In a dramatic courtroom turn, Rex Heuermann, the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer, changed his plea to guilty on April 8, admitting to the murders of eight women and bringing a near two-decade mystery closer to resolution.
Heuermann, a Long Island architect arrested in 2023, pleaded guilty to seven murder charges in Suffolk County court. As part of the plea deal, he also confessed to the 1996 killing of Karen Vergata, though he will not be formally charged in her death. The agreement reportedly includes cooperation with federal authorities.
"I want to plead guilty," Heuermann told his defense team, according to attorney Michael Brown, who stated his client sought to spare the victims' families and his own family from a trial.
The victims, many of whom were sex workers, were strangled, with some bodies dismembered, wrapped in burlap, and dumped. Heuermann used burner phones to contact them, authorities said.
During the hearing, Heuermann appeared unemotional as he answered questions from District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney, not looking toward the gallery where victims' family members sat. His ex-wife, Asa Ellerup—who filed for divorce after his arrest—and their daughter Victoria were also present.
"My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families," Ellerup said afterward. "Their loss is immeasurable and the focus should be on them at this time."
Heuermann is expected to receive a sentence of life in prison without parole, plus consecutive life terms and additional lengthy sentences. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 17.