UMVA has learned that Rex Heuermann, the Long Island serial killer who confessed to murdering eight women between 1993 and 2010, has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Judge Timothy Mazzei handed down a severe sentence, imposing three consecutive life terms with no parole, followed by four consecutive sentences of 25 to life, the maximum allowed under New York law. Heuermann, 62, spoke briefly in court before his sentencing, taking responsibility for his heinous crimes.
"I'm responsible," he said, his words devoid of emotion. The judge, however, was not convinced by his seeming remorse. When one of the victims' families urged Heuermann to speak up, Mazzei intervened, saying: "I know that you're sorry you got caught. I assume you're sorry for what you did to your wife and children… Are you at least a little bit sorry for what you did to these eight women?"
Heuermann nodded in affirmation, but Mazzei was unsparing in his condemnation. "You're a disgusting and despicable small man, if you're a man at all," he said. "And you're a coward." The judge's scathing words were matched by his actions, as he ordered bailiffs to "get him out of here" after delivering the maximum sentence.
The victims, found in various locations across Long Island, were brutally murdered and left concealed in gruesome conditions. They included Sandra Costilla, 28; Karen Vergata, 34; Valerie Mack, 24; Jessica Taylor, 20; and the Gilgo Four: Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25; Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Megan Waterman, 22; and Amber Lynn Costello, 27.
Heuermann's crimes were uncovered through painstaking detective work, which ultimately led to his arrest and guilty plea in April. Prosecutors alleged that he used DNA from his ex-wife and daughter to implicate himself in the crimes, and that he kept meticulous notes on how to evade detection.
While Heuermann's family members have not been accused of involvement in his crimes, authorities have confirmed that they were out of town during each murder. Three other victims found in the area remain unlinked to Heuermann, including an unidentified "Asian Doe" whose skeletal remains were discovered near Gilgo Beach in 2011.
The case has sent shockwaves through the community, with many still reeling from the sheer brutality and scope of Heuermann's crimes. As he begins his life sentence, the victims' families can finally find some measure of closure, knowing that justice has been served.
