Suspected Gilgo Beach killer charged in two additional murders linked to remains found in East End

Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex A. Heuermann was charged Thursday morning with two counts of second-degree murder in the killings of two women: the July 2003 death of Jessica Taylor, whose partial remains were found in Manorville, and Sandra Costilla, whose body was found. found in Southampton over 30 years ago.

Mr. Heuermann, 60, of Massapequa Park, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Riverhead on Thursday before State Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei in the deaths of Ms. Taylor and Ms. Costilla. The latest charges extend the timeline of Mr. Heuermann's alleged murders to nearly 17 years and expand by more than 40 miles the radius of where he allegedly dumped the remains. Mr. Heuermann was charged in connection with the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello and Megan Waterman last July. In January, he was charged with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes. The remains of these four women were found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach between fall 2010 and spring 2011. Their times of death range from July 2007 to September 2010.

Dozens of journalists from national and international media outlets gathered for a news conference following Mr. Heuermann's indictment, at which Suffolk County Prosecutor Raymond A. Tierney stood alongside law enforcement from the County Police and Sheriff's Departments, New York State Police and the FBI. , all of whom participated in the decade-long investigation into Gilgo Beach, which has intensified in recent months.

Despite the conclusion of the grand jury trial involving the original “Gilgo Four,” law enforcement officials vowed to continue their investigation. “At the time we said we were going to continue to investigate this case, that the grand jury on the 'Gilgo Four' was over, but the case continues, the criminal prosecution continues, the investigation continues,” he said. Mr. Tierney said. said. “The investigation was extended to bodies found on Gilgo and beyond. That's what we've been saying, and I think it came to fruition today with these two new charges.

Evidence linking Mr. Heuermann, a Manhattan architect, to Ms. Taylor's death includes a male human hair discovered on a surgical field found under her remains, eyewitness accounts of a dark-colored Chevrolet pickup truck near the site where Ms. Taylor was dismembered. bodywork that matches a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche pickup truck purchased by Mr. Heuermann, phone records and location data.

In April, Gilgo Beach Task Force investigators along with K-9 units searched a densely wooded part of Manorville where Ms. Taylor's partial remains were discovered in 2003. On Thursday morning, Mr. Tierney referred to the recent search of the “area of ​​interest” as a “necessary investigative step”.

Two months ago, police also searched a wooded area of ​​Southampton where Ms Costilla's body was found. Law enforcement originally suspected that Ms. Costilla's death was linked to the murders of two other women, Colleen McNamee and Rita Tangredi. John Bittrolff is currently serving a 50 years to life sentence for the women's murders, but has never been charged in Ms. Costilla's death. A recent DNA analysis of a male hair found on Ms. Costilla's body excluded 99.96 percent of the North American population as a source, but not Mr. Heuermann. A similar analysis in 2014 excluded Mr. Bittrolff as the source of the DNA evidence.

A handful of family members of Mr. Heuermann's alleged victims attended the news conference on Thursday. Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents the families of some of Gilgo's victims, read a prepared statement by Ms. Taylor's mother, Elizabeth Baczkiel.

“Jessica was loving, compassionate and so funny,” Ms. Allred read. “She loved to make people laugh; she could always make people laugh. She tried really hard in school…I miss the way she called me “Mommy” and “Mom.” It's a tragedy that she never had children. Jessica would have made a great mother. She loved children and enjoyed working with them. She worked downtown with children at a summer camp as a helper. She loved supporting children and helping to care for them.

Following Ms Baczkiel's statement, Ms Taylor's cousin Jasmine Robinson also spoke.

“This year marks 21 years since she was taken from us, longer than she is lucky to be alive,” Ms Robinson said. “I cannot express what this day means, after waiting and hoping for answers. I am incredibly grateful to the entire task force for the dedication and integrity they demonstrated in this investigation. I am confident that they will continue to provide answers to other victims and their families.

In a bail request released Thursday morning, prosecutors for the first time linked the murder of Valerie Mack, whose remains were also found near Gilgo Beach and in Manorville, to Mr. Heuermann. The court document describes the task force's digital findings, including a Word document titled “HK2002-04,” which the Gilgo Beach task force believes was Mr. Heuermann's plan to “plan” his “murders.” The Word document includes the phrases “DS-1, Mill Rd”. and “DS-2, ??????” under a title titled “DS,” which is believed to be an “acronym for ‘discharge,’” according to the court document. Partial remains of Ms. Taylor and Ms. Mack were discovered “near Mill Road” in Manorville and along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach.

At Thursday's news conference, Mr. Tierney said it would be “fair to say” that Mr. Heuermann is a suspect in Ms. Mack's death, but that he does not face charges in his murder for the moment.

After the news conference, Mr. Heuermann's defense attorney, Michael J. Brown, said his client was “horrified” by the new charges against his fifth and sixth alleged victims. The lawyer added that he only became aware of the alleged planning document and other new findings yesterday morning, and said he had to “explore and review the evidence.”

Mr. Heuermann's next appearance is scheduled for July 30.

“These are two additional murder charges, the allegations were obviously very disturbing today,” Mr Brown said. “But I didn’t see anything. We will do our best to review it and prepare a defense.