Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Makes Haunting Confessions

Episode Date: April 8, 2026

Rex Heuermann, an architect from Massapequa Park, has now pleaded guilty to the murders of seven women and moving the body of an eighth woman. The deaths of the eight women rocked Long Island and had law enforcement searching for years for a murderer dubbed the Long Island Serial Killer. Heuermann changed his plea after losing an effort to bar DNA evidence from his trial. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy goes through Heuermann's guilty plea in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: Download the FREE Upside App at https://upside.app.link/crimefix to get an extra 25 cents bonus for every gallon on your first tank of gas.Host:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5Guest: Kristin Thorne https://x.com/KristinThorneCRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How old are you reading right English? Yes. A mystery that gripped a nation. And now for the first time the accused killer speaks and the truth is more disturbing than imagined. Are you cleaning guilty voluntarily? Yes. A deal, a promise and now the Gilgo Beach Killer's wife has something to say. I'm Ann Jeanette Levy and this is crime fix. You know, before we get into this incredibly horrific case of, about the Gilgo Beach cereal killings. I want to tell you about an app that I've been using that I really like.

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So say I need to get gas or I want takeout one night. I'll search for Upside offer. first, after I spend money, the money appears in my app, and then I can transfer that right into my bank account. Upsides frequent users earn an average of $254 back a year, which is amazing. To start getting your cash back, click the link in the description, or scan the QR code that you see on your screen, and use our promo code Crime Fix to get an extra 25 cent bonus on every gallon on your first tank of gas. For years, there was a mystery on Long Island, a number of women vanished and they were later found murdered. But now that mystery has been solved. And the man

responsible for the murders of the women, Rex Heerman, he's admitted to committing the crimes after years of denials. Rex Heerman, we can now say, is the Long Island serial killer. This case, of course, dates back to the early 1990s. It's absolutely horrific. And before I get into Rex Heerman's guilty plea, let's talk about the victims and a little background on how we got to this day. All of the women had similarities. They were petite, attractive, and some of them had worked as sex workers. Detectives on Long Island believed their murders were the work of one person, dubbed the Long Island serial killer. All of these women had families who loved them, but all eight had crossed paths with a monster who'd used them and discarded them like trash, some of them along Ocean

Parkway near Gilgo Beach. Four of the women became known as the Gilgo Four. Maureen Brainerd Barnes disappeared in 2007. Melissa Bartholomey vanished in 2009. Megan Waterman and Amber Costello were killed the next year in 2010. All of the women's remains were discovered in December 2010 along Gilgo Beach. They were wrapped in burlap. A court document described how Maureen Brainerd Barnes' lower body was bound with a belt, the buckle, had the initials W.H., which investigators believed could have been the initials of Rex Huram and father, William Heurman. In April 2011, partial remains that were later identified as Valerie

Max were also found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach. Years earlier, in November of 2000, hunters had found some of Max remains in black trash bags, her torso, legs, and arms, bound with rope. For years, she was only known as Jane Doe No. 6 until DNA testing revealed her name. It would take nearly 13 years, amid mid-steps in the investigation, but the monster targeting the women would be identified through DNA and cell phone technology as Rex Horman. Horman was an architect who lived in Massapequa Park on Long Island, but commuted to Manhattan each day for work. He lived in a small home that had once been owned by his parents. Prosecutors said they used DNA collected from pizza crust that he'd tossed in the trash to link him to hairs, collected from some of the victims.

Other hares came back to his daughter and wife. Despite that, Heurman said that he was innocent. After Heerman was charged in the murders of the Gilgo Four, the investigation didn't end. The work of the grand jury continued. The remains of other women had been found not just along Gilgo Beach, but in other locations in Manorville. And in June of 2024, the grand jury indicted Rex Heurman for the 2003 murder of Jessica Taylor and the 1993 murder of Sandra Costia. Taylor's skull, hands and forearm were found along

Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach in the same area where the Gilgo Four had been found about a mile down the road. Her remaining body parts have been found years earlier in 2003 and parts of her body had been mutilated in Manorville. A single hair had been found in a drape in which she had been wrapped. In November 1993, two hunters found Sandra Costia's body in North Sea, the bail application for Huraman stated that Costia was laying on her back with her arms stretched out over her head, and she had multiple stab wounds on her face, breast, thighs, and genital area. In June of 2024, DA Ray Tierney revealed DNA results that he said showed Rex Hurman murdered the women. The table showed results on testing of hairs found on five

of the women. Rex Hurman's hair was found on Sandra Costia, Megan Waterman and Jessica Taylor. hairs that belonged to Heurman's wife and daughter were found on Amber Costello, Megan Waterman, and Maureen-Brainner Barnes, and a hair that belonged to a former girlfriend of Huramins was found on Sandra Costilla. Heurman was later charged with the murder of Valerie Mack, who prosecutors said they linked Hewerman too again through DNA testing of hairs found on her body. And I want to be clear, just in case you were wondering, the DA has said inexplicably he does not believe that Heurman's wife, daughter, or his former girlfriend were involved.

in these murders of the women at all. Ray Tierney has said Herman's family was out of town when these homicides were committed at the family's home. In the middle of this investigation, DNA testing identified another victim. Karen Vergata disappeared on Valentine's Day in 1996. She was just 34 years old. For years, she was known only as Fire Island Jane Doe. Her legs were found there in April of 1996, and in 2011, her skull was found on Tobay Beach in Nassau County. Rex Heurman wasn't charged with the murder of Karen Vergata, but he was certainly a suspect after his arrest. Along with the DNA evidence that D.A. Tierney said linked Hewerman to the murders. He said there was other evidence, a witness description, digital evidence, and a collection of magazines and news stories in Hurerman's home about the murders.

Prosecutors wrote in a bail document in 2024 that violent pornography was recovered from Hurman's electronic devices and that it depicted bondage, torture and death. And they said they recovered a once deleted planning document that had been on Heurman's computer from 2002 through 2004. One document has categories labeled problems, supplies, DS and TRG. Investigators believe DS means dump sites and TRG means target. Under problems, a number of items are listed including DNA, tire marks, bloodstains, fingerprints, witness, trace sources of supplies, shoe prints, police stop, and the list goes on. The supply list also sounds like things that could be used to torture a person or clean up, or keep clean. Booties, lie slash acid, police scanner, rope slash cord, saw cutting, medical gloves, drain cleaner, photo film,

and under DS, DS-1, Mill Road, dumpster site, next time, recon dumpster locations. under TRG, T1, names Megan with a question mark. Does that mean Megan Waterman? We don't know. She was killed years after this document was believed to have been created. The document also states small is good. The Gilgo Four were all small in stature. Another document discussed pre-pre-pre-pre-prep and post-event. The pre-preprep included a vehicle inspection, reconnaissance, and looking-up weather reports.

And the prep listed a holding area. build table, crossbar, and hard point. The bail document says a hard point in bondage is a fixed attachment point in the ceiling that supports the weight of a person being suspended off the ground. Rex Hurerman fought to have the DNA evidence in the case suppressed as he maintained his innocence, but he lost that battle. The DNA evidence was coming in at his trial, which had been scheduled to begin in September of this year. Coming out, Judge. But today, an about face, as Heerman changed his plea.

On the record of number eight, Rex Sherman, part of his hearing. For the defendant, Michael Brown, it is the understanding of the district attorney's office that the defendant will plead guilty to seven counts in the indictment, specifically counts one through three and counts seven through ten.

Counts four through six will be dismissed in satisfaction at the time of the defendant's sentencing. In addition to allocuting two and admitting his factual guilt to all elements of counts 1 through 3 and 7 through 10 of the indictment. The defendant further agrees that although he has not been charged with this crime, he will admit as part of his plea that he intentionally caused the death of Karen Vergata and transported and left her remains in Suffolk County in 1996.

