The secret life of Rex Heuermann and the chilling trail that caught up to him revealed in The Trial USA
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It all started with an unforgettable 911 call one night in May 2010.
Fearing for her life, 23-year-old Shannan Gilbert begged for help after going to visit a sex worker client in Oak Beach on New York’s Long Island.
His subsequent disappearance sparked a massive search in the dense brush off Ocean Parkway and led to the discovery of a serial killer’s graveyard.
Within months, the remains of 11 victims were found along Ocean Parkway, a highway near Gilgo Beach.
For more than a decade, the case went cold and the identity of the Gilgo Beach serial killer remained a mystery.
That was until 2023, when Rex Heuermann, a married father of two who lived on Long Island and commuted to Manhattan every day, was suddenly arrested as the suspected murderer.
Long Island architect Rex Heuermann, 62, accused of being the infamous Gilgo Beach serial killer
Backyard of Rex Heuermann’s Massapequa Park home during a search in June 2024
Now Heuermann is accused of murdering seven women (Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack) between 1993 and 2010.
Since his bombshell arrest, the 62-year-old architect has challenged the charges and pleaded not guilty.
But now, months before his trial was to begin, a shocking development took place in the case.
At an upcoming hearing, Heuermann is expected to plead guilty to all charges; It’s a move that could finally bring justice to the families of the victims and end the three-decade-long reign of terror.
Melissa Barthelemy (top left), Amber Costello (top right), Megan Waterman (bottom left) and Maureen Brainard-Barnes (bottom right) became known as the ‘Gilgo Four’
Sandra Costilla (left), Valerie Mack (center) and Jessica Taylor (right). Heuermann is accused of killing seven women
In this new episode USA Trial, Crime Reporter Rachel Sharp and Senior Reporter Ruth Bashinsky reveal every detail of the case they’ve been reporting on for years, from the stories of the young victims to the moment police realized they were dealing with a serial killer and the evidence that ultimately led them to the suspect.
The team also takes listeners through the chaotic scenes outside Heuermann’s home following his arrest and into the courtroom as the case heads to trial, and everything in between.
And they describe what a guilty plea could now mean for the case, for the families and for other potential victims still waiting to be found.
Rex Heuermann returns to court in Riverhead, Long Island, on April 8.
