Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann sentenced to life in prison without parole

Rex Heuermann, the Manhattan architect who methodically planned and carried out the murders of eight women over at least 17 years on Long Island, was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without parole.

The sentence, the maximum the New York law allows, was handed down by Judge Timothy Mazzei after a morning of grueling victim’s family impact statements on the effect Heuermann’s murder spree had on the children and relatives of his victims.

Heuermann, 62, pleaded guilty to murdering seven women and admitted to the killing of an eighth victim in April. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Wednesday for his admitted crimes.

A cousin of victim Jessica Taylor, Jasmine Robinson, told the court on behalf of her cousin: “A million years isn’t enough. Nothing will ever make this right.”

“You fill me with so much repugnance, I can’t stand it,” she added, per the Associated Press.

JoAnn Mack, the mother of victim Valerie Mack, told the court of her daughter: “Justice has been done, but it can’t replace what has been taken. She had dreams, and you took them all away from her.”

Liliana Waterman, who was 3 when her mother, Megan Waterman, disappeared, recalled how Heuermann changed her life: “In an instant, my world was shattered. Was she in pain? Was she scared?”

Heuermann admitted to the murders of Taylor, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amber Lynn Costello, Mack and Sandra Costilla, as well as the uncharged 1996 killing of Karen Vergata. All were young sex workers who had made appointments to meet with Heuermann.

The extent of the crimes was discovered in 2011 when the body of another woman, Shannan Gilbert, was found in marshes along Long’s Island’s south shore. Four sets of remains – victims later tied to Heuermann – were discovered at nearby Gilgo Beach, giving the case its name.

Investigators later linked Heuermann to three more victims, some who had been dismembered, dating back to 1993. He admitted to the murder of an eighth woman, Vergata, as part of a plea deal.

Police investigators identified Heuermann from a distinctive green pickup truck seen by a roommate of Costello in 2010, who also described an “ogre-like” man. But that match was not made until 2022. Investigators later used DNA recovered from a pizza box Heuermann discarded to hair found on victims’ remains and cellphone records to make their case.

Heuermann was also be given an opportunity to address the court.

Heuermann’s ex-wife Asa Ellerup, who recently revealed she sleeps in the basement where the torture and killing took place, said through an attorney she would not attend the sentencing “out of respect for those who endured unimaginable loss and suffering, she does not wish her presence to distract from the purpose of these proceedings”.