# Rex Heuermann

> A Manhattan architect from Massapequa Park, Long Island, pleaded guilty in 2026 to murdering women whose remains were found in Suffolk County between 1993 and 2010, most along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach, and admitted killing another woman he was never charged with. He is serving life without parole.

- Case: People v. Heuermann · Suffolk County, New York · 2026
- Case status: Convicted. Pleaded guilty April 8, 2026, to three counts of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder, and admitted in the same proceeding to killing Karen Vergata, a death he was not charged with; the district attorney says the plea covers that killing. Sentenced June 17, 2026, to three consecutive terms of life without parole plus a consecutive term of 100 years to life. The Associated Press reported that he waived his right to appeal. As of August 2026 he was assigned to Clinton Correctional Facility, a New York state prison.
- Topics: Serial killings
- Last updated: 2026-10-18
- Editorial review: approved 2026-10-18
- Web page: https://criminalbackstories.com/cases/rex-heuermann/
- All defendants are presumed innocent until found guilty by a court of law. Charges and allegations described on this site are not proof of guilt.

## Why he's in the news

Justice Timothy P. Mazzei sentenced Heuermann on June 17, 2026, after relatives of the victims addressed him in court in Riverhead.[2][12] After intake at Green Haven Correctional Facility, the state prison department confirmed in August 2026 that he had been assigned to Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora.[16][17] Investigators are still trying to identify one set of remains found on the same stretch of Ocean Parkway, and the district attorney has not said whether he believes that death is connected to Heuermann, CNN reported in June 2026.[15] *The sources reviewed report no further court proceedings in the case after sentencing, as of Oct. 18, 2026.*

## Case at a glance

- Murder record: Pleaded guilty to 7 murders, each committed on a separate occasion. On April 8, 2026, Heuermann pleaded guilty in Suffolk County to three counts of murder in the first degree and four counts of murder in the second degree, for the killings of Sandra Costilla (1993), Valerie Mack (2000), Jessica Taylor (2003), Maureen Brainard-Barnes (2007), Melissa Barthelemy (2009), Megan Waterman (2010) and Amber Costello (2010), each on a different date.[1] Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei sentenced him on June 17, 2026.[2]
- Pleas: Guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree and four counts of murder in the second degree, April 8, 2026[1]
- Admitted, not charged: The 1996 killing of Karen Vergata, admitted in his plea allocution; covered by the plea, the district attorney says[1][9]
- Sentence: Three consecutive terms of life without parole (Barthelemy, Waterman, Costello) and a consecutive 100 years to life (Brainard-Barnes, Taylor, Costilla, Mack), June 17, 2026[2]
- Judge: Justice Timothy P. Mazzei, New York State Supreme Court, Suffolk County[2]
- Arrested: July 13, 2023, in Manhattan[1][14]
- Appeal: Waived his right to appeal as part of the plea, the Associated Press reported[8]
- Prosecutors: District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney and Assistant District Attorneys Nicholas J. Santomartino, Andrew Lee, Michelle Haddad, Lawrence Opisso and Allen L. Bode[2]
- Defense: Michael J. Brown, Danielle Coysh and Sabato Caponi[2]
- Custody: Clinton Correctional Facility, Dannemora, N.Y., as of August 2026[17]

## The backstory

### The discoveries

In 2010, police searching for a missing woman, Shannan Gilbert, along Long Island's South Shore found several sets of human remains, the Associated Press reported.[6] According to the district attorney's 2023 bail application, a police dog in a training exercise along Ocean Parkway at Gilgo Beach led officers on Dec. 11, 2010, to remains later identified as those of Melissa Barthelemy, and on Dec. 13 police found three more sets within a quarter mile: those of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello.[4] An expanded search of the Gilgo Beach area in 2011 recovered more remains, the district attorney's office has said.[2]

