Long Island serial killer Rex Heuermann was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without parole, two months after pleading guilty guilty Murdered seven women and admitted to killing eight more over a 17-year period.
The sentencing marks the end of a decades-long cold case that took investigators more than a decade to solve.
State Supreme Court Judge Timothy P Mazzei imposed the sentence under the terms of the plea agreement Heuermann agreed to in April.
Judge sentenced to life in prison without parole on three first-degree counts murder The other four counts of second-degree murder were each sentenced to 25 years to life in prison at the request of prosecutors, with all terms to be served consecutively. CNN.
His final words and the judge’s scathing response
When asked by the judge if he was sorry for the killings, Hoylman said “yes,” News12 Long Island reported.
He then told the court, “I take responsibility for everything that is said in this room,” but added that “what I said means nothing,” according to News12 Long Island, quoted by CNN.
“Are you even a little sorry for what you did to these innocent women?” Judge Timothy Mazzei asked Heuermann after the impact statement was released.
Hoylmann nodded in agreement.
Judge told Heuermann, “If you were a man, you would be a disgusting little human being. You are a coward.”
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney called Scheuermann a “cold, sadistic serial killer who only cared about himself.”
Tierney also pointed to a planning document in which prosecutors said Scheuermann “methodically laid out a blueprint” for how he would select, kill and dispose of his victims, CNN reported.
Hoylmann has maintained his innocence since his arrest in July 2023 and shocked followers of the case with his sudden guilty plea in April. His attorney, Michael J. Brown, said the decision was made in part out of a desire to spare the victims’ families and Hoylman’s own family the pain of a lengthy trial, according to the agency. new york times.
What was the case and who were the victims?
Hoylman, 62 New York Architect, who on April 8 admitted murdering seven women and confessed to killing an eighth victimAs reported by Karen Vergata, 34 USA Today.
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for three consecutive years for the murders:
- Melissa Barthelemy, 24
- Megan Waterman, 22
- Amber Costello, 27
He was also sentenced to four consecutive 25-year life sentences for murder:
- Maureen Brainard Barnes, 25
- Jessica Taylor, 20
- Sandra Costilla, 28
- Valerie Mack, 24
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The murders, known as the Gilgo Beach Murders, are believed to have begun with Costilla’s death in November 1993. According to USA Today, the remains of women were found in the area in 2010 and 2011, and investigators initially suspected a serial killer was at work, but it wasn’t until 2022 that Scheuermann was linked to the case.
Officials said a major breakthrough in the case came when DNA from a pizza Scheuermann ate was matched to male hair found in the remains. Other unidentified remains have since been found in the area, and although Heuermann has not been charged in those cases, his attorney, Michael J. Brown, told reporters that Heuermann insists he had no other victims.
