Suspected Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann is set to go to trial for the murders of seven women, with the further investigation on cold cases on hold for now -- but that doesn't mean this will be Heuermann's only trial, according to experts.
The Massapequa Park architect has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Valerie Mack, Sandra Costilla, Melissa Barthelemy, Jessica Taylor, Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Bennett Gershman, a distinguished law professor at Pace University and former Manhattan prosecutor, believes there is circumstantial evidence linking him to others.
With the exception of Sandra Costilla, whose remains were found in North Sea in 1993, all victims' full or partial remains were found on Ocean Parkway, which stretches from Jones Beach in Nassau County to Captree State Park in Suffolk, in 2010 and 2011.
Four other victims were also found along Ocean Parkway in those years -- and all four remain unaccounted for in terms of charges. Those victims are Tanya Denise Jackson, who was previously known as Peaches, named for an identifying tattoo of a bitten peach whose remains were found at Hempstead Lake State Park in 1997 and on Jones Beach in 2011; Tatiana Marie Dykes, Jackson's daughter -- believed to have been a toddler -- who was found on Gilgo Beach in 2011; Asian Doe who was found on Gilgo in 2011; and Karen Vergata, whose partial remains were found on Fire Island in 1996 and on Tobay Beach in 2011.
Vergata was publicly identified in 2023, while Jackson and Dykes were publicly identified in April.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney has repeatedly refused to name Heuermann a direct suspect in the remaining four -- but has refused to rule it out either. However, this specific trial will see no more superseding indictments, as Tierney recently told The New York Post that adding more indictments has delayed the process. If or when Heuermann is convicted, according to Tierney, the Task Force will look at the remaining cases.
"These are cold cases," Gershman told the Press. "There's never been anybody linked to these four unsolved murders on Ocean Parkway. So, it seems to me that he's a logical suspect. We know that, and now you've got to put the pieces together. You need a lot more to prove guilt, but when we're talking about relevant evidence, you don't have to hit a home run. We just have to have something that can tie him to the case."
Asian Doe was reportedly found wearing women's clothing, and is believed to have possibly been a transgender individual. When Heuermann was first arrested in July of 2023, his search history suggested a tie to Asian Doe.
"That search is certainly significant circumstantial evidence of his interest, of what he's looking for and and fits here to it, with respect to the one of these murders, the Asian person," Gershman said. "That certainly makes it logical to think that you can connect it to him. There's got to be, obviously, more evidence than just the limited references, but let's put it this way: It makes sense.
"Obviously, the investigators know more than I do, but again, the similarities are forensic evidence and locational evidence. Perhaps the opportunity to commit the crime, and more materials that he's collected that show his morbid interest in Asian people or whatever the type is that he seems to have been obsessed with. It's like a mosaic. You're putting little pieces together. That's what circumstantial cases are all about."
Others with interest in the case have pointed out the search history as well.
"It's very specific," Joshua Zeman, who produced the documentary series The Killing Season on the case, said. "What I find so interesting is that the mention of 'Asian twink' was literally on the first bail document of which we received."
Karen Vergata's legs were found in a plastic bag floating near Fire Island in 1996. Brothers Andrew and Robert Ragona, who were staying on Fire Island at the time, noticed the bag and pulled it ashore in Davis Park, and notified authorities when they realized they had found human remains.
Vergata's identity was known to authorities in 2022, but was publicly released in August of 2023, roughly two weeks after Rex Heuermann's arrest. Heuermann's indictment from that day indicated he had allegedly used burner phones and accounts with fake names -- among the names was "Andrew Roberts."
"That is an uncanny find that would suggest he looked very closely at this case and used the two men who found the body to make his own name," Gershman said. "It's hard to think of it as a coincidence. I could put things in the indictment for good reasons. Would this be proof that I would use at a trial if I were the prosecutor? Absolutely. This is all stuff that we bring out as circumstantial evidence."
Retired NYPD homicide detective Joseph Giacalone said it speaks to alleged behavior by the suspect.