### The task force and the truck

In early 2022, District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney formed the Gilgo Beach Homicide Task Force with the Suffolk County Police Department, the New York State Police, the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office and the FBI to renew the investigation, his office says.[3][4] The task force developed a suspect in March 2022 and investigated him for the next 16 months.[3]

The lead came from the disappearance of Amber Costello. According to the bail application, a client who came to Costello's home in West Babylon around Sept. 1–2, 2010, was sent away by a "ruse," and witnesses described him as a large white man in his mid-40s with "dark bushy hair" and large glasses; one witness saw a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche in the driveway.[4] On March 14, 2022, investigators found that an Avalanche of that kind had been registered to Heuermann at the time of the murders, the prosecution wrote.[4] A grand jury authorized more than 300 subpoenas, search warrants and other legal process.[4][7]

### The phones

Prosecutors alleged that the victims were contacted through prepaid "burner" phones and that Heuermann's own phone records placed him in the same general locations as those phones and the victims' phones during key events; the bail application states that investigators "could find no instance" in which he was somewhere else.[4] In the Waterman case, it says, a new burner phone activated June 5, 2010, contacted her phone at 1:31 a.m. on June 6, shortly before she was seen on video leaving the Holiday Inn in Hauppauge.[4] In the Costello case, a burner phone that had been in contact with her sent a text at 1:18 a.m. on Sept. 2, 2010, and was in Massapequa Park within two minutes of it, according to the application.[4]

After Barthelemy disappeared in July 2009, calls were made from her phone to her family on five dates that summer, from locations in Midtown Manhattan near Heuermann's office; in one call, a male caller admitted killing her, the prosecution wrote.[4] Her phone was inactive while Heuermann was in Iceland from Aug. 10 to 18, 2009, according to the application.[4] At sentencing, her sister recalled that Heuermann had called her after the killing.[13][14]

### The DNA

Hairs were recovered from the materials used to restrain several of the victims.[4] In January 2023, a surveillance team recovered a pizza box Heuermann threw into a garbage can in Manhattan, and in June 2023 a laboratory reported that DNA from the leftover crust and a male hair found on the burlap around Waterman's remains had matching mitochondrial profiles; the prosecution wrote that 99.96 percent of North Americans could be excluded as the source of the hair, and that Heuermann "cannot be excluded."[4] Other hairs were associated by the labs with his wife and, later, with his daughter; the prosecution argued that the materials or a vehicle may have come from the family home, and its records placed his wife out of state during three of the disappearances.[4][5] A lawyer for his former wife and daughter has said neither had knowledge of or involvement in the killings.[6]

Later testing used whole-genome sequencing on rootless hairs recovered from six of the seven charged victims, and the prosecution reported that the nuclear DNA results strongly favored a match to Heuermann for hairs from the Costilla and Taylor cases.[5][18] The defense moved to exclude those results because the technique had never been used in a New York court; on Sept. 3, 2025, Justice Timothy P. Mazzei ruled that the method was "generally accepted in the relevant scientific community" and allowed the evidence.[18]

### The arrest and the added charges

Heuermann was arrested on the evening of July 13, 2023, in Manhattan, and indicted for the murders of Barthelemy, Waterman and Costello.[4][3][14] A grand jury added the murder of Brainard-Barnes in January 2024, those of Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla in June 2024, and that of Valerie Mack in December 2024.[3][5]

In the December 2024 bail application, prosecutors described a Microsoft Word file extracted from his laptop in March 2024 that a forensic examiner dated to 2001–2002, with an earlier version apparently created in 2000; they called it a planning document, with lists under headings such as "PROBLEMS" and "SUPPLIES," and linked its contents to the Mack and Taylor cases.[5] They also said that magazines and newspaper articles about the Costilla, Mack and Taylor cases were seized from his office and home, and argued that he kept them as mementos.[5] According to the 2023 application, an online account the prosecution tied to him was used for more than 200 searches about the investigation, the victims and the task force between March 2022 and June 2023.[4]

### The victims

The account of each killing below is the district attorney's, as set out in announcing the plea, which Heuermann admitted in court.[1][6]

