Rex Heuermann, a 59-year-old, is facing accusations of killing four women, as reported by BBC News. The suspect vehemently denies his involvement.
According to reports, investigators matched the DNA from the suspect's consumed pizza with genetic material found on the victims' remains.
During an August 11 press conference, Rodney Harrison, the Suffolk County Police Commissioner, branded Rex Heuermann as a "demon among us" and a "predator" responsible for tearing families apart.
Heuermann faces charges of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder, linked to the deaths of three women. He was denied bail by the presiding judge due to the "extreme depravity" associated with the alleged crimes.
The victims—Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes—are collectively referred to as the Gilgo Beach Four, all of whom were involved in the sex trade, according to prosecutors.
District Attorney Ray Tierney provided details, stating that "each of the four victims were found in a similar position, bound with either belts or tape, and three of them were wrapped in a burlap-type material."
The case against Heuermann was constructed using mobile phone records connecting him to the victims and a pickup truck seen near one of the victims' residences. He reportedly utilized disposable phones for communication with the victims, subsequently discarding them.
Phone records also revealed that the deaths occurred when Heuermann's wife and children were absent.
A strand of hair discovered on a piece of burlap used to wrap one of the victims was matched to Heuermann through a sample from a pizza box he discarded in January 2023.
Investigators additionally claimed that he was entrapped by taunting phone calls made by a person claiming to be the killer, utilizing one of Barthelemy's mobile phones.
In 2010, police inadvertently uncovered the remains of eleven individuals, including nine women, one man, and a child, while searching for missing person Shannan Gilbert.
In February 2022, a dedicated task force was established to investigate the Gilgo Beach murders, with Heuermann becoming a focus within a month.
Since the inception of the task force, Heuermann allegedly conducted more than 200 online searches related to serial killers and Long Island investigations, using disposable phones. These searches included queries like "why hasn't the Long Island serial killer been caught?" and "compiling maps of Long Island murder victims."
The inquiry into the other victims is still ongoing.
Heuermann is the owner of RH Consultants and Associates, an architectural firm located in Manhattan, which brands itself as "New York City's premier architectural firm."
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