July 14, 2023 - New York architect arrested in Long Island serial killings

A New York architect was charged by a grand jury Friday with six counts of murder in connection with the deaths of three of four women who in death became known as the “Gilgo Four,” according to the Suffolk County District Attorney.

Rex Heuermann, 59, is also the “prime suspect” in the death of the fourth woman, authorities said. After his court appearance in Long Island, he was remanded without bail.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said authorities, fearing the suspect might be tipped off they were closing in, moved to arrest him Thursday night.

Tierney declined to comment on potential connections between the “Gilgo Four” murder victims and any of the other human remains found in the same area of Long Island in 2010.

Here’s what else we learned about the case today:

Court appearance in Long Island: Heuermann was in tears after his arrest, telling his attorney he did not commit the murders he is accused of, his court-appointed attorney, Michael Brown, said Friday. He was remanded without bail after entering a not-guilty plea through his attorney. Heuerman’s next court date is scheduled for August 1. He wore a gray short-sleeved polo shirt with a collar and tan pants in the courtroom. He stood largely expressionless, conferring with his lawyer a couple of times.

Prime suspect in fourth death: He was charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder in each of the three killings – Melissa Barthelemy in 2009, and Megan Waterman and Amber Costello in 2010 – according to the indictment. Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the disappearance and death of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, the district attorney said in a bail application. Heuermann has not been charged with that murder but the investigation “is expected to be resolved soon,” according to a bail application from prosecutors.

Background on suspect: Heuermann, who a source familiar with the case said is a father of two, is a registered architect who has owned the New York City-based architecture and consulting firm, RH Consultants & Associates, since 1994, according to his company’s website. In a civil court hearing in 2018, Heuermann described his work as “general architecture” and said he works for clients to resolve issues with the state Department of Buildings.

Tax troubles: Heuermann has been years late in paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes and repeatedly filed lawsuits accusing drivers of injuring him in car accidents, according to a review of public records and court documents. He lived in the same house in Massapequa Park he was raised in — a few miles across the bay from the beach where bodies were unearthed more than a decade ago — according to a 2018 deposition.

New investigation launched in 2022: A task force to investigate the Gilgo Beach killings was formed in February 2022, shortly after Tierney took office as Suffolk County district attorney, he said at a news conference Friday. Tierney said he made the Gilgo Beach murders — an unsolved case tied to at least 10 sets of remains discovered since 2010 in suburban Long Island — a priority “before he took office.”

Burner phones and DNA: Investigators went backward through phone records collected from both Midtown Manhattan and the Massapequa Park area – two areas where a “burner phone” used by the alleged killer were detected. After narrowing down the pool, they searched for a connection to a green pickup truck a witness had seen the suspect driving, sources told CNN. Investigators found Heuermann, who matched a witness’ physical description, lived close to the Long Island cell site and worked near the New York City cell sites where other calls were captured. They then also obtained DNA from an immediate family member and connected it to DNA discovered on the body of one victim. Read more on the investigation here.

Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office released a booking photo of Rex Heuermann.

Gilgo Beach serial killings suspect Rex Heuermann has permits for 92 guns, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at a news conference Friday.

“He has a very large safe in which guns are kept,” he said.

When asked if investigators have found all 92 guns, Tierney said, “We are continuing to execute search warrants, so I’m sure we will have that answer shortly.”

Heuermann, 59, has pleaded not guilty in connection with the murders of three women.

The architect accused in a string of Long Island killings has been years late in paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes, repeatedly filed lawsuits accusing drivers of injuring him in car accidents, and still lives in his childhood home, according to a review of public records and court documents. 

Rex Heuermann, who police say murdered at least three women, lived in the same house he was raised in — a few miles across the bay from the beach where bodies were unearthed more than a decade ago — he said in a 2018 deposition.

Between 2014 and 2022, Heuermann filed four lawsuits in New York courts against drivers who he said hit him with their cars. Heuermann claimed “serious and permanent personal injuries,” court records show. Three of the cases were settled or discontinued, while the most recent one is ongoing. 

In an April 2018 deposition in one of the cases, Heuermann discussed his life and work, saying he lived at his childhood home in the Long Island suburb of Massapequa Park with his wife of then 22 years, daughter and a stepson. 

At one point in the deposition, when asked if he played sports, he said, “really only thing I competed in was competition rifle.” 