Sandra Costilla, 28, the mother of a son of about 5, met Heuermann on or about Nov. 19–20, 1993; he strangled her, and hunters found her remains near Fish Cove Road in North Sea, Southampton, on Nov. 20.[1]

Valerie Mack, 24, who had a son, met him between September and November 2000; partial remains were found near Halsey Manor Road in Manorville on Nov. 19, 2000, and more along Ocean Parkway east of Gilgo Beach on April 4, 2011, and she was identified through genetic genealogy in 2020.[1]

Jessica Taylor, 20, met him between July 21 and 26, 2003; remains were found just west of Halsey Manor Road in Manorville on July 26, 2003, and more along Ocean Parkway on March 29, 2011.[1]

Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, the mother of two children, was contacted through an online advertisement; Heuermann arranged by burner phone to meet her and picked her up on July 9, 2007.[1] Her remains were found on the north side of Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach on Dec. 13, 2010.[1]

Melissa Barthelemy, 24, was contacted through an online advertisement; Heuermann arranged by burner phone to meet her and picked her up on the evening of July 10, 2009.[1] Her remains were found on Dec. 11, 2010.[1]

Megan Waterman, 22, the mother of a daughter, was picked up from a Holiday Inn in Hauppauge on June 6, 2010, after he arranged the meeting by burner phone; her remains were found on Dec. 13, 2010.[1]

Amber Costello, 27, was picked up from her home in West Babylon on Sept. 2, 2010, after an earlier meeting the night before was disrupted; her remains were found on Dec. 13, 2010.[1]

Six of the seven were found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach; Costilla's remains were found more than 60 miles away, in the Hamptons, the AP reported.[7] Several of the bodies were bound with belts, tape or burlap, according to the district attorney's office.[1]

**Karen Vergata (admitted, not charged).** Vergata, 34, the mother of two sons, met Heuermann in April 1996; according to the district attorney's office, he strangled her and dismembered her body, and he admitted the killing in court.[1][6] Her legs were found on Blue Point Beach in Brookhaven on April 20, 1996, and her skull near Tobay Beach on April 12, 2011; she was known as "Fire Island Jane Doe" until genetic genealogy identified her in 2023.[1] He was never charged with her killing. It is not a conviction; the district attorney's office says it "is covered by Heuermann's plea to the murders of the seven charged victims."[1]

### The plea

On April 8, 2026, in Riverhead, Heuermann pleaded guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree and four counts of murder in the second degree.[1][7] Under questioning by Tierney, he admitted strangling all eight women, dismembering some, using burner phones to contact them and wrapping bodies in burlap, the AP reported.[6] He confirmed that he believed changing his plea was in his best interest, Oxygen reported,[10] and, as part of the agreement, he waived his right to appeal and agreed to cooperate fully with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, according to the AP.[8][6] Several other counts were dropped, the AP reported.[8] The plea came before a trial that had been scheduled for September 2026.[14]

His lawyer, Michael J. Brown, said Heuermann had told him, "I want to plead guilty," and that he wanted to spare the families a trial.[6] Asked whether Heuermann was sorry, Brown said, "I would hope so."[7]

### The sentence

On June 17, 2026, Justice Mazzei sentenced Heuermann, then 62, to three consecutive terms of life without parole for the murders of Barthelemy, Waterman and Costello, and a consecutive term of 100 years to life for the murders of Brainard-Barnes, Taylor, Costilla and Mack.[2] Relatives of the victims addressed him before the sentence was imposed (see "The families" below).[12] Given a chance to speak, he said little; when the judge asked whether he was "a little bit sorry" for what he had done, he answered, "Yes I am," and the judge ended the hearing with, "Get him out of here," ABC News reported.[13]

### Other remains near Gilgo Beach

Investigators have not attributed the other deaths connected to the Gilgo Beach search to Heuermann, and he was not charged with any of them.[15]

