting to the breakthrough developments in the Gilgo Beach murders investigation, John Andrew Ramsey said that he believes his sister JonBenét’s killer has also likely led an outwardly low-profile life but wouldn’t be able to entirely blend into society without raising suspicion.

“No criminal record but you can’t hide this level of darkness,” Mr Ramsey tweeted in reference to Mr Heuermann’s arrest on Saturday. “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.”

Cache of 200 weapons seized from suspect’s home

Tuesday 18 July 2023 15:30 , 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.

Where were the victims’ bodies found?

Tuesday 18 July 2023 15:00 , Andrea Blanco

Suffolk County Police Commissioner says Rex Heuermann is ‘a monster’

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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

Tuesday 18 July 2023 14:00 , Andrea Blanco

Rex Heuermann’s family cooperating with investigation

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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.

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

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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.

Read more.

Did serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann strike beyond Gilgo Beach? Police probe links to unsolved killings

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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?

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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.

Rex Heuermann’s string of car crash lawsuits and tax issues revealed after Gilgo Beach murders arrest

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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?

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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

Tuesday 18 July 2023 09:00 , Andrea Blanco

Rex Heuermann’s lawyer dismisses evidence against ‘loving father and husband’

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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

Tuesday 18 July 2023 05:00 , Andrea Blanco

How Long Island police tied Rex Heuermann to the Gilgo Beach murders

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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.”

Read more.

How the Gilgo Beach serial killer turned the Long Island shore into a graveyard

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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

Tuesday 18 July 2023 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.”