Gilgo Beach Killer Rex Heuermann Confesses to Strangling and Dismembering 8 Victims — As He Pleads Guilty to Decades-Old Murders
Rex Heuermann admitted to eight murders in court on April 8.
April 8 2026, Published 2:20 p.m. ET
The Gilgo Beach Killer pleaded guilty to the grisly murders of multiple victims over a decades-long killing spree, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
On Wednesday, April 8, Rex Heuermann, 62, confessed to strangling and dismembering seven women – the first being Sandra Costilla in the early '90s – and additionally admitted to killing an eighth person during a hearing in Suffolk County court.
Who Were Rex Heuermann's Victims?
Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Maureen Brainard-Barnes were called the Gilgo Four.
Heuermann was said to have sought out the same type of victims – petite women who often had ties to sex work.
His other alleged victims include Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Maureen Brainard-Barnes – who were nicknamed the "Gilgo Four" – Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor and Karen Vergata.
The bodies of the Gilgo Four were unexpectedly found wrapped in burlap in late 2010 while authorities were on the hunt for a completely different missing woman.
The Gilgo Beach Killer is set to be sentenced in June.
Nearly 13 years later, Heuermann – also known as the Long Island Serial Killer – was arrested and charged with the murders of Costello, Waterman and Barthelemy. He was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Brainard-Barnes in January 2024.
While Costilla's body was found in November 1993, Heuermann was not officially linked with her slaying until December 2024, when DNA technology was able to identify a hair found on her body as belonging to the now 62-year-old.
Rex Heuermann's Sentencing
Police outside of Rex Heuermann's home.
Heuermann is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17.
Prosecutors said in court that he should "serve three consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole."
As Radar previously reported, in the Peacock docuseries, The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, Heuermann's own daughter said she was "on the fence" on if she believed her father was guilty of the horrible crimes. However, her feelings changed after filming was complete.
The family's lawyer, Robert Macedonio, said: "A week before the series release, Victoria Heuermann told the producers that based on publicly available facts that have been presented and explained to her, she now believes her father is most likely the Gilgo Beach killer."
"Victoria's feelings and emotions have evolved since July of 2023. We have spent a good amount of time with her explaining the evidence and how it was extracted."
Rex Heuermann's Potential Motive
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Criminologist and profiler Scott Bonn claimed Rex Heuermann was a 'psychopath.'
While Heuermann's exact motivation for the killings is unknown, criminologist and profiler Scott Bonn theorized that Heuermann's festering resentment toward his mother could have helped turn him into a killer.
Dubbing Heuermann a "psychopath," Bonn suggested the man "had a kind of an unusual, incestuous relationship, in an emotional sense, with his mother."
"Who knows what was ticking beneath the surface," he continued. "He may have been projecting the loving, doting son, when in fact there may have been some deep-seated resentment toward mom."
