Heuermann sentenced to life for eight Gilgo Beach murders
Rex Heuermann sentenced to life for eight Gilgo Beach murders after guilty plea.
Event / Security
Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Sentencing
Rex Heuermann, a 62-year-old Manhattan architect, was sentenced to multiple consecutive life sentences without parole on June 17, 2026, for the murders of eight women between 1993 and 2010. After pleading guilty in April 2026, Heuermann was identified through DNA evidence and burner phone records. He targeted sex workers, strangling them and disposing of bodies near Gilgo Beach. Victims' families addressed the court during sentencing.
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2026-08-16 to 2026-11-13 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 18 Jun, 00:04 UTC
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What happened
Serial murders of eight women spanning 1993 to 2010
Rex Heuermann murdered eight women over a 17-year period between 1993 and 2010. The victims were Melissa Barthelemy (24), Megan Waterman (22), Amber Costello (27), Maureen Brainard-Barnes (25), Jessica Taylor (20), Valerie Mack (24), Sandra Costilla (28), and Karen Vergata. Most victims were sex workers whose bodies were found bound at the head, midsection, and legs by burlap near Gilgo Beach. The murders took place inside Heuermann's home, with the exception of Sandra Costilla, whom he killed in his car.
Heuermann pleaded guilty to serial murders in April 2026
In April 2026, Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to killing seven women and admitted to the death of an eighth as part of a plea deal. He agreed to accept three consecutive life sentences followed by four consecutive sentences of 25 years to life. This plea came after his arrest in July 2023, when he initially maintained his innocence.
Rex Heuermann sentenced to life imprisonment for Gilgo Beach murders
Rex Heuermann, a 62-year-old Manhattan architect from Massapequa Park, was sentenced on June 17, 2026, in Riverhead, New York, to multiple consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for murdering eight women. He received three consecutive life sentences for the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, plus four consecutive 25-years-to-life sentences for the killings of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla, and Valerie Mack. He also admitted to killing Karen Vergata, though he was not formally charged in her death.
Victims' families addressed court before Heuermann's sentencing
Approximately 10 to 15 relatives of Heuermann's victims addressed the court on June 17 before the judge announced his sentence. Amber Lynn Costello's sister Ruth Ramos spoke, expressing that while justice cannot bring the victims back, it ensures they are no longer forgotten and brings the families peace knowing the person responsible will never harm anyone else.
Heuermann arrested in July 2023 based on DNA evidence
Rex Heuermann was arrested in July 2023 after investigators connected him to the Gilgo Beach murders through DNA evidence, including traces from a discarded pizza crust found in a midtown Manhattan garbage can, and burner phone records. The arrest reopened a case that had gone cold and led to the identification of multiple victims whose remains had been discovered near Gilgo Beach.
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