Heuermann appears to have had issues paying his taxes going back more than a decade. Nassau County records show Heuermann was subject to six tax liens filed by the IRS in Nassau County between 2010 and 2021. According to the liens, Heuermann owed a total of more than $425,000 for taxes he had failed to pay going back to 2005.  

The IRS later filed tax lien releases showing that Heuermann repaid or no longer owed about $215,078 of that debt, with the most recent documents being filed in October 2022. 

According to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Heuermann and his wife, Asa Ellerup, also currently owe a total of more than $81,500 in personal income tax to the state, with the tax bills having accrued since November 2020. 

Other court records shed light on the technical and at times mundane work Heuermann has done as an architect.

In a civil court hearing in 2018, Heuermann described his work as “general architecture” and said he works for clients to resolve issues with the state Department of Buildings. An associate described the work as, “not a pleasant process. I don’t want to be Mr. Heuermann in that respect for a minute.”  

In September 2007, a Harlem apartment building that Heuermann had been hired to renovate was declared unsafe by fire officials, who ordered two dozen families to evacuate, the New York Daily News reported at the time. The New York City Buildings Department commissioner said the agency was investigating whether Heuermann falsely identified the building as vacant, according to the Daily News. 

A spokesperson for the buildings department told CNN that in 2007, the department conducted audits of multiple jobs where Heuermann was the architect of record, but did not find “any pattern of false filings nor significant disregard for DOB regulations,” and no disciplinary actions were taken. 

The website of Heuermann’s firm, RH Architecture, listed his daughter as an employee there. The page listing employees has since been taken offline. 

District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney speaks at a press conference on Friday.

The Suffolk County district attorney declined to comment on potential connections between the “Gilgo Four” murder victims at the center of this week’s arrest and any of the other human remains found in the same area of Long Island in 2010.

District Attorney Ray Tierney said the portion of the investigation being made public Friday “had to do with the deaths of these four young women,” referring to three victims that suspect Rex Heuermann has been charged with killing, and a fourth murder for which he is considered the “prime suspect.”

In a news conference following Heuermann’s first court appearance, Tierney emphasized the similarities between the “Gilgo Four.” They include the fact that they were all sex workers, had been linked to some form of contact with Heuermann and had been bound in similar ways.

What are the other cases? Authorities first found human remains related to the Gilgo Beach case while searching a remote stretch of Long Island for a different woman, Shannan Gilbert, in 2010.

Gilbert’s remains were ultimately found in 2011. While authorities said her death appeared to be more consistent with “an unfortunate accident” rather than an act of violence, they had also turned up 10 other sets of human remains across two Long Island counties by the time the search concluded. That left investigators to determine which (if any) of the cases were connected to a potential serial killer.

Tierney, the district attorney, said a task force will continue to investigate the remains’ discovery and “try to get a small measure of closure for all the victims’ families.”

But for now, Tierney said all he could share was that the defendant in custody is tied to the four women named in connection with his arrest.

Pressed further by reporters, the district attorney said he needs to “maintain investigative secrecy.”

“I’m here to talk about what we did with regard to these four victims,” he repeated.

The arrest of a suspect in some of the Gilgo Beach murders was a “long time coming,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Friday.

People in the community should be able to sleep easier tonight, the governor said, after a New York architect was arrested in connection with three murders on Long Island.  

Authorities were able to obtain a search warrant for Long Island serial killings suspect Rex Heuermann’s Google results and watch as he tried to keep up with the investigation, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Friday.

“In a 14-month period, he had over 200 searches pertaining to the Gilgo (Beach serial killings) investigation,” Tierney said.

“He was looking at investigative insight. He was looking, trying to figure out, ‘How is the task force using cell phones to try to figure out what is happening? What are the developments with regard to the task force?”” he continued.

Tierney said that emphasized the importance of keeping the investigation and grand jury proceedings secret, “because we knew that this one person would be watching, and we didn’t want to give him any insight.”

The warrant also revealed Heuermann was “compulsively” searching for images of the victims and their families, “and he was trying to locate those individuals.”

Tierney said investigators found other disturbing content in Heuermann’s browsing history, as well.

“There was a lot of torture porn and what you would consider depictions of women being abused, being raped and being killed,” Tierney said.

In their bail application, prosecutors also said Heuermann had searched for child pornography.

