Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann kept 'Dexter'-style kill room but wasn't as smart as he thought: DA

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Rex Heuermann, who volition walk the remainder of his beingness successful situation aft admitting to being the Gilgo Beach serial killer, had a "Dexter"-style termination country successful his basement, according to the apical authoritative connected the case.

"Very evocative of that, and I deliberation erstwhile we realized what it was, you know, that was immoderate of the comments that were made," said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, who was personally portion of the prosecution squad that secured Heuermann's blameworthy plea. "We were really capable to recreate that, successful the basement, successful the nonstop location."

And that's the country wherever Heuermann's ex-wife present sleeps, according to a caller docuseries, "The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets," wherever she said truthful herself.

Heuermann received the maximum imaginable condemnation from Judge Timothy Mazzei Wednesday — 3 consecutive presumption of beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole, followed by 4 consecutive presumption of 25 years to beingness successful prison.

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Gilgo serial slayer Rex Heuermann appears wrong a courtroom for sentencing astatine Suffolk County Court successful Riverhead, N.Y., connected June 16, 2026. (James Carbone/Newsday)

"You’re a disgusting and despicable tiny man, if you’re a antheral astatine all," Mazzei told the defendant. "And you’re a coward."

Moments later, helium told the tribunal officers to "get him retired of here."

Heuermann is expected to beryllium successful authorities situation earlier the extremity of the week, Tierney said.

So helium took that book, not to summation insight, but to go a amended serial killer, specifically not to get caught.

In an interrogation with Fox News and Fox News Digital aft the sentencing hearing, Tierney explained wherefore investigators returned to Heuermann's basement agelong aft they'd arrested him and spent days searching the house.

They recovered a deleted papers that Heuermann labeled "HK," which Tierney said stood for "hunt-kill." Although Heuermann had made and deleted aggregate versions of it implicit time, investigators could lone retrieve one.

Prosecutors person described it arsenic a readying document. He noted the locations of postulation cameras to and from the places helium dumped victims' bodies. He wrote down supplies he'd request for the murders and reminded himself to beryllium good rested and mindful of screams.

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Gilgo serial slayer Rex Heuermann enters a courtroom for sentencing astatine Suffolk County Court successful Riverhead, N.Y., connected June 16, 2026. (James Carbone/Newsday)

He besides discussed the merits of utilizing portion vs. pins to bent driblet cloths successful the basement wherever helium is believed to person killed 7 of the 8 victims.

"He was hanging integrative sheets from the ceiling and connected the walls," the territory lawyer said. "That's what the papers talks about, and past what helium says is don't usage propulsion pins, due to the fact that it ruins the ceiling. Use tape."

When detectives returned to the location with infrared and ultraviolet lights, they recovered much evidence.

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"We could spot the adhesive stains connected the wall," Tierney said. "And past what we are capable to bash is we were capable to spot that they made a cleanable quadrate — and that's where, we believe, the crimes occurred."

Heuermann, described arsenic an "ogre" by the lone eyewitness successful the case, stands astatine astir 6 feet 4 inches gangly and weighs adjacent to 300 pounds. The victims were each astir 5 feet gangly and 100 pounds, and successful the "HK" document, helium noted that "small is good."

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The victims were Sandra Costilla, 28, recovered successful North Sea; Karen Vergata, 34, recovered connected Fire Island and adjacent Tobay Beach; Valerie Mack, 24, recovered successful Manorville and on Ocean Parkway adjacent Gilgo Beach; Jessica Taylor, 20, recovered successful Manorville and on Ocean Parkway — and the alleged Gilgo Four, who were each recovered conscionable eastbound of Gilgo Beach successful the brushwood northbound of Ocean Parkway. They were Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25; Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Megan Waterman, 22; and Amber Lynn Costello, 27.

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Rex Heuermann appears successful a booking photograph released by authorities. The convicted Gilgo Beach serial slayer was sentenced to beingness without parole aft pleading blameworthy to 7 murders and confessing to an eighth killing. (Suffolk County District Attorney's Office)

Investigators judge Heuermann's known killings spanned from Costilla's 1993 execution done the 2010 disappearance of Costello.

Before Heuermann was sentenced, relatives of his victims delivered affectional statements astir the decades of symptom and nonaccomplishment near down by the killings.

Mack's adoptive parents were among the archetypal to code the court. Her begetter told Heuermann that contempt the brutality of his crimes, "you ne'er touched her soul," adding that "Valerie is the 1 who is escaped today, and you are not."

Taylor's relatives recounted the anguish of learning that lone immoderate of her remains had initially been recovered and the symptom of seeing the lawsuit repeatedly instrumentality to nationalist attraction implicit the years. One relative mocked Heuermann's efforts to evade capture, telling him helium had created elaborate plans to get distant with execution but inactive near down grounds that led investigators to him.

The astir affectional grounds came from the household of Brainard-Barnes, 1 of the alleged Gilgo Four. Her sister, Melissa Cann, recalled the past speech they shared earlier Brainard-Barnes disappeared.

"The past words she said to maine were, 'I emotion you. I'll spot you tomorrow,'" Cann told the court.

Cann described years of survivor's guilt and said she dedicated herself to helping guarantee the slayer was yet identified and brought to justice.

Brainard-Barnes' daughter, Nicolette, said she was conscionable 7 years aged erstwhile her parent was killed and is present older than her parent was astatine the clip of her death. She said the victims "mattered infinitely more" than Heuermann and described him arsenic "a coward who takes retired his ain shortcomings connected others."

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Rex A. Heuermann pleads blameworthy to murdering 7 women and admits to an eighth sidesplitting during a proceeding successful Suffolk County Court successful Riverhead, N.Y., connected April 8, 2026. (James Carbone/Newsday via Pool)

Heuermann pleaded blameworthy to 7 murders connected April 8 and confessed to Vergata's 1996 slaying, which helium had not been charged with.

Asked if determination whitethorn beryllium much victims, Tierney declined to speculate. If the grounds ever indicates determination were, helium said, he'd bring it to a expansive assemblage and question a caller indictment.

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He revealed that prosecutors person much grounds against Heuermann that has not yet been made nationalist and described however Heuermann evolved implicit the years from a "disorganized" slayer to an "organized" one.

Tierney said Heuermann appeared much disorganized aboriginal successful his transgression vocation earlier becoming progressively methodical and deliberate implicit time, arsenic shown by the readying document, his evolving modus operandi and integer grounds that showed helium was scouring quality reports for updates connected the murders he'd committed.

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At immoderate point, helium besides picked up the publication "Mindhunter" by famed FBI expert John Douglas.

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"If you're a precocious schoolhouse shot subordinate and you get, Peyton Manning's book, you privation to go a amended quarterback," helium said. "So helium took that book, not to summation insight, but to go a amended serial killer, specifically not to get caught."

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As portion of the plea deal, Heuermann has agreed to beryllium down with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit to beryllium analyzed clinically, Tierney said. Douglas, a pioneer of transgression profiling, had been main of the FBI's Behavior Science Unit, the BAU's predecessor.

"That was a proposition of mine," Tierney revealed. "I'm a erstwhile national prosecutor. I'm acquainted with the enactment of BAU. I cognize I knew astir the 'Mindhunter' publication by this defendant. I knew that that was thing that helium was funny in, truthful I thought it would beryllium a bully opportunity."

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Investigators could perchance larn from Heuermann successful a objective mounting and usage the cognition to assistance successful caller cases arsenic they travel up, helium said.

Fox News' CB Cotton and Kirill Clark contributed to this report.