In relation to the long-unsolved killings of three women whose remains were discovered close to a beach on Long Island more than ten years ago, a New York architect was charged on Friday.
Rex Heuermann, 59, is accused of killing the three women in 2009 and 2010 and is the “prime suspect” in the killing of a fourth woman, according to authorities.
“Rex Heuermann is a demon,” Suffolk County police commissioner Rodney Harrison told reporters. “A predator that ruins families.”
Heuermann was detained in Manhattan on Thursday night. Heuermann resided in Massapequa Park, a community close to Gilgo Beach, where the remains were discovered.
Prosecutors claim that Amber Costello, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes were all sex workers in their 20s.
“Each of the four victims were found similarly positioned, bound in a similar fashion by either belts or tape, with three of the victims found wrapped in a burlap-type material,” US District Attorney Ray Tierney said.
According to Tierney, the prosecution’s case against Heuermann was supported by DNA data from a pizza box, telephone records connecting him to the victims, and a sighting of his automobile near the residence of one of the slain ladies.
“For each of the murders he got an individual burner phone and used that to communicate with the victims,” Tierney said. “Then, shortly after the death of the victims, he would get rid of the burner phone.”
