After pleading guilty to discreetly murdering eight women over 17 years in Long Island, Rex Heuermann has been sentenced to life in prison, marking the end of one of the largest serial homicide cases in New York history.
The lengthy investigation first began in 2010 during the search for Shannan Gilbert, who vanished from her home in Oak Beach. During the search, authorities discovered the remains of four other women along Ocean Parkway. In 2011, remains from more women were found, expanding the investigation into the closely watched and long-awaited criminal case.
The serial murders, which became the subject of numerous true-crime documentaries, books and podcasts, captivated public attention for years before the 62-year-old confessed in April to carrying out the nearly two-decade killing spree.
“Eight young women were aimlessly and brutually murdered,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said before the sentences were given. “The defendant has earned a maximum sentence in this case.”
After years of dead ends and investigative setbacks, the case remained unsolved until July 2023, when Heuermann was arrested in Manhattan and charged in the killings of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello. Prosecutors later broadened the case to include additional victims, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, Maureen Brainard-Barnes and Sandra Costilla.
“There are no words I can say, but I am responsible for what was said in this room today,” Heuermann said on Wednesday, adding that, “The words I would say have no meaning and I’m going to leave it there at this time.”
Heuermann pleaded guilty in April to charges that he murdered seven women.
Under a plea deal, he also admitted responsibility for the killing of Karen Vergata in 1996, though he was not formally charged with her murder and did not receive a sentence for it.
After decades of waiting for justice, relatives of the women murdered by Heuermann faced the killer on Wednesday, berating him for his horrific crimes.
“You fill me with so much repugnance, I can’t stand it,” Jasmine Robinson, a cousin of Taylor’s, told Heuermann. “A million years isn’t enough. Nothing will ever make this right.”
JoAnn Mack, the mother of victim Valerie Mack told the killer, “Justice has been done, but it can’t replace what has been taken. She had dreams, and you took them all away from her.”
Heuermann had previously pleaded not guilty to all charges. However, extensive DNA evidence, cell phone records and other forensic findings led investigators to link him to all the victims.
Judge Timothy Mazzei did not attempt to conceal his disgust as he faced the killer in court.
“Mr. Hueurmann, as Mr. Tierney said, I know that you’re sorry that you got caught,” he said, referencing a comment from Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A Tierney. “I assume that you’re sorry for what you’ve done to your wife and children. Are you a little bit sorry for what you did to these poor innocent women? Eight women that you strangled to death, at least that we know of — are you at least a little bit sorry for that? Yes?”
When Hueurmann answered in the affirmative, Mazzei continued, “You’ve been described as a very big man, but you’re a disgusting and despicable small man, if you’re a man at all. And you’re a coward!”
After delivering multiple life sentences, Mazzei told court officers to “get him out of here.”
Hellbound and Down 