Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region | Public domain | Wikimedia Commons
Rex Heuermann Pleads Guilty to Seven Gilgo Beach–Linked Murders, Admits an Eighth, 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
- Rex Heuermann, 62, appeared in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead and pleaded guilty to murdering seven women and publicly admitted killing an eighth; he described his crimes in court as victims’ relatives and reporters looked on, with some family members weeping.
- Heuermann pleaded guilty to three counts of first‑degree murder and four counts of intentional murder covering seven victims from roughly 1993–2010; in court he admitted strangling eight women, dismembering some, and dumping bodies along remote stretches of New York coastline.
- Investigators tied remains to specific locations and victims: six women (Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello, Maureen Brainard‑Barnes, Megan Waterman, Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack) were found along Ocean Parkway at Gilgo Beach; Sandra Costilla’s remains were found in the Hamptons (about 60 miles away); Karen Vergata’s remains were found on Fire Island and later near Gilgo Beach — Heuermann admitted killing Vergata though he has not been charged in that death.
- Prosecutors say the case was broken using vehicle‑registration records (linking Heuermann to a pickup truck seen when a victim disappeared), cellphone data and DNA evidence — notably DNA from a discarded pizza crust that was matched to a hair on burlap used to bind a victim; Heuermann was first identified as a suspect in 2022.
- Sentencing is scheduled for June, when Heuermann is expected to receive life in prison without the possibility of parole.
- As part of his plea agreement, Heuermann agreed to be evaluated and to fully cooperate with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU); Suffolk County DA Ray Tierney said BAU sessions will be clinical interviews limited to the murders to which he pled guilty.
- Defense counsel said Heuermann is required to be “truthful, accurate and complete” with BAU interviewers, and BAU experts say Heuermann appears to be a highly organized sexual serial killer whose pattern may indicate additional, as‑yet‑unknown victims — the evaluation could produce information useful for profiling other offenders.
- DA Ray Tierney scheduled a news conference with victims’ families and members of the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force, and described investigative tactics used to keep the probe quiet so Heuermann would think “it’s business as usual” while authorities built the case.
📊 Relevant Data
Approximately 22% of known serial murder victims in the United States are sex workers.
Using the Decriminalization of Sex Work to Combat the High Murder Rate of Sex Workers in the United States — William & Mary Journal of Women and the Law
In the United States, 50.5% of serial killer victims are female and 49.5% are male, according to the 2023 Radford/FGCU report.
Radford/FGCU Annual Report on Serial Killer Statistics: 2023 — Radford University and Florida Gulf Coast University
Male serial killers in the US are more likely to target female victims (33.0%) or both genders (38.9%) than only male victims (28.1%), while female serial killers target both genders in 51.4% of cases.
Radford/FGCU Annual Report on Serial Killer Statistics: 2023 — Radford University and Florida Gulf Coast University
📰 Source Timeline (9)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
April 09, 2026
9:59 PM
Gilgo Beach serial killer joins infamous group of monsters as he opens ghoulish mind to FBI
New information:
- 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.
3:46 PM
3 things to know about the Gilgo Beach killings case after Rex Heuermann pleads guilty
New information:
- 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.
12:02 PM
Takeaways from the Gilgo Beach case as Rex Heuermann pleads guilty to 7 murders and admits to an 8th
New information:
- Heuermann, 62, specifically pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and four counts of intentional murder, covering seven victims between 1993 and 2010.
- He explicitly admitted in court that he strangled eight women, dismembered some of them, and dumped their bodies along remote stretches of New York coastline, including an admission to killing Karen Vergata in 1996 even though he has not been charged in her death.
- The article details how investigators used a vehicle registration database to link Heuermann to a pickup truck a witness saw in 2010, then matched DNA from pizza crust he discarded in Manhattan to a hair on burlap used to bind one victim.
- Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney described investigative tactics to keep the probe quiet so that Heuermann would think 'it’s business as usual' while they built the case.
- Family members of victims, including Jessica Taylor’s mother Elizabeth Baczkiel, were present in court; some wept as Heuermann recounted the murders and expressed relief that the plea phase is over.
April 08, 2026
11:27 PM
Gilgo Beach serial killer pleads guilty to 8 murders
New information:
- 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.
6:04 PM
What to know as Gilgo Beach serial killer pleads guilty to 7 murders, admits 8th killing
New information:
- 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.
3:58 PM
Architect Accused in Gilgo Beach Killings Pleads Guilty to Murder
New information:
- 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.
3:48 PM
Rex Heuermann pleads guilty to murdering 7 women and admits he killed another
New information:
- 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.
3:25 PM
Alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann pleads guilty in decades-long string of murders
New information:
- 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.