US3 min(s) read
Published 11:51 18 Jun 2026 GMT
A serial killer who admitted murdering eight women whose disappearances spanned nearly two decades was labelled "disgusting and despicable" by the judge who sentenced him.
Rex Heuermann, also known as the Gilgo Beach serial killer, murdered eight young women between 1993 and 2010.
Following his sentencing hearing in New York this week, during which the families of his victims shared heartbreaking and angry statements, Heuermann, 62, will serve three life sentences for first-degree murder and 25 years to life on four second-degree murder charges.
Despite initially pleading not guilty, Heuermann admitted to the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Megan Waterman, 22; and Amber Costello, 27; Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25; Jessica Taylor, 20; Valerie Mack, 24; Sandra Costilla, 28; and Karen Vergata, 34.
As Judge Timothy Mazzei gave the killer his sentence, he said, "You are a disgusting and despicable, small man, if you're a man at all. And you're a coward."
The entire courtroom then cheered as Mazzei demanded, “Get him out of here”.
Labelled the Gilgo Beach serial killer because body parts of the women he murdered were found scattered across Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach, a barrier island beach on Long Island, New York.
In December 2010, police were searching a remote area for a missing woman named Shannan Gilbert. Instead of finding her, police stumbled upon the remains of four other women wrapped in burlap, who became known as the "Gilgo Four."
Over the next few months, investigators widened their search and ultimately uncovered the remains of 11 people hidden along that same desolate coastal highway.
For over a decade, the killer's identity remained a mystery, and the case gripped the nation. However, after a breakthrough by a specialized task force, architect Heuermann was arrested in 2023 after his DNA was discovered on a pizza box, which connected him to the case.
During the sentencing hearing, even the judge became tearful as the families of Heuermann’s victims addressed their loved one’s killer.
The courtroom gasped when Amanda, sister of Barthelemy, described the phone calls Heuermann made to her family after killing her sister, detailing how he raped her and was letting her body "rot".
Looking at him directly, she said, "You can look at me when I'm talking to you. It's been 17 years since we last spoke.”
Making her deep-rooted hatred for her sister’s murderer known, she said, "The things I'd do to you are worse than what you've ever done to anyone.
"Save me a spot in hell because I'll see you there."
