Serial killer jailed for life over eight Long Island murders

Long Island architect Rex Heuermann will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole after confessing to the murders of eight women. The 62-year-old pleaded guilty to the string of killings, infamously known as the Gilgo Beach murders, which had baffled investigators for years.

“

his demons got to him

Heuermann received three consecutive life sentences for first-degree murder charges and an additional 25 years to life for four second-degree murder convictions. He has been held in a segregated cell at the Suffolk County jail for the past three years, reportedly reading crime novels and corresponding with another serial killer.

“

I'm like, 'well, did you see them as somebody's daughter?'

As part of his plea agreement, Heuermann has committed to assisting the FBI's behavioral analysis unit in their efforts to apprehend other serial killers. The investigation gained momentum when human remains were discovered in 2010 during a search for a missing woman. The remains of the first four victims were found near Gilgo Beach, with three more discovered in the vicinity in 2011. Heuermann was not arrested until 2023.

“

He told me he didn't even see them as human.

Initially charged with seven murders spanning from 1993 to 2010, Heuermann later admitted to an eighth victim, last seen in 1996. The remains of Karen Vergata were found in 2011 but not identified until 2023. All eight women were sex workers hired by Heuermann, who strangled them and disposed of their bodies along Ocean Parkway. He reportedly confessed to his wife that he had killed seven of the women in their home while she and their children were on vacation. His wife, Asa Ellerup, filed for divorce shortly after his arrest in July 2023.

“

a large, white male, approximately 6'4 to 6'6 in height