Authorities decided to charge the man accused of murdering at least three of the four “Gilgo Four” when the need to keep the public safe outweighed the need for investigators to collect evidence, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

There was a “good tension” among the task force formed to investigate the long unsolved Gilgo Beach murders since its formation in 2022, Tierney said. On one hand, authorities wanted to build the strongest case they could against suspect Rex Heuermann. On the other, they also needed to keep the public safe, he said.

Heuermann, who authorities were closely monitoring as they were investigating him, was continuing to patronize sex workers and also using fake IDs and burner phones, Tierney said. Those factors led authorities to decide to arrest him Thursday.

“As we work through the case … suddenly the balance tips in factor of public safety,” he said.

Heuermann has been charged with six counts of murder in connection with the deaths of three of the four women known as the “Gilgo Four.”

Hair believed to be from Rex Heuermann’s wife was found on or near three of the Gilgo Beach murder victims, prosecutors alleged, citing DNA testing.

Forensic labs were able to match with near 100% certainty the hairs in July, prosecutors say, after investigators recovered 11 bottles from a garbage can outside Heuermann’s house. They took swabs of the bottles and subsequently matched with close to 100% certainty that DNA to the four female human hairs, according to the bail application.

One female human hair was found on one of the buckles of the three belts used to tie Maureen Brainard-Barnes’ feet, ankle and legs together, prosecutors say.

Heuermann is the prime suspect in the disappearance and death of Brainard-Barnes, the district attorney said in its bail application Friday. However, he has not yet been charged in connection with her murder.

Heuermann was charged in connection with the murder of the other three women, known together with Brainard-Barnes as the “Gilgo Four.”

Two female hairs were found on a piece of tape and “outside the head area” of Megan Waterman’s body, prosecutors say. 

Another female hair was also found on a piece of tape that bound Amber Costello’s body, prosecutors say.

A makeshift memorial for a victim in the Gilgo Beach murders stands in Gilgo Beach, New York, in April 2013.

A task force to investigate the Gilgo Beach killings was formed in February 2022, shortly after Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney took office in January, 2022, he said at a news conference Friday.

Tierney said he made the Gilgo Beach murders — an unsolved case tied to at least 10 sets of remains discovered since 2010 in suburban Long Island — a priority “before he took office”.

“I met with the victims’ families, some of whom I’m proud to have standing with us today, and I told them that we were gonna handle this case differently,” Tierney said.

The task force consisted of the Suffolk County Police Department, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police and the FBI, Tierney said. 

The work of the task force led to the arrest of Rex Heuermann on Thursday. He has pleaded not guilty in connection with the murders of three women, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, and Megan Waterman.

He is the “prime suspect” in the disappearance and death of a fourth woman, officials said, but he is yet to be charged in that case.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney speaks during a press conference in Riverhead, New York, on Friday.

Long Island serial killings suspect Rex Heuermann’s wife and children were not in New York state at the time that three of the “Gilgo Four” murder victims died, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Friday.

Tierney said investigators had looked at the Heuermann family travel records and determined that during the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello, “the defendant’s wife and children were out of New York state and he was alone in the tri-state area,” Tierney said.

Heuermann is a married father of two, a source familiar with the case told CNN. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The suspect in the Gilgo Beach killings was in tears, telling his attorney he did not commit the murders he is accused of, his court-appointed attorney, Michael Brown said at a news conference Friday.

“Anybody who’s arrested and charged with three murders. Well, I should say obviously – well he’s destroyed. He’s clearly destroyed about the charges here,” Brown said.  

Brown said that he has not reviewed any evidence in the case but said that he believes the case is, “extremely circumstantial in nature.” 

It is not clear if Heuermann intends to hire outside counsel, according to Brown.

Authorities issued more than 300 subpoenas and search warrants in their long investigation into the suspect charged in three long-unsolved Long Island murders, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Officials first identified suspect Rex Heuermann, an architect who lives on Long Island with an office in New York City, in a database more than a year ago, Tierney said. Heuermann faces six counts of murder in connection with the deaths of three of the Gilgo Beach murder victims.

Tierney said a task force looking into the Gilgo Beach murders — an unsolved case tied to at least 10 sets of remains discovered since 2010 in suburban Long Island — held its first meeting in February 2022.

From there, officials used “the power of the grand jury” in the form of more than 300 subpoenas and search warrants used to look into Heuermann’s background, Tierney said.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney speaks during a press conference in Riverhead, New York, on Friday.

The task force formed to restart the investigation into the Gilgo Beach serial killings was created in February 2022 — more than 10 years after human remains were first found on a stretch of Long Island.

