NEW YORK (WABC) — Rex Heuermann had “significant contacts” with at least 60 prostitutes, whom he called hundreds of times, in the four years prior to his arrest for the Gilgo Beach murders, prosecutors said in a new court filing.
Heuermann registered burner phones and a Tinder account under aliases including “Andrew Roberts” and “Thomas Hawk” to communicate with sex workers and used a Gmail account to conduct “thousands” of searches related to pornography and sex workers, prosecutors said.
The same Gmail address was used to conduct more than 100 searches related to the Gilgo Beach serial killings or other murders, including “why hasn’t the long island serial killer been caught,” “Map of all known serial killers” and “Cops launch Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force.”
The account was also used to search for hardcore violent pornography, prosecutors said.
The Suffolk County district attorney’s office included the new details about Heuermann’s proclivities in a response to a defense motion to suppress certain evidence.
“The defendant’s recent use of burner phones to patronize sex workers cannot be dismissed,” prosecutors said. “Far from impermissible character evidence, such evidence is directly relevant as it reflects a consistent pattern spanning over 15 years, which the issuing Judge could logically and rationally have inferred was part of defendant’s current and former modus operandi to not only commit these murders, but also to avoid apprehension and prosecution.”
Prosecutors also argued the materials provided clear evidence Heuermann is a “sexual sadist”
Heuermann is charged with the murders of seven women: Sandra Costilla, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello.
He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial in September.
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