Image source, Reuters

Rex Heuermann has pleaded guilty to murdering seven women in a Suffolk County Court.

Heuermann, a former New York City architect, also admitted that he "caused the death" of an eighth woman, Karen Vergata, and transported her body.

• Court proceedings began shortly after 11:00 ET with Judge Timothy Mazzei presiding
• Victims' families were present in the court room along with Heuermann's ex-wife and his daughter
• One by one, Heuermann told Judge Mazzei he is pleading guilty to killing each woman and is also waiving his right to any future appeals
• As part of a deal with prosecutors, he has agreed to punishment amounting to several life sentences without the possibility of parole
• Prosecutors say he should be sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without parole for the killings of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello
• For killing Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla, and Valerie Mack, he should receive an additional 100-year sentence
• They say his admission to causing the death of Karen Vergata is covered by Heuermann’s plea for the other seven murders
• Judge Mazzei will ultimately decide the sentence at a follow-up hearing which he has scheduled for 17 June
• Heuermann will also cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit to better understand criminal behaviour

We're concluding our live coverage of today's hearing but you can read more here: Serial killer pleads guilty to eight murders in case that haunted Long Island, New York

The former Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison, who helped solve the cold case of these murders, says today's proceedings provide some satisfaction.

Harrison launched the task force that reopened the cases of the murdered victims, lead to Heuermann's arrest and today's admission of guilt.

"Being able to bring some type of comfort, knowing that this case is behind him, knowing that he will never see the day of light again, he'll be behind bars for the rest of his life, there's a level of gratification," he tells CBS, the BBC's US partner.

He says the investigation was most helped by crucial evidence from a roommate of one of the victims, years prior.

Police acted on a suspect description given to investigators in 2010 by the roommate of Amber Costello, after she had a run-in with a client.

Dave Schaller described the client as a large man who looked like “an ogre” and drove a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche, a unique vehicle.

That tip later helped investigators track down Heuermann. From there, burner phones used to contact victims; cell phone tower data; and hair found on victims’ bodies was matched to a leftover pizza he discarded.

In his basement, police say they found more evidence, including guides he write on how to carry out the killings on his computer.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Shortly after the court proceedings ended, Asa Ellerup, ex-wife of Rex Heuermann, their daughter Victoria, and their attorney appeared before a group of reporters.

Ellerup made brief remarks to the press and her attorney said she would not answer any questions about the case.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families," she says. "Their loss is immeasurable and the focus should be on them in this time, and moment. I ask that you give some privacy to my family as they navigate through this very difficult time."

A reporter asked her how she could not have known that her husband was committing the murder during their marriage.

Attorney Robert Macedonio stepped forward and said she will not answer that questions and that prosecutors have already investigated and found the murders happened while she was away from the family home.

Ellerup filed for divorce in 2023 after Heuermann was arrested on suspicion of committing a string of murders.

Their divorce was finalised last month.

Speaking to reporters, Rex Heuermann's attorney said his client would be cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Behavioral Analysis Unit as a part of his plea deal.

The unit uses "in-house, cutting-edge psychological research and operational experience to better understand criminal behavior and assist in solving cases", according to the FBI.

Attorney Michael Brown lauded prosecutors' work.

"They deserve all the accolades," he said. "They went down hundreds of rabbit holes. And when you look at the amount of evidence, and you connect the dots, they really did a great job."

He added that Heuermann will likely have "something to say" at his sentencing.

"I think by admitting it, I think it's cathartic to some extent, sure," he said.

Robert Macedonio, the attorney for Heuermann's ex-wife Asa Ellerup, says they will be fighting a wrongful death lawsuit brought against her and her daughter.

Benjamin Torres is suing for the death of his mother Valerie Mack saying that he was harmed by her murder when he was a child. He is also seeking compensation for money paid to Ellerup and her daughter Victoria to appear in documentaries about Heuermann's crimes.

Attorney Macedonio says the suit is improper because Ellerup and Victoria Heuermann were not responsible for the murders and that Victoria was a child at the time Mack was murdered.

"How could any attorney and or plaintiff assume any liability on the part of a 3-year-old?" Macedonio says. "It's just so reckless."

Image source, Getty Images

The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office has put out a statement detailing the plea deal agreed between them and Rex Heuermann.

He has pleaded guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree and four counts of murder in the second degree, as well as admitting to killing an eighth victim Karen Vergata.

Prosecutors say he is "expected to be sentenced to three consecutive sentences of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for killing Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello."

The 62-year-old is also expected to be sentenced to "a consecutive sentence of 100 years to life imprisonment for killing Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla, and Valerie Mack," the statement says.

