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Gilgo Beach serial killer sentenced to three life sentences
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Crime & Justice

Gilgo Beach serial killer sentenced to three life sentences

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Outcome reported
  • Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences plus 100 years.
  • Heuermann pleaded guilty to the murders of eight women over nearly two decades.
  • The sentence concludes a high-profile case that began with a missing person investigation in 2010.

Rex Heuermann, the serial killer responsible for the Gilgo Beach murders, received a sentence of three consecutive life terms plus an additional 100 years in prison on June 17, 2026. The sentencing follows his admission of guilt in the killings of eight women over nearly two decades, bringing a close to a case that has captivated and disturbed the United States.

I am responsible for everything that was said in the room.

— Rex HeuermannHeuermann's statement to the court before receiving his sentence.

Heuermann, 62, had pleaded guilty in April to seven murder charges and also admitted responsibility for an eighth death. This plea agreement with authorities allowed him to avoid a trial, cooperate with the FBI, and spend the remainder of his life incarcerated. The judge, Timothy Mazzei of Suffolk County, presided over a hearing where victims' families delivered emotional statements before Heuermann addressed the court.

I have nothing to say.

— Rex HeuermannHeuermann's response when asked if he wished to speak further.

When asked if he regretted his actions, Heuermann responded affirmatively. The judge, however, condemned him, stating, "You are a disgusting, despicable, and small man, and you are a coward." The Gilgo Beach case gained significant media attention after authorities, initially searching for a missing woman in 2010, discovered more than a dozen bodies along the Long Island coastline over the years. Most of these victims were linked to Heuermann.

You are a disgusting, despicable, and small man, and you are a coward.

— Judge Timothy MazzeiThe judge's condemnation of Rex Heuermann after delivering the sentence.

Heuermann confessed to strangling seven young women, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla, and Valerie Mack, who were missing and murdered between 1993 and 2010. Authorities believe these women worked as prostitutes. He also admitted to the murder of Karen Vergata, whose remains were found near Gilgo Beach a decade after her 1996 disappearance. The sentence is largely symbolic, as the plea deal ensures Heuermann will never be released. Heuermann, an architect living in Massapequa Park with his wife and two children, was arrested in 2023 after DNA evidence linked him to the crime scenes.

take him out of here

— Judge Timothy MazzeiThe judge's instruction to the bailiffs after sentencing Heuermann.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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