The district attorney's office agrees that in exchange for the defendant pleading guilty to counts 1 through 3 and count 7 through 10 of the indictment and admitting to the uncharged murder of Karen Vergata, the District Attorney's Office recommends the following sentence. Counts 1 through 3, murder in the first degree, the maximum sentence of life imprisonment without parole, to run consecutive to each other. Count 7 through 10, the maximum sentence of 25 years for life imprisonment

to run consecutive to one another and with the sentences on counts 1 through 3. To summarize the foregoing sentence, the defendant agrees to serve three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole regarding counts 1 through 3, followed by four consecutive sentences of 25 years imprisonment to life to run consecutive to one another. Should the defendant allocute to the murder of Karen Brigada, the defendant's guilty plea and this plea agreement will satisfy and cover the uncharged homicide of Karen Vergata. In exchange for all of the above pleas, there will be no further prosecutions pertaining to the murders of the aforementioned eight victims. Karen Vergata, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, Maureen Brainer Barnes, Melissa Bartholomey, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. The defendant will acknowledge both orally and in writing that he has received voluminous and sufficient discovery to make an informed decision regarding his plea here today.

The defendant will further waive any objections to the district attorney's compliance with Article 245 of the criminal procedure law. The defendant has also agreed to withdraw all motions currently pending before this court. As set forth in the written waiver of right to appeal, the defendant agrees to waive his right to appeal, which includes the court's prior hearing determination, as well as any claim that the sentence imposed by this court is excessive. The defendant further acknowledges that he's been fully apprised by his attorneys of the rights to make. privileges that he's waiving and that his waiver is being agreed to knowingly and voluntarily and made for the purpose of receiving the benefit of not being charged with the murder of Karen Vergata or any other charges related to the deaths of Maureenbrain Barnes, Melissa Barthelme,

Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, and Sandra Castillo. Then the time came for Rex Hureman, the now admitted Gilgo Beach serial killer, to answer the judge's questions. Mr. Brown, Judge, can he be uncuffed for a moment just to sign certain documents? George? Yes, Judge. Mr. Hulman, before I swear you when, the allocution is taken. I had some questions to ask of me. They're obvious and simple questions, but I have to ask them.

Okay? Yes, Your Honor. How old are you? 62. Are you reading right English? Have you discussed this case with your attorney? Yes, I have. Have you had enough time to discuss this case with your attorney?

Yes, I have. After discussions with your lawyer, you feel it's in your best interest to clear guilty rather than go to trial? Yes, Your Honor. Are you satisfied with the manner which your attorney is represented in this case? Yes, I have. I must say that the attorneys on both sides of this case have been excellent, unbelievable lawyers. Do you understand that by pleading guilty to a charge, that is the same as you would have gone to trial and have found guilty of that charge?

Yes, Your Honor. Do you understand that by cleaning guilty, a way for your lawyer? giving a number of very important rights. Yes, Your Honor. All right. Now, these rights include your right to a trial by jury or by the court. Your right to have the prosecution, produce evidence and witnesses to prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. You're right to cross-examine those witnesses, and your right to testify on your behalf or to remain silent. You're right to call witnesses or submit evidence on your behalf.

Do you understand those rights? Does I just explain them? Yes. You understand that by pleading guilty you're giving up those rights? Yes, I do. This next part is incredibly interesting, as Michael Brown described. a condition of this plea. Now, other than the promise that was placed on the record by the people, as anyone, myself,

your lawyer, the prosecutor, or anyone else made any promises to you in return to be a plea of guilty? The only thing I want to interject, Judge, Mr. Taney has indicated in exchange for the pleas that we're going to enter into this morning, there'll be no further prosecutions on the eight victims that he's referenced. He is also, my client is also obligated to completely truthfully and fairly cooperate with the fact that he's referenced. cooperate with the Federal Bureau of Investigations behavioral analysis unit as part of what we've just discussed. Any other promises made to you? Other than what I've just said. No. Are you pleading guilty voluntarily and have your own free will? Yes. All right, we're going to swear in the defendant now. The remaining portion of the hearing where Rex Horman allocated and answered specific questions

about the crimes was not allowed to be recorded. So Rex Horman, as part of his guilty plea, has promised that he will cooperate with the FBI's behavioral analysis unit. That unit has studied serial killers for decades to find out how they become the murderers that they are in the hope of learning more about them to possibly prevent future crimes and catch serial killers more quickly in the future. After the hearing, Rex Sherman's wife, Asa Elarup spoke briefly. She had supported her husband after his arrest. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

Their loss is immeasurable, and the focus should be on them at this time and moment. I ask that you give some privacy to my family as they navigate through this very difficult time. And Rex Hurman's lawyer explained why his client, decided to plead guilty. I can't give you our conversations that are confidential, but I will say to you that there came a point in this defense where Rex said, I want to plead guilty. I'll say this, certainly several of his concerns,

he had many about why he didn't want to go to trial and plead guilty. He certainly wanted to save the families of the victims, the ordeal of going to trial, and coupled with saving his family that ordeal. I know that there was conversations during the course of this defense between his family members and himself in regards to that. So now I want to turn to somebody who's covered the Gilgo Beach serial killer case for 16 years. She's covered it inside and out. She's law and crimes investigative reporter.

