Rex Heuermann Pleads Guilty in Eight Gilgo Beach–Linked Murders and Agrees to FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit Evaluation
Rex Heuermann, 62, pleaded guilty in Suffolk County Court to seven charged murders and publicly admitted to an eighth killing in the decades‑long Gilgo Beach case — a series of slayings dating back to the early 1990s with remains found along Ocean Parkway and other Long Island locations — and prosecutors say vehicle‑registration records, cellphone data and DNA from a discarded pizza crust helped identify him; he is expected to receive life in prison without parole. As part of his plea agreement he agreed to submit to clinical interviews with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit limited to the murders he admitted to, and must be “truthful, accurate and complete” in those sessions.
📌 Key Facts
- On April 8, 2026, 62‑year‑old Rex Heuermann appeared in Suffolk County court in Riverhead and pleaded guilty to murdering seven women in the Gilgo Beach case and publicly admitted killing an eighth woman; in court he described strangling the victims.
- Heuermann pleaded guilty to three counts of first‑degree murder and four counts of intentional murder covering seven victims; sentencing is scheduled for June and he is expected to receive life in prison without the possibility of parole.
- Victims’ remains were recovered in multiple locations: six women (Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello, Maureen Brainard‑Barnes, Megan Waterman, Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack) along Ocean Parkway in Gilgo Beach; Sandra Costilla in the Hamptons about 60 miles away; and Karen Vergata, whose remains were found on Fire Island and later near Gilgo Beach.
- The killings span roughly a 17‑year period beginning around 1993 and ending circa 2010–2011.
- Investigators linked Heuermann to the crimes using vehicle‑registration records (including a pickup truck seen when a victim disappeared), cellphone data, and DNA recovered from a discarded pizza crust.
- As part of his plea agreement Heuermann agreed to be evaluated by the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU); Suffolk County DA Ray Tierney said BAU sessions will be clinical interviews (not investigative) and limited to the murders to which Heuermann pled guilty.
- Defense attorney Michael Brown said Heuermann is obligated under the agreement to be 'truthful, accurate and complete' with BAU interviewers.
- BAU pioneer Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess said the unit is likely interested because Heuermann appears to be a highly organized sexual serial killer whose pattern may suggest additional, as‑yet‑unknown victims; she also noted the evaluation could both satisfy Heuermann’s narcissistic tendencies and yield insights into how such offenders plan, operate and evade detection.
📊 Relevant Data
According to the 2023 Radford/FGCU Annual Report on Serial Killer Statistics, 50.6% of all known U.S. serial killers are White, 40.6% are Black, 6.8% are Hispanic, 1.0% are Asian, and 1.0% are Native American; since 1990, Black serial killers comprise 50.9%, exceeding their approximately 13% share of the U.S. population.
Radford/FGCU Annual Report on Serial Killer Statistics: 2023 — Radford University/Florida Gulf Coast University
In the U.S., 26.9% of serial murder victims are Black, which is higher than their 12.1% share of the population, while 65.7% are White, 6.9% Hispanic, 1.7% Asian, and 0.7% Native American.
Radford/FGCU Annual Report on Serial Killer Statistics: 2023 — Radford University/Florida Gulf Coast University
White serial killers are more likely to target only White victims (81.9%), while Black serial killers target only Black victims in 43.4% of cases, indicating varying intra-racial patterns in offender-victim relationships.
Radford/FGCU Annual Report on Serial Killer Statistics: 2023 — Radford University/Florida Gulf Coast University
Long Island's population has become more diverse, with the percentage of Hispanic residents increasing significantly over the last two decades, while White residents remain the majority at 85.8% in Suffolk County and 77.3% in Nassau County as of 2026.
Long Island Population 2026 — World Population Review
Studies indicate that both genetic markers and environmental factors may contribute to the development of serial killers, with an interplay between genetic vulnerability and environmental triggers.
The Murder Gene: Are Killers Influenced by Genetics or Environment? — Zenodo
📰 Source Timeline (8)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- As part of his plea agreement, Rex Heuermann has agreed to be evaluated by the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU).
- Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney says BAU sessions will be 'clinical interviews,' not investigative ones, and will be limited to the murders to which Heuermann pled guilty.
- Defense attorney Michael Brown stated that under the agreement Heuermann is obligated to be 'truthful, accurate and complete' with BAU interviewers.
- BAU pioneer Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess says the unit is likely interested because Heuermann appears to be a highly organized sexual serial killer whose pattern may involve additional, as‑yet‑unknown victims.
- Burgess notes that the evaluation could satisfy Heuermann’s narcissistic tendencies even as it yields data on how such offenders plan, operate, and evade detection over many years.
- Heuermann pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and four counts of intentional murder in the killings of seven women between 1993 and 2010.
- In court he admitted strangling eight female victims, including Karen Vergata in 1996, although he has not been charged in her death.
- Suffolk County DA Ray Tierney described how investigators used a vehicle-registration database, cellphone data, and DNA taken from a discarded pizza crust to link Heuermann to the crimes.
- As part of the plea, Heuermann agreed to fully cooperate with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit to help profile and catch other serial killers.
- Sentencing is scheduled for June, when he is expected to receive life in prison without the possibility of parole.
- CBS reports that Rex Heuermann has now formally pleaded guilty to eight murders, not just seven, tied to the Gilgo Beach case.
- The report states that Heuermann will spend the rest of his life in prison, indicating that sentencing has been imposed and clarifying there is no possibility of release.
- The CBS segment characterizes the killings as occurring over a 17-year span ending in 2010, tightening the timeline of the murders.
- This CBS item confirms the timing of the plea — that Heuermann entered his guilty pleas on Wednesday and admitted an eighth killing in court.
- It reiterates that the murders span from 1993 to 2011 and are collectively known as the Gilgo Beach serial killings.
- The piece is essentially a short video hit without additional case-detail beyond the already reported plea and admission.
- Confirms that during a Wednesday court appearance, Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to murdering seven women in the Gilgo Beach case.
- States that Heuermann publicly admitted to killing an eighth woman, beyond the seven charged murders.
- Reiterates that Heuermann, age 62, now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
- Confirms the pleas were entered in a packed Suffolk County courtroom in Riverhead, New York, with reporters and victims’ relatives present, some of whom wept.
- States that Heuermann detailed his crimes for the court as part of entering his pleas.
- Adds that Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney scheduled a news conference later Wednesday with victims’ family members and members of the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force.
- Reiterates that DNA from a discarded pizza crust was among the clues that helped crack the case, tying the resolution directly to that evidence.
- Rex Heuermann, 62, appeared in Suffolk County Court at 11 a.m. Wednesday and pleaded guilty to killing seven women in a series of murders spanning roughly 17 years, admitting to killings dating back to 1993.
- The article specifies the geographic spread of the victims’ remains: six women (Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack) along Ocean Parkway in Gilgo Beach, Sandra Costilla in the Hamptons about 60 miles away, and Karen Vergata on Fire Island and later near Gilgo Beach.
- The piece reiterates that Heuermann has not been charged with Karen Vergata’s killing, despite her remains being tied to the broader case, and recounts that he was first identified as a suspect in 2022 via vehicle registration records linking him to a pickup truck seen when one victim disappeared.