"That's not a coincidence," Giacalone said. "You can't really pull that out of thin air. That's a great catch. In John Douglas's book Mind Hunter, he talks about how some of the serial killers follow the news, keep newspaper clippings and stuff like that. And we know that he read Mind Hunter. We know [Heuermann] has read it, from the superseding indictments. We know he followed the story and kept newspaper clips.
"And if he used the two names - even though his middle name is Andrew - the Roberts one. Pulling that one out of a hat, to me, is one of the million. I don't believe in coincidences. One thing I've learned from my time in law enforcement is that there's no red herrings."
Circumstantial evidence potentially tying Heuermann to Tanya Denise Jackson -- and by effect, Tatiana Marie Dykes, who was found roughly 250 feet from Valerie Mack - also exists in the bail applications, Gershman added. In the Dec. 17 superseding indictment for Mack's murder, prosecutors allege that Heuermann kept a newspaper clipping of a New York Post article entitled "Serial Killer Eyed in L.I. Slay," which discusses the murders of Taylor, Mack who was unknown at the time, and Jackson, who was also unknown at the time.
"That, again, is something that would stand out to an investigator and certainly be, I'd say, relevant in showing a connection," Gershman said. "Again, you're going to need more proof of his involvement, but it would certainly show that this is somebody that he may have been interested in, because of the fact that he has these mementos, had these materials, these articles. Obviously, that would spark an interest in any investigator."
Zeman suggests that the placement of some bodies could be taunting behavior, and suggests a modus operandi.
"Jessica Taylor's body was put in a place where people walk their dogs," Zeman said. "[Jackson]'s torso was found in a container very close to a trail that a lot of people walked on to go fishing -- right before a fishing derby. He could have placed it further in the woods, or in the water with rocks attached. He's placing these body parts for people to find so that he could get credit."
The June 6, 2024 superseding indictment, which charged Heuermann with the murders of Costilla and Taylor, included a disturbing planning document allegedly recovered from Heuermann's home. In this planning document, Heuermann wrote "Remove ID marks [tattoos, marks]," which may also indicate a link to Jackson.
Jackson was only known for her tattoo until April, which was widely published in newspapers after her torso was found. The document was allegedly written between 2002 and 2004, after the discovery of Jackson's remains, and Jessica Taylor was found in 2003. Her killer had attempted to obliterate her tattoo, suggesting an attempt to prevent her identity from being discovered. Despite this, police were able to push it together and publish images of the tattoo, which was recognized by law enforcement in Washington, D.C., where Taylor had previously lived, and aided in her identification.
"When you have maybe 11 similar cases, you might be able to show patterns by the pathologist, forensic evidence, modus operandi," Gershman said. "Once you can show a pattern of behavior, show that there's similarities, any kind of similarity is going to be strong proof."
While all signs point to a trial for the seven, evidence from the other four can still be used by the prosecution -- but not by the defense, Gershman added.
"An objection from the prosecution would be sustained by the judge," Gershman said. "In fact, I would make it very clear beforehand that the defense should make no reference to any other unsolved crimes. It's irrelevant. There might be 100,000 other unsolved murders in New York State. Are you going to let the defense bring in those?
"But as a prosecutor in these kinds of cases, you can bring in similar crimes as evidence of identity, modus operandi, opportunity, and all of that," Gershman said. "There's a whole host of reasons why you can bring in other uncharged crimes. The defense will object, but the judge will weigh the probative value of the evidence against the prejudice, and in many cases, will find that the probative value outweighs the prejudice. We call it the Molineux rule. Other similar crimes might point to knowledge, modus operandi, intent, and mistakes."
Michael Brown, Heuermann's attorney, did not respond to a request for comment.
Alleged Gilgo beach killer Rex Heuermann is due back in Suffolk County court on Sept. 3, when Judge Timothy Mazzei is expected to issue a ruling on a defence motion to suppress DNA evidence in the case.