Suffolk DA details how ‘Gilgo Beach’ serial killer Rex Heuermann lured his victims, plotted their deaths<\/a><\/p>\nTheir families came to the microphone in the courtroom and said they accepted the guilty plea.<\/p>\n
“I am the daughter of Megan Waterman and on behalf of her and my aunt and all of our family back home, we do accept and are very, very thankful for all that they’ve done for us,\u201d Waterman\u2019s daughter said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m Elizabeth Baczkiel. I’m Jessica Taylor’s mother. And I am glad that this is over as far as him pleading guilty,” Backiel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cJustice has finally found its way to you, your voice was never silenced, your story never forgotten and your life will always mean more than the tragedy that took you,\u201d said Missy Cann, Brainard Barnes\u2019 sister. \u201cThis moment is not the end but a reminder that love endures, truth prevails and hope never fades because even in the darkest moments justice will find its way.\u201d<\/p>\n
ALARMILY ORDINARY<\/p>\n
As part of the plea deal, Heuermann will work with the FBI\u2019s Behavior Analysis Unit to gain insight into his motivations.<\/p>\n
Heuermann has been held at Riverhead Jail since his arrest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat has been most alarming is how ordinary Heuermann has been,\u201d says Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon, Jr.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a chilling reminder that those capable of horrific acts can often go unnoticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, he was exposed for exactly what he is \u2013 a sadistic, soulless, murderous monster,\u201d said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina.<\/p>\n
SENTENCING DATE SCHEDULED<\/p>\n
Heuermann will be sentenced on June 17. He is expected to be sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for three of the killings and for 100 years to life for killing four victims.<\/p>\n
HOW DNA PLAYED A PART<\/p>\n
District Attorney Tierney says the Heuermann case started one piece at a time.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike any puzzle piece, or any puzzle, you start to try to solve it with the easiest piece\u2026\u201d he said. \u201c\u2026So, you start from each of the crime scenes and you build up.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said this is the process that led to each victim becoming part of the case.<\/p>\n
The murders were a landmark in using nuclear DNA \u2013 which is DNA that comes from both parents \u2013 to convict a criminal.<\/p>\n
“We were confident in the science. We were, you know, confident and well-versed in what we did. And we relied upon our experts in the science, and we prevailed,\u201d Tierney said.<\/p>\n
It is technology that is now admissible in the state of New York.<\/p>\n
“It’s the future of DNA analysis. And it’s going to help us with current cases. And it’s also really going to help us with cold cases,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said that because Heuermann pleaded guilty to the crimes, his department\u2019s resources can be used in other ways.<\/p>\n
DEFENSE ATTORNEY SPEAKS<\/p>\n
Attorney Michael Brown is the man who signed up to defend Heuermann in court.<\/p>\n
Brown says that ultimately, Heuermann confessed to the killings because he did not want to go to trial.<\/p>\n
“He certainly wanted to save the families and the victims the ordeal of going to trial, and coupled with saving his family that ordeal,\u201d Brown said. “A defendant also has an absolute right to change his plea, to accept responsibility and enter a plea of guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n
EX-WIFE\u2019S MESSAGE FOR THE VICTIMS<\/p>\n
Heuermann’s former wife, Asa Ellerup and daughter Victoria were also in court on Wednesday to hear Heuermann confess to the killings.<\/p>\n
Ellerup did not take questions but did deliver a message to the victims\u2019 families.<\/p>\n
“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Their loss is immeasurable and the focus should be on them at this time and moment. I ask that you give some privacy to my family as they navigate through this very difficult time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
An attorney for Heuermann’s family says the ordeal has taken a toll.<\/p>\n
“This situation is deeply personal and profoundly painful for Ms. Ellerup and her family. She never wanted to believe the man she was married to for 27 years, the father of Victoria, would be capable of committing such heinous acts,\u201d said attorney Bob Macedonio.<\/p>\n
GAINING NATIONAL ATTENTION<\/p>\n
The Gilgo Beach story gained national attention over the years, even before Heuermann\u2019s arrest.<\/p>\n
People came from near and far to attend his hearing on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Bellmore resident Nick Graystone was one of dozens who camped outside the courthouse in Riverhead ahead of the hearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a case that has been haunting Long Island for so long,\u201d Graystone said.<\/p>\n
More than 70 people were lined up outside the courthouse in freezing temperatures as early as 5:30 a.m.<\/p>\n
The courthouse did not open until 9 a.m. and the hearing wasn\u2019t scheduled until 11 a.m.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve lived here our whole lives. We grew up here and this horrible story happened here\u2026\u201d said Deborah Timms, of Farmingville.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of want it to be over for those families that had to wait too long,\u201d said Peggy Gould, of Patchogue. \u201cIf it goes to trial, then they\u2019ll just have to wait longer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not everyone was able to be inside the courtroom. There were even two overflow rooms where some members of the media and Long Island residents sat and watched.<\/p>\n
Those who have attended previous hearings say that this one felt different.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere won\u2019t be any trial and that will kind of be the end of it and he\u2019ll get his sentencing,\u201d said Gould.<\/p>\n
CONTINUING COVERAGE<\/p>\n
News 12 was the first to break the news of Heuermann\u2019s arrest in July 2023.<\/p>\n
You can watch and read about every twist and turn in the case by CLICKING HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rex Heuermann \u2013 the so-called \u201cGilgo Beach” serial killer – confessed Wednesday morning to killing eight women on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":190461,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-190460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}