- **Shannan Gilbert**, whose 2010 disappearance led to the search, was found in a marsh near Oak Beach in December 2011; officials have not connected her death to Heuermann, CNN reported.[15]
- **Tanya Jackson and her 2-year-old daughter, Tatiana Dykes**, were identified through genetic genealogy in April 2025; a different man has been charged with Jackson's murder and has pleaded not guilty, and he is presumed innocent.[15] The district attorney in that case said Jackson "was not murdered by a serial killer."[15]
- **An unidentified person** whose remains were found off Ocean Parkway in April 2011, about 300 feet from Waterman's, died of blunt-force injuries before 2006, investigators said in 2024; Tierney has declined to say whether Heuermann is a suspect in that death.[19][15]

Brown said at the plea that Heuermann maintains he has no other victims.[8] The district attorney's office said the plea does not cover other possible investigations.[9]

## Personal backstory

### Early life and work

Heuermann was raised in the Massapequa Park house where he was still living at the time of his arrest, a few miles across the bay from where the remains were found, CNN reported.[21] He was 59 when he was arrested, according to news reports.[22] He was an architect with his own business in Midtown Manhattan, according to the 2023 bail application.[4] In a 2018 civil deposition he described his work as "general architecture," including helping clients resolve problems with the city's Department of Buildings, and said his main competitive activity was "competition rifle," CNN reported.[21] *The sources reviewed do not document his schooling.*

### Family

In that 2018 deposition he said he lived with his wife of 22 years, a daughter and a stepson, CNN reported.[21] His wife filed for an uncontested divorce in Suffolk County Supreme Court days after his arrest in July 2023.[22] In March 2025 her lawyer said the divorce settlement papers had been finalized and submitted to the court for approval, the *New York Post* reported, and the AP described her as his former wife in April 2026.[23][6] Her lawyer has said that neither she nor their daughter had knowledge of or involvement in the killings.[6] His former wife said at the time of the plea, "My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families."[6] His former wife and two adult children did not attend the sentencing, saying through their lawyers that they would stay away out of respect for the victims' families.[12]

### Mental health

*No mental-health testimony or court findings about him appear in the sources reviewed.* In his first weeks in the county jail in 2023 he was placed on suicide watch, which was later reduced to a less restrictive level, News 12 reported.[20]

### In custody

From his arrest until sentencing he was held at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverhead, where he spent about three years in a segregated cell, according to the sheriff.[12][13] After sentencing he went through intake at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Dutchess County, and in August 2026 the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision confirmed his assignment to Clinton Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Dannemora.[16][17]

### The families

At the plea, the sister of Maureen Brainard-Barnes spoke of the "hope that one day we would stand here and say her name with justice beside it," and the mother of Jessica Taylor said she was "glad that this is over as far as him pleading guilty," the AP reported.[7] The attorney Gloria Allred described several of the women as young mothers trying to earn extra money.[7]

At sentencing, a cousin of Jessica Taylor said, "A million years isn't enough"; the sister of Melissa Barthelemy told him, "I hope you suffer"; and the mother of Valerie Mack said, "Justice has been done, but it can't replace what has been taken," according to the AP.[12] The daughter of Megan Waterman said, "In an instant, my world was shattered," and the two children of Maureen Brainard-Barnes spoke about how her absence had shaped their lives.[12] The sister of Brainard-Barnes said the guilt she had carried "is for Rex and Rex alone."[12] Families stood and applauded when the sentence was announced, FOX 5 NY reported.[14] *No statement from Karen Vergata's family appears in the sources reviewed.*