Six weeks later, in March 2022, Rex Heuermann was first named as the potential suspect in the killings, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at a news conference Friday.

Heuermann’s arrest this week was the culmination of the extensive investigation that followed, in which investigators used “the power of the grand jury,” including over 300 subpoenas and search warrants, to collect evidence and tie Heuermann conclusively to the murders, Tierney said.

The suspect in the Long Island serial killings used the cell phone of at least one of the victims to taunt family members and admitted to killing and sexually assaulting her, prosecutors allege in court documents.

Rex Heuermann, who was arrested Thursday on suspicion of killing three of the four women known as the “Gilgo Four,” made multiple taunting calls to the family of Melissa Barthelemy, the documents allege.

In one of the calls, he “admitted killing and sexually assaulting Ms. Barthelemy,” according to a bail application filed by the Suffolk County district attorney. 

Investigators say they linked Heuermann to the locations where taunting phone calls or other activity was made on Barthelemy’s phone, as well as the phone of Maureen Brainard-Barnes — a fourth woman Heuermann is considered the “prime suspect” for killing — after their disappearances.

An aerial view of the area near Gilgo Beach and Ocean Parkway on Long Island where police have been conducting a prolonged search after finding ten sets of human remains in April 2011 in Wantagh, New York.

A New York architect has been charged with murder for some of the Gilgo Beach murders, an unsolved series of cases that have baffled authorities for years.

Suffolk County officials and the FBI are set to give an update on the case, which involves at least 10 sets of human remains discovered since 2010.

Here’s what we know so far:

This week’s arrest: Rex Heuermann, who was taken into custody Thursday, was charged by a grand jury with six counts of murder in connection with the deaths of three of four women known as the “Gilgo Four”: Amber Lynn Costello, 27; Megan Waterman, 22; and Melissa Barthelemy, 24.

He is the “prime suspect” in the disappearance and death of the fourth member of the group, 25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes, the district attorney’s office said in its bail application on Friday.

About the “Gilgo Four”: Authorities, initially prompted by the search for missing Shannan Gilbert, discovered the remains of four other women along a stretch of Ocean Parkway in 2010.

The four women were wrapped in burlap and discovered within days of each other. They were last seen between July 2007 and September 2010.

Gilbert’s body was found in 2011, and authorities later said they believe her death may have been accidental.

Deputy Suffolk County Police Commissioner Tim Sini, left, homicide Detective Lt. Kevin Beyrer, center, and Chief of Department Stuart Cameron tour a remote area off a Long Island parkway in December 2015 where the bodies of 10 people were discovered in 2010 and 2011, in Babylon, New York.

More remains found: By the time Gilbert’s body was found, investigators had unearthed 10 sets of human remains strewn across two Long Island counties.

In addition to the “Gilgo Four” found along Ocean Parkway, additional remains were uncovered in Gilgo Beach and in Nassau County, about 40 miles east of New York City. They included a female toddler, an Asian male and a woman initially referred to as “Jane Doe #6,” investigators said.

Heuermann has only been charged in the deaths of Costello, Waterman and Barthelemy.

What happens next: Heuermann was remanded without bail. He entered a not-guilty plea through his attorney, Michael Brown. His next court date is scheduled for August 1.

Rex A. Heuermann has been charged with three counts of murder in the first degree and three counts of murder in the second degree, according to an indictment filed in Suffolk County, New York.

The charges relate to the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello and Megan Waterman.

Heuermann pleaded not guilty to the charges in court on Friday and was remanded in custody. 

Here’s what the indictment says about the timeline of the killings:

Maureen Brainard-Barnes

Rex Heuermann is the “prime suspect” in the disappearance and death of a fourth woman in Long Island, New York, the district attorney’s office said in its bail application on Friday.

Heuermann has not yet been charged in connection with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, one of the four women known as the “Gilgo Four,” according to the application from the Suffolk County District Attorney.  

“There is substantial evidence of Defendant Heuermann’s involvement in the disappearance and death of Ms. Brainard-Barnes, which evidence closely fits the modus operandi of the Defendant in relation to the deaths of the other three women and which supports the current charges,” the application said.

Heuermann has been charged with six counts of murder in connection with the deaths of the three other members of the “Gilgo Four,” according to the bail application.

Those three women are Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, and Megan Waterman. Heuermann pleaded not guilty to the charges in court on Friday. 