Kristen Thorne, Kristen, I know you're right outside the courthouse there in Suffolk County. I want to first get your reaction to Rex Sherman changing his guilty plea after he said for so long, you know, I didn't do this. And, Jeanette, I think it's not entirely surprising. The trial was going to come up in September. And so, you know, the walls were closing in on Rex Sherman. His attorney had been pushing to get the DNA thrown out. There were hairs that were found on various of these victims that were essentially linked

to Rex Sherman. And his defense attorney, try as he may, was unable to get that thrown out. And I think that was sort of, you know, one of the nails in the coffin. They just knew, Rex Herman knew there was no way around this. But really, Angena is surprised today because we knew about the seven murders that he had been charged with. And then today, in this plea deal, he pled guilty to killing another woman, an eighth woman. Now, he's not being charged in that. That's where it gets a little nuance with the law, but he did admit that he killed Karen Vergata.

She was someone that had already had already been, we thought was part of this pattern. And now today, Rex Herman confirmed that he strangled. The district attorney, Ray Tierney, went down each individual woman's name and said, how did you kill her? And every time he said strangulation. And then he would admit, then he admitted that he dumped the bodies in various places and dismembered some of the bodies. And it did seem.

of Kristen, that over the years, he changed his MO. He was dismembering some of those victims, the victims that were killed in the early 90s. You know, Sandra Castilla, she was not dismembered, but Karen Vergata, as you said, was, as was Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack was, too. But then he changed his MO. Was there any discussion about that in court? Or was this more just straightforward? word, you know, I did this, I did that. Yeah, Anjadette, very clinical, as they will say about today. Very much, here is what you're accused of. Do you understand it?

Yes, I do. And the way he acknowledged, Angenet, what he, you know, each of these questions, I equated to if someone was ordering food at a restaurant and a server said to you, is this what you wanted to order? And you would respond, yes, that's what I ordered. It was that emotionless. It was just very matter of fact. So you talk about the pattern. Sandra Costilla, as you mentioned, was a brutal, brutal murder, but she was not dismembered, but she was left her body in a way that was a very, you know, very disturbing.

She had clothes that were hung around her body and all sorts of things. And then we have the dismembering of the three next victim, including decapitation. And then we get to the Gilgo four. So these are the four sex workers that were found in December 2010. It was at that moment when police realized they had a serial killer on their hand. And they said as such to the public. So while the previous body parts had been found, it wasn't until the Gilgo Four that anybody, the media, the public, the police had any idea that these were all connected.

And then once they started looking at the Gilgo Four around that area of Gilgo Beach, on the south shore of Long Island, they started to find these other remains. Yeah, the Sandra Castilla case, all of these are brutal, awful killings, but that one is particularly awful. You know, we talked earlier in the podcast about how she was mutilated, and it's just a really disturbing, awful case. There was also a lot of electronic evidence. We talked about the DNA evidence here, the hairs that linked Rex Sherman to these homicides. but also there was electronic evidence. You know, his cell phone linked him to these crimes,

but also there was a lot of evidence that the prosecutors said they were able to retrieve and uncover that showed his meticulous planning when it came to these crimes. And I think that adds such a layer of complexity to this, and it shows you how he studied this over a number of years. What are your thoughts about that? Yeah, prosecutors revealed today that they had given over to the defense 120 terabytes of evidence and 7,015 pages of evidence. So just an incredible amount of evidence, so much so that Rex Herman's attorney, Mike Brown, said as such in his press conference after the hearing, saying that the prosecution did an amazing job. I mean, you know that you're up to uphill battle when a defense attorney is acknowledging how good of a job the prosecution did.

