SUFFOLK COUNTY, Long Island (WABC) — Rex Heuermann’s guilty plea in the Gilgo Beach serial killer case is offering a measure of justice for the families of his victims and some closure to his own family.
Heuermann may have portrayed himself as a harmless father next door but he is really a “sadistic, soulless, murderous monster,” Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said during a news conference Wednesday following Heuermann’s guilty plea.
Heuermann pleaded guilty to seven murder charges and admitted he killed an eighth young woman he had solicited for sex.
“This defendant walked among us playacting as a normal suburban dad when all along he was targeting these women for death,” Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said. “He thought that by killing them he could silence them forever and get away with murder. But he was wrong.”
The district attorney called the case, unsolved for three decades, a “painful scar” on Suffolk County that was cracked with the help of victims’ families, who stood with investigators in solemn tribute to their loved ones.
“Without them this defendant would never have been brought to justice,” Tierney said. “Our inspiration was these victims and these families.”
Lilianna Waterman, Megan Waterman’s daughter, was three when her mother was killed. “We do accept and we are very, very thankful for everything that they’ve done for us,” she said.
“I’m glad that this is over,” Jessica Taylor’s mother, Elizabeth, said. “I accept the plea, wholeheartedly.”
Missy, the sister of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, said the guilty plea brought solace and a sense of relief after 19 years of living between heartbreak and hope.
“Today is not about the person responsible. Today is about the women’s lives who were stolen,” she said. “Maureen has never been forgotten.”
The guilty plea also has brought some closure to Heuermann’s family, who watched in court Wednesday as he admitted to being a serial killer.
Heuermann’s ex-wife Asa Ellerup stood with daughter Victoria outside the courthouse to ask for privacy and offer a brief remark to the families of the young women her ex-husband killed.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Their loss is immeasurable,” Ellerup said. “The focus should be on them at this time and moment. I ask that you give some privacy to my family as they navigate through this very difficult time.”
Prosecutors said his family was away when Heuermann committed the murders and uninvolved.
Heuermann was first identified as a suspect in 2022 but not arrested until July 2023. Investigators said they wanted to “lure him into false sense of security” while they built a case.
“We wanted him to think he got away with this,” Tierney said. “We wanted more evidence and that’s exactly what we got.”
RELATED | ‘Eyewitness to Gilgo Beach’: The horror by the sea — and the hunt for justice
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