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Justice finally caught up with Rex Heuermann on Wednesday — but for the families who waited decades, it brought only partial relief.
The 62-year-old former architect was sentenced in a Riverhead, New York courtroom to three consecutive life terms without parole, along with 100 years to life, for the murders of seven women between 1993 and 2010 in what became known as the Gilgo Beach killings. Heuermann had pleaded guilty in April and separately admitted to an eighth murder for which he was never formally charged.
Before handing down the sentence, Judge Mazzei asked Heuermann directly whether he felt remorse. Heuermann offered only a brief, vague response, saying there were no words that carried meaning. Mazzei responded forcefully, calling him "disgusting" and "pathetic," and branding him a coward, before ordering officers to remove him from the courtroom. As Heuermann was led away, the gallery erupted in applause and chants.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told the court that Heuermann remained manipulative even from behind bars, alleging he continued to exert influence over his ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, through her involvement in a documentary about the case. Tierney described Heuermann as incapable of rehabilitation and said the suffering inflicted on victims' families would never truly end.
More than a dozen relatives delivered victim impact statements, several confronting Heuermann directly. Amanda Funderburg, sister of victim Melissa Barthelemy, recalled receiving a taunting phone call from Heuermann using her sister's phone, in which he described what he had done to her. She demanded he look at her as she spoke, telling him she hoped he would suffer the way her sister had. Other relatives, including the daughter of victim Megan Waterman and family members of Maureen Brainard-Barnes and Valerie Mack, described decades of grief, guilt and unanswered questions.
Outside the courthouse, attorney John Ray, who represents the family of Shannan Gilbert — whose 2010 disappearance ultimately led investigators to the remains of four victims — said he believes Heuermann may have killed in other states as well, citing accounts from women who say they survived encounters with him in Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania and possibly Alaska.
The case had gone cold for years before a task force formed in 2022 linked Heuermann to the killings through a distinctive pickup truck, DNA evidence and cellphone records, leading to his arrest in Manhattan in 2023.
