Rex Heuermann Trial: Major Update On Alleged Gilgo Beach Serial Killer

Accused serial killer Rex Heuermann is expected to appear in court for a pre-trial hearing later this month.
Heuermann, 60, is charged with multiple counts of murder in the killings of six women from the 1990s to 2011. He was initially charged in the deaths of the “Gilgo Four,” Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello. Additional murder charges were added for the killings of Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla in June.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Heuermann is scheduled to appear in front of New York Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei on October 16. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office previously told Newsweek that Mazzei “made it clear” that Heuermann must be present at every hearing “just in case.”
A date for the trial has not been set yet. Heuermann is being held without bail in Suffolk County Jail in Riverhead.
At the last hearing in this case on July 30, prosecutors provided the defense with “voluminous” amounts of evidence including DNA records, data from electronic devices and notes from searches of his home. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said they have received thousands of tips.
“This is a case where obviously it captured the public’s imagination. The public is continuing to provide tips, which is being evaluated,” Tierney said.
Several other bodies were found near Gilgo Beach, including some that have yet to be identified. Last month, officials called upon the public to help identify one of those victims, currently known as “Asian Doe.”
The body of the unidentified Asian person was found in 2011. The victim was a biological male, but they were wearing women’s clothing. They were likely of Han Chinese descent.
“Unfortunately, South Asia is underrepresented in our genealogy databases, meaning there are not a lot of Asian profiles in the database,” Tierney said at a press conference last month. “Therefore, investigative genetic genealogy, in this instance, is a challenge.”
Anyone with information is being urged to contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS, or via email or mobile app at https://suffolkpd.org/Alerts/Crime-Stoppers. Tips can be submitted in an individual’s native language and translators are available. A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information leading to the identification of “Asian Doe.”
“This person had a name. This person had family. This person had friends,” Tierney said. “We’re reaching out to anyone who might have known this individual to help us with that identification.”
Officials have not named any suspects in the death yet.
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