So let's talk about the burner phones. I'm glad you brought that up because the Gilgo 4, the only specifics, the details that we heard out of Rex Herman today actually had to do with three of the Gilgo 4. That would be, it was not Maureen-Brainard Barnes, but it involved Sandra Castilla, not Sandra Castilla, but three of the four Gilgo victims. And he acknowledged today, Rex Herman, that he used a burner phone to lure these women with promises of money because they were working as sex workers and that he killed them and wrapped them in burlap along their head, the middle of their torso, and as well as their legs. And that was the only real acknowledgement of specifics that we got out of Rex Sherman today. In terms of other evidence, yes, Ingenet, and we've known about this for quite some time, prosecutors went through

all of his devices. And he had tried to delete a lot of these searches, but we know that they can always find these things. And so they found, in addition to violent porn, they also found it's almost like checklists of how he was going to go about committing these murders and a to-do list, if you will, that he needed to get certain supplies, next time make sure to hit her harder in the head, really, really disturbing things that actually matched with what prosecutors believe happened to these victims. And so they uncovered a massive amount of digital evidence in this case as well. I think that obviously no one were not in his head, but I will tell you this. Mike Brown said that today for Rex Sherman, it was a relief

that he had been carrying the weight of what he had done for all of these years, not just the that he had been caught. But certainly over the last three years, remember, he has been in virtual solitary confinement for the last three years. He's in a cell 23 hours a day. And so he is now left. And now he's facing seven life sentences. He'll be sentenced June 17th. Oh, by the way, Mike Brown does expect that Rex Sherman will make a statement during his sentencing. And so in many ways maybe one of the reasons why we saw today this very, I don't want to say cavalier. It was just very matter of fact. Like, yes, this is what I ordered, you know, this. And he answered directly to Tierney. And he didn't, he didn't have to do that because Mike Brown is following along. You know,

they had this all prepared what exactly Ray Tierney was going to say to Rex Herman. And so you could see Mike Brown following along on this page. And Mike Brown never looked up. But Rex Herman, when it was time for him to acknowledge, he would look right at Ray Turney and say, yes, yes, I do. That's what I did. And so maybe part of the reason that he today, you know, came off as this sort of nonchalant is because he has been thinking about this, at least Mike Brown says, that over the last several weeks, he has been preparing for this day. Well, I hope that these families, it is. It's a very much. It's if they wish, during the sentencing, I think maybe we'll hear from some of them at that time in June because that will give them the opportunity to address the court and to address the man who took the lives of their loved ones.

And that's when we may hear from them since today was more of a clinical exercise, kind of a formality. And as you mentioned, just very much like, here's what I did. Yes, I did it, that type of thing. Kristen Thorne, thank you so much for joining me. I appreciate it. Thank you, Antoinette. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, who spearheaded the creation of the Gilgo Beach Task Force, spoke after Hurerman changed his plea. He was surrounded by some of the victim's family members. This defendant walked among us, play acting as a normal suburban dad, when in reality, all along,

he was obsessively targeting innocent woman for death. He identified these women, lured them into Nassau County, murdered them, and left their bodies in Suffolk County. He thought that by killing them, he could silence them forever and get away with murder. But he was wrong because it was these victims, these women, who refused to stay silent. First, that silence was broken by the victim's families, who advocated for their loved ones and agitated for justice. To every family out there still searching, still waiting, still holding on,

please do not give up hope. Even when it feels impossible, even when the years pass and the silence grow heavy, keep going. Your loved ones matter. They are not forgotten, and one day answers can come. Finally, to Maureen, the promise I made to you so long ago was simple. I would never stop searching for justice for you. through every year, every stepback, every unanswered question, I carried you with me, and I kept that promise.

And today it has been done. Justice has finally found its way to you. Your voice was never silence, your story never forgotten, and your life will always be more than the tragedy that took you. This moment is not the end, but a reminder that love indoors, truth prevails, and hope never fades. because even in the darkest moments, justice will find its way. Rex Heuerman, the Gilgo Beach serial killer, will be formally sentenced in June. Law and Crime will have that hearing covered for you. And that's it for this episode of Crime Fix.

I'm Ann Janette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. And please remember the victims in this case and in every case. I'll see you back here next time.