A new mug shot of Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann was released on June 16, 2026, one day before his sentencing. Suffolk County Sheriff's Office

Rex Heuermann was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to a series of murders known as the Gilgo Beach serial killings.

The 62-year-old former Manhattan architect was arrested in 2023 for the killings, which dated back to 1993. He admitted in April that he strangled eight sex workers to death, dismembered them and hid their bodies across Long Island.

Heuermann was charged with killing Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack.

He later admitted to killing Karen Vergata.

"I am responsible for what was said in this room today"
The courtroom was packed as Heuermann spoke briefly.

"There are no words I can say. I am responsible for what was said in this room today," Heuermann said. "The words I would say have no meaning, and I'm going to leave it there at this time."

Judge Timothy Mazzei then admonished Heuermann.

"I assume you are a little bit sorry for the eight women you strangled. Eight that we know of," Mazzei said. "You've been described as a big man, but you are a disgusting and small man, if you're a man at all, and you're a coward."

Applause and cheers erupted after the judge handed down the sentence.

Emotional families read victim impact statements
The victims' families waited decades for their turn to finally address the serial killer. They unleashed years of anguish, calling Heuermann a cold-blooded, evil man who caused irreversible pain for his twisted pleasure.

"What you have done to our family is beyond what words can express. It cannot replace what you have taken from us," said Joanne Mack, mother of Valerie Mack.

More than a dozen spoke. Some wept.

"I never knew what it was like to have a mother," said Liliana Waterman, daughter of victim Megan Waterman.

"I was only 7 years old and the next three years, she was missing," said Nicolette Brainard-Barnes, daughter of victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes.

Others fumed.

Amanda Funderberg, Barthelemy's sister, called Heuermann "a demon, inside and out."

The victims' families never gave up in a long journey for justice.

"Rex, without you knowing it, I became your worst nightmare. Our voices grew louder," said Melissa Cann, sister of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.

"The case was insurmountable"
Heuermann was convicted on three counts of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder. Police said the murders took place between 1993 and 2010.

Heuermann originally pleaded not guilty but admitted in April to killing the seven women and also to killing Vergata. The additional killing of Vergata is covered by Heuermann's plea agreement, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Heuermann has also agreed to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit to help catch other serial killers.

He has been housed in the county jail in Riverhead since his arrest in July 2023, but will serve out his term in a state prison.

Most of the victims' remains were found buried along Ocean Parkway in Babylon between December 2010 and May 2011. Costilla's body was found in a wooded area in the North Sea.

Most of the victims had been working as escorts in the Tri-State Area before going missing.

Prosecutors submitted a slew of evidence against Heuermann, including DNA evidence they said tied him to the victims. There was also a so-called "blueprint" he allegedly used to "plan out his kills," along with records from burner phones and electronic devices.

Attorney Richard Schoenstein, who is not affiliated with the case, said we will never know for sure why Heuermann suddenly changed his plea to guilty.

"It could've been because the case was insurmountable. The way the case played out, some of the developments in the legal proceedings, I don't think he had any shot at an acquittal at all," he said.

Investigators believe Heuermann may be linked to additional killings.

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