After almost two hours of testimony from the relatives of Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, Amber Costello, 27, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Jessica Taylor, 20, Valerie Mack, 24, and Sandra Costilla, 28, Rex Heuermann was sentenced to three life sentences for their murders, to be served consecutively. He was also sentenced to 25 years to life for four additional counts of second-degree murder. Heuermann, also known as the Long Island Serial Killer, appeared largely apathetic during victim impact statements.
The 62-year-old Massapequa, Long Island, resident confessed to seven murders on April 8, 2026, as part of a deal that gave him multiple life sentences with no possibility of parole. He also admitted killing 34-year-old Karen Vergata – but a charge in her death was dropped as part of the deal. Heuermann waived his right to appeal and in return agreed not to be further prosecuted for the eight victims. He also agreed to be interviewed by the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit.
Judge Timothy Mazzei opened the sentencing hearing at 9:30 a.m. at the Arthur M. Cromarty Court Complex in Suffolk County, New York. According to documentary filmmaker Josh Zeman, Heuermann entered the hall with two pairs of handcuffs – due to his stature.
Families of the victims speak
One by one, the victims’ relatives came forward to speak to Heuermann directly. According to Zeman, Valerie’s adoptive mother, JoAnn Mack, told him, “What you did defies description…but you could never touch her soul.” Taylor’s cousin Violet Swager was brutally critical of Heuermann, calling him a failure and a loser, while her other cousin Jasmine Robinson recounted a taunting phone call she received from the killer after Jessica’s death. “I cannot express in words the searing hatred I feel for you,” she said, according to ABC 7. “You fill me with so much disgust.”
Brainard-Barnes’ sister Missy Cann then took the floor and described decades of survivor’s guilt that she has now accepted – not as her own burden, but as Heuermann’s guilt. In a way, she said, she too was his victim. “She wasn’t just murdered. She was the victim of a predator, a serial killer,” Cann added. “You are a coward who preyed on defenseless, innocent women.”
Amanda Funderburg, Barthelémy’s sister, railed against the man who had taken her love, swore revenge on him and shouted that he should “save a place for her in hell, because I will meet you there,” said Zeman. Megan Waterman’s family, meanwhile, appealed not to forget Asian Doe and Shannan Gilbert – also found dead in the same area but not officially linked to Heuermann.
Judge sentenced without leniency
The court then read a statement from Amber Costello’s sister, Kimberly Overstreet, who said she found stability in God and a new direction after her sister’s murder. Sandra Costilla’s sister, Ruth Ramos, also submitted a statement thanking Suffolk County Prosecutor Ray Tierney for finally bringing her peace after decades of uncertainty. Tierney then turned to the judge and asked for the maximum sentence for Heuermann. “[Sie sind] an unrepentant and sadistic serial killer,” Tierney told Heuermann.
Heuermann then said simply: “The words I would say have no meaning, and I’ll leave it at that.”
Judge Mazzei did not accept this. “I know you’re sorry about getting caught – are you even a little sorry for what you did?” he asked. Heuermann said yes, but Mazzei didn’t let up. “You are a disgusting, despicable little man – if you are a man at all.” The judge then sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole and instructed the bailiffs with the words “Get him out” – accompanied by applause in the hall.
Decades of hunting for the killer
For decades, New York was haunted by a shadowy figure known as the Long Island Serial Killer, who was blamed for a series of unsolved murders between 1993 and 2011. The so-called “Gilgo Four” – named after the beach where the bodies were found – were discovered in 2010 during the search for Shannan Gilbert, who police believe died an accidental death. Those women included Brainard-Barnes, Barthelemy, Waterman and Costello, all of whom police said were found wrapped in camouflage-colored burlap cloth in the same area. Each was a short woman in her 20s who had offered sex work through Craigslist. The police worked for over a decade to find the perpetrator – but the investigation was mired in scandal.
In 2022, District Attorney Tierney established a new task force to reopen the case. In July 2023, the former architect Heuermann was arrested in front of his office in Manhattan. He was initially charged with the murders of Barthelemy, Waterman and Costello – later followed by charges for Brainard-Barnes, Taylor, Mack and Costilla. He was held without bail due to a 32-page court document that outlined the wealth of evidence that led to his arrest.
During the course of the investigation, prosecutors found DNA evidence linking Heuermann to crime scenes, written plans for past and future murders, and more than 300 firearms in his home. Investigators matched DNA from a hair found at the crime scene to DNA taken from a discarded pizza crust – dumped in midtown Manhattan, near his office. The authorities initially became aware of Heuermann because he could be linked to a truck that picked up one of the victims in 2010. Cell phone data also helped link Heuermann to the victims’ families: He had called them from a prepaid cell phone to mock their pain – purchased with his own credit card.