Gilgo Beach serial killings suspect Rex Heuermann pleaded not guilty Friday to six murder counts in connection with the death of three women. He was remanded without bail. 

Heuermann, in his first court appearance, did not speak and pleaded through his attorney, Michael Brown. 

The suspect wore a grey, short-sleeved polo shirt with a collar and tan pants. He stood largely expressionless, only conferring with his lawyer a couple of times.

His next court date is scheduled for August 1. It will be a conference hearing.

Heuermann’s charges stem from the deaths of three of the four members of the “Gilgo Four,” women whose bodies were discovered along a stretch of Ocean Parkway in Long Island in 2010.

Prosecutors asked that he be held without bail based in part on the “heinous nature of these serial murders” and the “planning and forethought” that went into the crimes.

They also noted his alleged use of “fictitious names, burner email and cellphone accounts, and his access to and history of possessing firearms.”

Additionally, prosecutors said Heuermann had recently searched for disturbing content online, including child pornography.

Attorney John Ray left, and Jasmine Robinson, a family representative for Jessica Taylor, walk inside the Arthur M. Cromarty Court Complex in Riverhead, New York, on Friday.

A lawyer for other people connected to the Gilgo Beach murders investigation said Friday he’s happy there’s been an arrest in the decade-old case.

John Ray — a lawyer who represents the family of Shannan Gilbert, whose disappearance and search led to the “Gilgo Four” and other remains being discovered — says that he does not know if the suspect, Rex Heuermann, was responsible for his client’s death. 

Heuermann faces first and second-degree murder charges in connection with the deaths of three women – Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello – according to the bail application provided by the district attorney’s office.

By 2011, when Gilbert’s body was found one year after the search began on neighboring Oak Beach, investigators had unearthed 10 sets of human remains strewn across two Long Island counties.

“Even though with those facts in mind it’s true to say we breathe a great sigh of relief,” he said. “We’re happy the police are finally taking a positive step in this respect, but this is just the beginning this is just this is just the edge of a bigger body of water shall we say of murder that has taken place.” 

Gilbert’s death has not been linked to the Gilgo Beach investigation by officials, who say “Gilbert’s death is not consistent with her being the victim of violence or of a violent offender,” but rather “an unfortunate accident.”

Ray also represents Gilgo Beach victim Jessica Taylor. He adds, “We don’t know if he is connected to Jessica Taylor’s murder. We have no idea yet,” he added. 

Jasmine Robinson, a family representative for Taylor, said justice would be served when all the cases were closed.  “I’m hopeful for the future and hopeful that a connection is made.”, she said.

Law enforcement arrive at a home believed owned by the suspect in Long Island on Friday.

The case against Rex Heuermann, the suspect arrested in the infamous Gilgo Beach murders, came together over a two-year restart of the investigation, according to two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the case.

Investigators went through phone records collected from both midtown Manhattan and the Massapequa Park area of Long Island — two areas connected to a “burner phone” they had tied to the killings. (In court, prosecutors later said the burner phone was identified via an email account used to “solicit and arrange for sexual activity.” The victims were escorts who advertised on Craigslist, according to officials.)

They then narrowed records collected by cell towers to thousands, then to hundreds, and finally down to a handful of people who could match a suspect in the killings.

From there, authorities focused on people who lived in the area of the cell tower and also matched a physical description given by a witness who had seen the suspected killer.

Rex Heuermann is seen purchasing extra minutes for one of the burner cell phones connected to some of the crimes at a cellphone store in Midtown Manhattan, prosecutors allege.

In that narrowed pool, they searched for a connection to a green pickup truck that a witness had seen the suspect driving, the sources said.

Investigators eventually landed on Heuermann, who they say matched a witness’ physical description, lived close to the Long Island cell site and worked near the New York City cell sites that captured the other calls.

They also learned he had often driven a green pickup truck, registered to his brother, officials said. But they needed more than just circumstantial eviden

Investigators were able to obtain DNA from an immediate family member and send it to a specialized lab, sources said. According to the lab report, Heuermann’s family member was shown to be related to a person who left DNA on burlap found with one of the buried victims.

This evidence was already being presented to a grand jury, but as leaks about a possible break in the case emerged this week, authorities decided to arrest Heuermann Thursday night, the sources said.

The team responsible for the investigation was a task force created by Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison, who assembled county police detectives, investigators from the sheriff’s office, state police and the FBI, according to the sources.es.