## The victims

### Proven in court

- Sandra Costilla, Nov. 19–20, 1993 (killed), North Sea, Southampton, Suffolk County, N.Y. (Guilty plea). He pleaded guilty to her murder; she was 28, and hunters found her remains near Fish Cove Road in North Sea on Nov. 20, 1993, according to the district attorney's office.[1]
- Valerie Mack, Between Sept. 1 and Nov. 19, 2000 (killed), Manorville and Ocean Parkway east of Gilgo Beach, Suffolk County, N.Y. (Guilty plea). He pleaded guilty to her murder; she was 24, partial remains were found in Manorville on Nov. 19, 2000, and more along Ocean Parkway on April 4, 2011, and she was identified in 2020 through genetic genealogy, according to the district attorney's office.[1]
- Jessica Taylor, Between July 21 and 26, 2003 (killed), Manorville and Ocean Parkway east of Gilgo Beach, Suffolk County, N.Y. (Guilty plea). He pleaded guilty to her murder; she was 20, and remains were found in Manorville on July 26, 2003, and along Ocean Parkway on March 29, 2011, according to the district attorney's office.[1]
- Maureen Brainard-Barnes, July 9, 2007 (killed), Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach, Suffolk County, N.Y. (Guilty plea). He pleaded guilty to her murder; she was 25, he arranged to meet her by a burner phone, and her remains were found on Dec. 13, 2010, according to the district attorney's office.[1]
- Melissa Barthelemy, July 10, 2009 (killed), Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach, Suffolk County, N.Y. (Guilty plea). He pleaded guilty to her murder; she was 24, he arranged to meet her by a burner phone, and her remains were found on Dec. 11, 2010, according to the district attorney's office.[1]
- Megan Waterman, June 6, 2010 (last seen), Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach, Suffolk County, N.Y. (Guilty plea). He pleaded guilty to her murder; she was 22, he picked her up at a hotel in Hauppauge after arranging the meeting by a burner phone, and her remains were found on Dec. 13, 2010, according to the district attorney's office.[1]
- Amber Costello, Sept. 2, 2010 (killed), Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach, Suffolk County, N.Y. (Guilty plea). He pleaded guilty to her murder; she was 27, he picked her up at her home in West Babylon, and her remains were found on Dec. 13, 2010, according to the district attorney's office.[1]

### Other deaths attributed (not proven in court)

- Karen Vergata, April 1996 (killed, by his admission), Blue Point Beach, Brookhaven, and Ocean Parkway near Tobay Beach, Suffolk County, N.Y. (By his own statement; not proven in court). Never charged and not a conviction: in his plea allocution on April 8, 2026, he admitted killing her, and the district attorney's office says that killing is covered by his plea to the seven charged murders; she was 34 and was identified in 2023 through genetic genealogy.[1][9]

## Where the parties stand

- Prosecution: District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said at the plea that Heuermann "walked among us play-acting as a normal suburban dad."[6] At sentencing his office said, "For the families of these eight young women who have waited decades for this day, your voices have been heard."[2] Tierney has said of other unsolved deaths that "it matters what I can prove."[15]
- Defense: Before the plea, the defense challenged the DNA evidence and lost.[18] His lawyer, Michael J. Brown, said the decision to plead guilty was Heuermann's, made partly to spare the victims' families and his own family a trial, and that "we attacked the evidence, we never attacked these young ladies, these victims."[6][11] Brown said Heuermann maintains he has no other victims.[8]
- Heuermann: At sentencing he said little; asked by the judge whether he was sorry, he answered, "Yes I am," according to ABC News.[13]

