Gilgo Beach serial killer gets life in prison, no parole

A Long Island judge sentenced convicted serial killer Rex Heuermann to a life sentence without the chance of parole on Wednesday for a string of long-unsolved murders. The 62-year-old New Yorker admitted to murdering seven women between 1993 and 2011 in early April, along with an additional woman not previously connected to the so-called Gilgo Beach serial killer. Heuermann was never charged in the eighth victim’s death.

The murders remained unsolved for over a decade after police discovered at least 10 sets of human remains on an isolated stretch of highway on Gilgo Beach. Police arrested Heuermann in 2023 after DNA evidence from the scene matched a sample of his DNA taken from a slice of pizza. He initially pleaded not guilty.

What happened at the sentencing? Family members of Heuermann’s victims delivered statements to the court before Suffolk County Judge Timothy Mazzei issued the sentencing. Family members addressed Heuermann, describing the personal toll his crimes took on them, according to an Associated Press reporter who was inside the courtroom. Many described the pain of growing up without a mother, sister, or friend that Heuermann killed, along with their disgust and disdain for the convicted murderer. Courtroom reporters described Heuermann sitting without reaction at the various victim statements.

After the victims’ statements, Heuermann briefly addressed the court. He had no words, and any comment he tried to make would be meaningless, Heuermann said, according to reporting by CNN. He also admitted his responsibility for all the actions victims described.

Judge Mazzei delivered a strong rebuke to Heuermann while handing down the sentence, characterizing the former architect as a disgusting, despicable, small, and cowardly man, according to the Associated Press.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney addressed reporters outside the courthouse after the sentencing and called for victims to deliver the ultimate revenge on Heuermann. Go out and live happy, fulfilling lives, Tierney said. Victims can move forward and heal with the satisfaction that they stood by their loved ones, he added.