‘Gilgo Serial Killer’ Pleads Guilty to Long Island Murders

(Bloomberg) -- Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to murder charges of seven women and admitted to killing another in a series of crimes that for years have haunted Long Island. 

The killings by Heuermann, 62, dated back to the early 1990s and spanned almost two decades, according to the Suffolk County district attorney. In a statement on Wednesday, the office referred to Heuermann as the “Gilgo Serial Killer” and said he was expected to be sentenced to consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

The Gilgo Beach killings gripped the New York area after the remains of multiple women were found wrapped in burlap within days of each other in 2010 on Long Island’s south shore. Heuermann, an architect, was arrested in 2023 and charged with the murders of three women.

The prosecutor’s office said that Heuermann pleaded guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree and four counts of murder in the second degree for causing the deaths of the seven people referenced in an indictment against him. He also admitted to killing an eighth person, according to the statement. 

A lawyer for Heuermann didn’t respond to a request for comment. He is due back in court for sentencing on June 17. 

At a press conference, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney thanked federal, state and local officials who he said helped his office identify and charge Heuermann. Suffolk County police commissioner Kevin Catalina said that Heuermann was exposed as “a sadistic, soulless, murderous monster.”

(Updates with quotes from officials in final paragraph.)

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