## Timeline

- Nov. 19–20, 1993: Sandra Costilla, 28, is killed; hunters find her remains in North Sea, Southampton.[1]
- April 1996: Karen Vergata, 34, is killed, by his later admission; her legs are found on Blue Point Beach on April 20.[1]
- Sept.–Nov. 2000: Valerie Mack, 24, is killed; partial remains are found in Manorville on Nov. 19.[1]
- July 2003: Jessica Taylor, 20, is killed; partial remains are found in Manorville on July 26.[1]
- July 9, 2007: Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, is killed.[1]
- July 10, 2009: Melissa Barthelemy, 24, is killed.[1]
- June 6, 2010: Megan Waterman, 22, is picked up at a Hauppauge hotel and killed.[1]
- Sept. 2, 2010: Amber Costello, 27, is killed.[1]
- Dec. 11–13, 2010: Police find the remains of Barthelemy, Brainard-Barnes, Waterman and Costello along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach.[4]
- 2011: An expanded search of the Gilgo Beach area recovers more remains, including those of Mack, Taylor and Vergata.[2][1]
- Early 2022: The district attorney forms the Gilgo Beach Homicide Task Force with police and federal partners.[3][4]
- March 14, 2022: Investigators link a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche described by a witness in 2010 to Heuermann.[4]
- July 13, 2023: He is arrested and indicted for the murders of Barthelemy, Waterman and Costello.[3][4]
- January–December 2024: Superseding indictments add the murders of Brainard-Barnes (January), Taylor and Costilla (June) and Mack (December).[3][5]
- Sept. 3, 2025: Justice Mazzei rules that the prosecution's whole-genome-sequencing DNA evidence is admissible.[18]
- April 8, 2026: He pleads guilty to the seven charged murders and admits killing Karen Vergata.[1]
- June 17, 2026: He is sentenced to three consecutive terms of life without parole plus 100 years to life.[2]
- August 2026: The state prison department confirms his assignment to Clinton Correctional Facility.[17]

## What happens next

The Associated Press reported that Heuermann waived his right to appeal.[8] As part of the plea, he agreed to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit; his lawyer said there would be no further prosecutions for the eight victims as long as he cooperates, and the district attorney said the plea does not cover other possible investigations.[6][9] The state prison department said in June 2026 that his assignment would depend on his criminal history, security risk and other needs; in August it confirmed Clinton Correctional Facility.[16][17] Investigators are using genetic genealogy to try to identify remains found off Ocean Parkway in 2011, CNN reported.[15]

