Rex Heuermann is expected to plead guilty Wednesday to murdering seven women in the Gilgo Beach killings and to admit responsibility for the death of an eighth victim, according to multiple reports.
Heuermann, a 62-year-old architect from Long Island, has been held since his arrest in July 2023 and had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges. Prosecutors had accused him of a killing spree that stretched across nearly two decades, with victims discovered in and around Gilgo Beach on Long Island's South Shore.
The additional victim is Karen Vergata, whose remains were identified in 2023 after she had long been known as "Fire Island Jane Doe," according to reports. Vergata disappeared in 1996 at age 34, and investigators later linked separate sets of remains found years apart to the same person, according to ABC News.
The seven murder charges Heuermann is expected to admit include the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla, and Valerie Mack. Those cases span from 1993 to 2010 and became part of one of the most closely watched cold-case investigations in New York.
The case drew national attention after investigators searching for missing sex worker Shannan Gilbert discovered multiple sets of human remains along Ocean Parkway in 2010 and 2011. Authorities later said the remains found in the area included the so-called Gilgo Four, and the probe expanded as more bodies were identified, People reported.
Prosecutors have said DNA evidence, cellphone records, and material recovered from Heuermann's home helped connect him to the killings. Reporting also says the plea would avoid a trial that had been scheduled to begin later this year, ending a case that had moved slowly through years of forensic work and court hearings.
Relatives have also begun civil action tied to the case. Benjamin Torres, the son of victim Valerie Mack, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Heuermann and two family members, seeking damages over his mother's killing and alleging the Heuermanns could profit from the case through media deals.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney has not publicly detailed the full terms of any plea arrangement, but he has signaled a major development in the investigation. Families of victims have been notified, and the criminal plea could also affect related civil claims already moving through court, as per Greater Long Island.
