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Rex Heuermann, suspected Gilgo Beach killer, appears in court for hearing on DNA evidence

Rex Heuermann's attorneys want multiple trials in Gilgo Beach murders case
Rex Heuermann's attorneys want multiple trials in Gilgo Beach murders case 02:01

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. -- Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann returned to court Wednesday on Long Island. The 61-year-old is charged with the murders of seven women dating back to the 1990s

A key point of contention in the case is new DNA evidence that prosecutors say links six of the seven victims to Heuermann. 

The defense has raised concerns about the California lab's testing methods, calling them unproven. Prosecutors, however, argue they are reliable and state-of-the art. 

"This is the next generation of the evolution of the technology. It's exciting to be at the forefront of that, and we look forward to proving the scientific acceptance," Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.

"A 'Frye hearing' is really the admissibility of this new, what they call science, we call magic, quite frankly," defense attorney Michael Brown said.

Heuermann's lawyers are also asking for five separate trials, given the complexity of the case. One would be for the first three victims found within a short timeframe at Gilgo Beach, the second would be for Maureen Brainard-Barnes whose remains were later discovered at Gilgo, and the third would be for the other three victims found elsewhere.

"We have seven victims. They span in time over 20 years," defense attorney Danielle Coysh said.

"The danger of having count after count, victim after victim, in the same trial is that '[where there's] smoke, there's fire' mentality. They shouldn't be tried together," Brown said.

Prosecutors are adamant all the charges be tried together. 

Both sides will return to court on Feb. 18, when the judge will hear motions on whether to separate the trials and address the DNA testing methods, which have never been used before in a New York state courtroom.

Timeline of Gilgo Beach murders investigation

The remains of 11 people have been discovered around Gilgo Beach, and investigators say Heuermann may be linked to other killings before a trial date is set. That could be a year or more away.

So far, Heuermann pled not guilty to murder charges in the deaths of six women between 1993 and 2011.

Investigators have described a "blueprint" they say he used to "plan out his kills with excruciating detail."  

Heuermann was initially arrested on July 14, 2023 and charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. 

New charges were filed last January in the death of Brainard-Barnes, and he was indicted on additional charges last June in the 1993 killing of Sandra Costilla and the 2003 killing of Jessica Taylor. 

The Gilgo Beach Task Force also released renderings last September of another possible victim, whose body was found between Waterman and Taylor along Ocean Parkway in 2011.

Last month, Heuermann was charged with the murder of Valerie Mack, who had been known as Jane Doe. Number 6 for years. He spoke out in court for the first time, saying "I'm not guilty of any of these charges."

Rex Heuermann charged in Valerie Mack case

Mack, a 24-year-old from New Jersey, had been working as an escort in the Philadelphia area before her partial remains were discovered in Manorville in 2000. Additional remains were found in Gilgo Beach more than 10 years later. 

According to court documents, hairs that were found near Mack's severed wrist have been linked to Heuermann's estranged wife, Asa Ellerup, and their daughter. Neither have been accused of any wrongdoing in the case, and the daughter would have been a young child when Mack was killed. 

Court documents also said pornographic images of sexual torture that were discovered on Heuermann's electronic devices showed similar bindings to the rope ligatures found on Mack's remains. They also said a similar cutting instrument was used to dismember Mack and another alleged victim, Taylor, and that Mack's tattoos were removed. 

The documents also revealed Heuermann's alleged "blueprint" referenced removing tattoos, as well as a dump site at Mill Road, which is where some of Mack's remains were first discovered in Manorville.

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