## Sources

1. [Gilgo Serial Killer Pleads Guilty to Seven Charged Murders and Also Admits to the Killing of Karen Vergata](https://www.suffolkcountyda.org/?p=16335). Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, April 8, 2026. (court or official record)
2. [Gilgo Serial Killer Sentenced to Three Consecutive Life Sentences Plus 100 Years for Murdering Eight Women](https://www.suffolkcountyda.org/?p=16852). Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, June 17, 2026. (court or official record)
3. [People v. Rex Heuermann](https://www.suffolkcountyda.org/gilgo). Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, Dec. 27, 2024. (court or official record)
4. [People v. Rex A. Heuermann, People's bail application](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/07/5a1e906a-Rex-Heuermann-Bail-Application-Form-2023-7-14-23-_FINAL.pdf). Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, July 14, 2023, via Fox News. (court or official record)
5. [People v. Rex A. Heuermann, People's superseding bail application](https://d1ym7u6d99nlu6.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/FINAL-LTI-Superseding-Bail-Application-12.17.2024.pdf). Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, Dec. 17, 2024. (court or official record)
6. [Long Island architect Rex Heuermann pleads guilty to 7 murders, admits an 8th (Michael R. Sisak)](https://kmph.com/news/nation-world/gilgo-beach-serial-killings-suspect-rex-heuermann-expected-to-plead-guilty-sex-workers-victims-true-crime-homicide-investigation-dna-manhattan-massapequa-park-long-island-south-shore-remains). Associated Press (via KMPH), April 8, 2026. (news report)
7. [Rex Heuermann pleads guilty to murder charges, admits he killed 8 women in Gilgo Beach case (Michael R. Sisak)](https://www.ksl.com:443/article/51478596/rex-heuermann-pleads-guilty-to-murder-charges-admits-he-killed-8-women-in-gilgo-beach-case). Associated Press (via KSL), April 8, 2026. (news report)
8. [Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann pleads guilty (Dominique Jack)](https://pix11.com/news/local-news/gilgo-beach-serial-killer-rex-heuermann-pleads-guilty/amp/). Associated Press (via PIX11), April 8, 2026. (news report)
9. [Who is Karen Vergata? (Marty Hobe)](https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/who-is-karen-vergata-rex-heuermann-victim/amp/). NewsNation, April 8, 2026. (news report)
10. [Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Rex Heuermann Admits to Killing 8 Women (Jill Sederstrom)](https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/gilgo-beach-serial-killer-rex-heuermann-pleads-guilty). Oxygen, April 8, 2026. (news report)
11. [Rex Heuermann pleads guilty in Gilgo Beach murders (Safia Samee Ali and Laura Ingle)](https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/gilgo-beach-killings/rex-heuermann-plead-guilty-gilgo-beach-murders-hearing/amp/). NewsNation, April 8, 2026. (news report)
12. [Rex Heuermann is sentenced to life in prison for New York's Gilgo Beach serial killings (Philip Marcelo)](https://www.wdbj7.com/2026/06/17/rex-heuermann-is-sentenced-life-prison-new-yorks-gilgo-beach-serial-killings/). Associated Press (via WDBJ7), June 17, 2026. (news report)
13. [Gilgo Beach serial killer sentenced to life in prison without parole after angry families speak out](https://abc7ny.com/post/rex-heuermann-sentenced-new-yorks-gilgo-beach-serial-killings/19314233/). WABC-TV / ABC News, June 17, 2026. (news report)
14. [Rex Heuermann sentenced to life in prison without parole for Gilgo Beach murders (Amanda Hurley)](https://www.fox29.com/news/rex-heuermann-be-sentenced-after-pleading-guilty-7-murders-admitting-another). FOX 5 NY (via FOX 29), June 17, 2026. (news report)
15. [Rex Heuermann admitted he killed 8 women. What about Gilgo Beach's other bodies? (Eric Levenson)](https://krdo.com/news/2026/06/20/rex-heuermann-admitted-he-killed-8-women-what-about-gilgo-beachs-other-bodies). CNN (via KRDO), June 20, 2026. (news report)
16. [Serial killer Rex Heuermann moved off Long Island to upstate prison facility](https://westchester.news12.com/2026/06/18/serial-killer-rex-heuermann-moved-off-long-island-to-upstate-prison-facility/LPrnwf4KsD9ZA31f3ok8k). News 12, June 18, 2026. (news report)
17. [State confirms prison assignment for Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann](https://bronx.news12.com/state-confirms-prison-assignment-for-gilgo-beach-killer-rex-heuermann). News 12, Aug. 11, 2026. (news report)
18. [Critical DNA evidence to be allowed in Gilgo Beach serial killer case, judge rules](https://abc7.com/post/critical-dna-evidence-allowed-gilgo-beach-serial-killer-case-judge-rules/17730897/). ABC News (via ABC7), Sept. 3, 2025. (news report)
19. [Suffolk DA, Gilgo task force to provide new information about 'Asian Doe'](https://hudsonvalley.news12.com/suffolk-da-gilgo-task-force-to-provide-new-information-about-asian-doe-today). News 12, Sept. 16, 2024. (news report)
20. [What's prison life like for Rex Heuermann? News 12 goes behind bars to get a glimpse](https://longisland.news12.com/whats-prison-life-like-for-rex-heuermann-news-12-goes-behind-bars-to-get-a-glimpse). News 12, Aug. 15, 2023. (news report)
21. [Long Island murders suspect Rex Heuermann had history of tax issues and lawsuits](https://abc7news.com/post/rex-heuermann-rh-consultants-and-associates-gilgo-beach/13506517/). CNN (via ABC7 San Francisco), July 15, 2023. (news report)
22. [Wife of Gilgo Beach murder suspect files for divorce](https://salon.com/2023/07/19/wife-of-gilgo-beach-suspect-files-for-divorce). Salon, July 19, 2023. (news report)
23. [Alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann and estranged wife finalize divorce](https://www.aol.com/news/alleged-gilgo-beach-serial-killer-191329733.html). New York Post (via AOL), March 28, 2025. (news report)