Long Island serial k!ller confesses to strangling eight women in 17 year spree ended by pizza crust

Rex Heuermann has admitted to killing eight women, bringing an end to a decades-long investigation that had left victims’ families without answers for over 30 years.

.....

The 62-year-old architect appeared at Suffolk County Court in New York, where he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of murder, including first-degree and intentional murder. He also confessed to the killing of Karen Vergata in 1996, despite not previously being charged in that case.

Prosecutors said Heuermann strangled his victims, dismembered some of them, and disposed of their remains in remote locations, including Gilgo Beach on Long Island. Many of the victims were s3x workers, and several bodies were discovered across different locations over the years.

His crimes began in 1993 with the murder of Sandra Costilla, and continued over nearly two decades, with victims including Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, and Karen Vergata.

The case remained unsolved for years despite widespread attention, including renewed public interest following the release of the film Lost Girls. A breakthrough finally came in 2022 after investigators reopened the case and formed a dedicated task force.

Detectives linked Heuermann to the crimes through vehicle records, phone data, and internet search history. However, the key piece of evidence came from DNA recovered from a discarded pizza crust, which matched evidence found on one of the victims.

Following his arrest in 2023, investigators uncovered a cache of weapons and what they described as a “blueprint” detailing methods to avoid detection.

Heuermann’s ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, said she had no knowledge of his actions, describing the situation as difficult and expressing sympathy for the victims’ families. He is due to be sentenced next month and faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.