RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Rex Heuermann, the man known as the Gilgo Beach serial killer, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Wednesday for the murders of eight women, authorities said.
Heuermann, 62, pleaded guilty in April to seven counts of murder and admitted responsibility for an eighth killing during a hearing at Suffolk County Court, prosecutors said. The sentencing followed emotional statements from victims' relatives.
Suffolk County Justice Timothy P. Mazzei sentenced Heuermann to three consecutive life terms without parole for first-degree murder counts and additional consecutive terms of 25 years to life on other charges, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
The victims were Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amber Lynn Costello, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla and Valerie Mack. Heuermann also admitted killing Karen Vergata, though he was not charged in her death.
The women, many of whom were sex workers, were killed between 1993 and 2010. Their remains were found near Gilgo Beach on Long Island during a search for another missing woman.
Heuermann, a former architect from Massapequa Park, was arrested in 2023 after DNA evidence, including from a pizza crust, linked him to the crimes, officials said.
During the hearing, victims' relatives confronted Heuermann. One family member described him as lacking a soul, while others expressed long-awaited justice after years of grief.
"There are no words I can say. I am responsible for what was said in this room today," Heuermann told the court, according to reports.
Mazzei called Heuermann a "disgusting and despicable small man" and a coward before ordering him removed from the courtroom amid applause from families.
The case drew national attention after the 2010 discovery of the remains. Heuermann's guilty plea resolved one of the longest-running serial killer investigations in New York.
As of Thursday, Heuermann remained in custody and will be transferred to state prison. No further appeals or proceedings were immediately announced.
