Rex Heuermann Set for Sentencing in Gilgo Beach Murders

Rex Heuermann, a Long Island architect accused of secretly living a double life as the Gilgo Beach serial killer, is set to be sentenced Wednesday after admitting in court to the murders of eight women.

Heuermann, 62, faces the likelihood of life in prison when he appears before a judge in Riverhead, New York. Family members of the victims are expected to address the court.

The sentencing marks the conclusion of a yearslong investigation into one of New York’s most notorious cold cases, which began with the disappearances of young women whose remains were later found along a remote coastal parkway. The case drew widespread attention and became the subject of documentaries, books and podcasts.

Heuermann has largely remained silent in court since his 2023 arrest. He will have the opportunity to speak at sentencing, though it is not yet clear whether he will. His attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.

His ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, and their two adult children have said through lawyers that they will not attend the hearing out of respect for the victims’ families.

Heuermann pleaded guilty in April to murdering seven women: Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla. Although not formally charged in that case, he also admitted to killing an eighth woman, Karen Vergata.

Prosecutors said Heuermann strangled his victims, many of whom were sex workers, and dismembered some of the remains.

Most of the victims disappeared between 2000 and 2010, with remains later discovered along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach, about 50 miles from Manhattan. Two earlier killings predated that period, including Costilla, whose remains were found in 1993 in the Hamptons, and Vergata, whose remains were found in 1996 on Fire Island.

The investigation began in 2010 during a search for missing sex worker Shannan Gilbert, whose death was later ruled an accidental drowning, but led to the discovery of additional remains.

The case went cold for years before investigators reopened it and identified Heuermann as a suspect in 2022. He was linked to a pickup truck seen near one of the disappearances, and later to DNA evidence from a discarded pizza crust that matched genetic material from hair fragments found on victims.

Investigators also cited cellphone and location data placing Heuermann in contact with some victims shortly before their disappearances. After his arrest, prosecutors said they recovered files from his computer that included detailed checklists describing steps to avoid detection.

Heuermann has been held at the Suffolk County Jail in Riverhead since his 2023 arrest. He will be transferred to a state prison after sentencing.

Authorities said he has spent much of his detention in a segregated unit and has had limited contact with visitors.