Rex Heuermann Pleads Guilty to Seven Gilgo Beach–Linked Murders and Admits Killing an Eighth Victim
Rex Heuermann, 62, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Suffolk County Court to seven murders tied to the Gilgo Beach case and publicly admitted to killing an eighth victim in a series of slayings investigators say stretched roughly from 1993 to 2011, with remains found along Ocean Parkway and at sites including the Hamptons and Fire Island. Identified as a suspect in 2022 through vehicle-registration records and later linked to the crimes by DNA evidence (including a discarded pizza crust), Heuermann entered his pleas in a packed courtroom and faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
📌 Key Facts
- Rex Heuermann, 62, pleaded guilty in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead on April 8, 2026, to murdering seven women in the Gilgo Beach case and publicly admitted to killing an eighth.
- The killings span roughly 1993–2011 (about 17 years) and are collectively known as the Gilgo Beach serial killings.
- 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 on Fire Island and later near Gilgo Beach—Heuermann has not been charged in Vergata’s killing despite her remains being tied to the broader investigation.
- Heuermann detailed his crimes in court as part of entering his pleas; the courtroom was packed with reporters and victims’ relatives (some wept), and Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney scheduled a news conference with family members and the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force.
- Heuermann was first identified as a suspect in 2022 after vehicle registration records linked him to a pickup truck seen when one victim disappeared.
- Investigators say DNA from a discarded pizza crust was among the key pieces of evidence that helped crack the case.
- Heuermann faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
📊 Relevant Data
In Suffolk County, New York, where the Gilgo Beach killings occurred, the population was approximately 62% White, 22.8% Hispanic, 6.9% Black, 4.4% Asian, 3% Multiracial, and 0.9% Native American/Other as of 2020.
A map of Suffolk County's Population by Race — Census Dots
From 2012 to 2020, 42% of sex work-related homicide victims in the US were Black, despite Black individuals comprising about 13% of the US population.
Sex work‐related homicides: Insights from the National Violent Death Reporting System, 2012–2020 — Journal of Forensic Sciences
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- 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.