Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann pleads guilty | Gilgo Beach serial killings
Long Island architect Rex Heuermann, accused of seven murders known as the Gilgo Beach killings dating back to 1993, pleaded guilty Wednesday, adding an eighth murder to his grisly tally.
Heuermann, who has been in custody since his arrest on a Manhattan street in July 2023, appeared in court in Riverhead, Long Island, and changed his plea to guilty in the slayings of the women whose remains were found years after their disappearance.
His remains were found mostly in marshes along the south shore of Long Island, including Gilgo Beach.
Many of the victims, most of whom were sex workers, remained unidentified for years, but the identification of Heuermann’s car, cell phone records and microconidial DNA matches to the victims solved the long-running mystery. Heuermann pleaded not guilty after his arrest.
Judge Timothy Mazzei asked Heuermann a series of questions Wednesday about his readiness to enter guilty pleas. He said he entered the defense of his own free will.
“Yes, I am,” said Heuermann.
Heuermann said causing her death is the first charge prosecutors will consider in the 2009 murder of Melissa Barthelemy. When asked how it happened, he said: “Drowning.”
