Gilgo Beach Killer Rex Heuermann Enters Plea, Describes Gruesome Murders

The successful architect turned gruesome serial killer described before a New York court how he had murdered eight women, changing his plea to “guilty” on Wednesday.

Rex Heuermann, known as the “Gilgo Beach” serial killer, told the courtroom how he strangled and dismembered eight sex workers before dumping their bodies on barren stretches of land on Long Island, ending the mystery that haunted loved ones and the public for decades. This revelation comes after he originally pleaded not guilty to the crimes.

The guilty plea included seven women with whom Heuermann was charged with killing since 1993, in addition to an eighth victim who was only recently linked to him.

The victims are Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Valerie Mack, and most recently Karen Vergata whose remains were identified in 2023 after being reported missing in 1996. Vergata’s feet and legs were found later that same year on Fire Island in New York, but her skull was found five years later in 2011.

As part of the plea deal, Heuermann won’t be charged for killing Vergata, but has agreed to be studied by the FBI and work with the FBI’s behavioral unit.

Audible gasps could be heard throughout the chamber as the 62-year-old recounted the heinous murders in front of the families of the victims. Heuermann then confessed that he had dismembered the women and tied them up in burlap.

“He will serve three consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole,” prosecutors said.

The now-divorced father of two was arrested in 2023 — after a three-decade search for answers — when detectives linked DNA from pizza crusts outside of Heuermann’s office to one of his victims.

After his arrest, a neighbor described Heuermann to NBC News.

“You know, the regular guy who goes to work, has kids in the local school and in a good neighborhood, but he’s killing people on the side,” the neighbor said.

Heuermann’s former wife, Asa Ellerup, was in the Suffolk County courtroom Wednesday, visibly on edge during her husband’s hearing.

Afterwards, she spoke to reporters outside the courtroom offering condolences to the families of the victims.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Their loss is immeasurable,” Ellerup said.

Prosecutors told the media Ellerup and other family members weren’t around during the killings.

“She never wanted to believe the man she was married to for 27 years, the father of Victoria, was capable of these heinous acts,” Ellerup’s attorney, Bob Macedonio, said. “Rex Heuermann and Rex Heuermann alone is responsible for these crimes.”

The successful businessman went under the alias “Thomas Hawk” when communicating with dozens of sex workers and had amassed a large collection of “torture pornography,” according to ABC7 New York.

Prosecutors said he kept a “blueprint” of his killings that included a list of supplies and the locations of where he had dumped the bodies — and his notes even included reminders to “burn gloves” and “consider a hit to the neck next time,” the outlet reported.

Heuermann will be sentenced on June 17.