Rex Heuermann, a 60-year-old man accused of serial killings, is slated to face a pre-trial hearing in the coming weeks.
Heuermann stands accused of multiple murder charges, linked to the deaths of six women spanning from the 1990s to 2011. The victims, known as the "Gilgo Four," include Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello. Additional charges were later appended to his case, implicating him in the murders of Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla in June.
As reported by Newsweek, Heuermann has entered a plea of not guilty to all charges. He is due to appear before New York Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei on October 16. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office has previously stated that Mazzei has insisted on Heuermann's presence at every hearing, "just in case."
While a trial date remains unconfirmed, Heuermann is currently detained without bail at the Suffolk County Jail in Riverhead. During the most recent hearing on July 30, the prosecution furnished the defense with a substantial amount of evidence, including DNA records, electronic device data, and notes from searches of Heuermann's residence. According to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney, thousands of tips have been received in relation to the case.
Tierney noted, "This is a case where obviously it captured the public's imagination. The public is continuing to provide tips, which is being evaluated."
In the vicinity of Gilgo Beach, several other bodies have been discovered, some of which remain unidentified. In a recent appeal, officials sought public assistance in identifying one such victim, currently referred to as "Asian Doe."
The unidentified victim, believed to be of Han Chinese descent, was discovered in 2011. The victim, a biological male, was found clad in women's attire. Tierney acknowledged the challenges in identifying the victim, stating, "Unfortunately, South Asia is underrepresented in our genealogy databases, meaning there are not a lot of Asian profiles in the database. Therefore, investigative genetic genealogy, in this instance, is a challenge."
The public is being urged to provide any information they may have to Crimestoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS, or via email or mobile app at https://suffolkpd.org/Alerts/Crime-Stoppers. Tips can be submitted in any language, with translators available to assist. A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information leading to the identification of "Asian Doe."
In a heartfelt plea, Tierney said, "This person had a name. This person had family. This person had friends. We're reaching out to anyone who might have known this individual to help us with that identification."
As of now, no suspects have been named in relation to the unidentified victim's death.
Login