Rex Heuermann Should Be Tried Separately, Lawyer Claims — as Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Suspect Ponders Asking Judge for Change of Venue
The attorney for Rex Heuermann is asking for the cases against his client to be tried separately, officials said.
Aug. 5 2024, Updated 5:56 p.m. ET
The attorney for Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann said he wants the cases against his client to be tried separately.
Heuermann — charged with six murders, including the so-called “Gilgo 4” — appeared in court recently for a status hearing before State Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei, as RadarOnline.com previously reported.
Rex Heuermann recently appeared in court, with his attorney saying he may request each charge to be tried separately.
Michael J. Brown, Heuermann’s attorney, told Newsday after the hearing that “at a minimum” the newest charges — the deaths of Sandra Costilla in 1993 and Jessica Taylor in 2003 — should be severed from the “Gilgo 4.”
“They have nothing to do with the other four,” Brown said. “There’s nothing, no relevance to the four. The MO is different. The way that the murders were allegedly carried out was different. The way that the bodies were … deposited, for lack of a better word, was different.”
The suspect was initially charged with the murders of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello.
In June 2024, authorities filed charges against Heuermann for the alleged murders of Jessica Taylor in 2003 and Sandra Costilla in 1993, RadarOnline.com previously reported.
He was previously charged with the 2010 deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Megan Waterman, 22; Amber Costello, 27, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Front Page Detectives reported.
Accused Gilgo Killer Rex Heuermann kept stomach-churning notes surrounding the murders.
At the hearing, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney reiterated Heuermann is also a suspect in the death of Valerie Mack, who disappeared in 2000 and whose remains were found in 2000 and 2011 near the spot where Taylor’s remains were found in Manorville.
As far as splitting up the cases against Heuermann, Tierney told reporters: "There are reasons why you would want to try these cases together.”
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Heuermann's attorney may seek a change of venue for the trial.
“Principally, for judicial economy. We anticipate there will be a lot of pretrial motions in this case — there are a lot of pretrial motions in most cases — but in this case it is just going to be a lot of motions given the length of time and breadth of this case.”
Brown said he is anticipating filing a motion to sever the cases “at some point”, probably after discovery is completed, Newsday reported. He also said he is considering a motion for change of venue.
“The problem is — and I don’t think we’ve committed to anything yet — is in every county in our state, I would suggest that everybody knows about this."
According to CBS News, Heuermann's estranged wife, Asap Ellerup, attended the court session with an attorney as well as her service dog. The outlet reported she did not speak at the hearing.
The next conference in the case was scheduled for Oct. 16.
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