"In exchange for Heuermann’s admission to the murder of Karen Vergata, this additional murder is covered by Heuermann’s plea to the murders of the seven charged victims."

As a reminder, Judge Timothy Mazzei will issue the final sentence at a hearing which is scheduled for 17 June.

Rex Heuermann has pleaded guilty to murdering seven women in a Suffolk County Court.

Heuermann, a former New York City architect, also admitted that he "caused the death" of an eighth woman, Karen Vergata, and transported her body.

• Court proceedings began shortly after 11:00 ET with Judge Timothy Mazzei presiding
• Victims' families were present in the court room along with Heuermann's ex-wife and his daughter
• One by one, Heuermann told Judge Mazzei he is pleading guilty to killing each woman and is also waiving his right to any future appeals
• As part of a deal with prosecutors, he has agreed to punishment amounting to several life sentences without the possibility of parole
• Judge Mazzei will ultimately decide the sentence at a follow-up hearing which he has scheduled for 17 June

Image source, Getty Images

Robert Macedonio, the attorney for Asa Ellerup, Rex Heuermann's ex-wife, spoke before today's proceedings, the BBC's US partner, CBS News reports.

"She has said consistently since day one, she wants to hear this and see this play out in the courtroom, and that's what's going to happen today. She wants the hear the words out of her husband's mouth, or ex-husband's mouth. If he's guilty, she wants to hear it come out of his mouth, not have it reported in the media or podcasts or print. So that's who we're here for today," Macedonio said.

"She has never claimed he's not guilty. She just consistently stated, doesn't believe he was capable of this, the man she knows."

He added that Ellerup and her daughter Victoria are "prepared" for whatever happens in court.

"We've spent the past 33 months preparing for whatever outcome could be."

With proceedings concluded we are expecting to hear statements from Heuermann's family and the families of the victims.

One last time, the judge has asked Heuermann to formally enter a plea for each murder count.

He says guilty to each one.

The judge set a sentencing date of 17 June, and Heuermann is escorted out.

Heuermann did not once turn his head toward the audience to look at the victims.

At the end of the hearing, many sat quietly and some wiped away tears.

Heuermann’s wife and daughter also appeared expressionless, though his daughter held Kleenex in her hand.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

It's a strange setting in the courtroom, as District Attorney Tierney continues to ask Heuermann a series of yes or no questions.

He asks him whether he killed each victim by strangulation, and whether he bound the women in the same way. He was also asked whether he dismembered the women.

Heuermann continues to answer each question with mostly "Yes", not registering any emotion as he looks directly at the district attorney.

Meanwhile, occasional cries from relatives of the victims in the first few rows can be heard.

It is unclear if Heuermann will say anything beyond the mostly yes or no questions prosecutors are asking.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

District Attorney Ray Tierney is now asking Heuermann a series of questions.

He is asking Heuermann mostly yes or no questions.

Tierney asks if he caused the death of Melissa Barthelemy and how. "Strangulation," Heuermann says.

He confirms that he left her body on the beach.

Heuermann has little emotion on his face as he is asked whether he murdered each of the eight women and left their bodies near the beach.

Some of the family members of the victims are wiping away tears as he speaks.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

The judge is now asking Heuermann some questions before he is set to give an "allocution", or a formal statement in court.

He asks Heuermann how old he is - he responds: "62".

The judge asks several questions to Heuermann confirming that by pleading guilty, he is giving up his right to appeal and to a trial. He asks if he understands that.

"Yes, your honour," Heuermann says, still standing across from the judge.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

The district attorney's office is going over the details of Heuermann's plea agreement.

A prosecutor says Heuermann has agreed to a sentence amounting to several life sentences without the possibility of parole for pleading guilty to the murders of eight women.

There will be no further prosecution for the eight victims in exchange for the guilty plea.

He is also waiving his right to appeal.

Those victims are:

• Sandra Costilla
• Valerie Mack
• Jessica Taylor
• Maureen Brainard-Barnes
• Melissa Barthelemy
• Megan Waterman
• Amber Lynn Costello
• Karen Vergata

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Rex Heuermann has just entered the courtroom, wearing a black suit.

The over six-foot defendant is standing before the judge as he speaks to the court.

Prosecutor DA Ray Tierney says that Heuermann will be pleading guilty to seven counts, and plans to admit as part of his plea that he "caused the death" of Karen Vergata and transported her body.

The hearing in Suffolk County court has just begun, with Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei taking his seat at the front of the courtroom.

Heuermann has not been brought out yet as they discuss public access rules.

His attorney, Michael Brown, is sitting next to him at the defendant's table, while prosecutors are on the opposite side of the courtroom.

The judge said: "The court is aware that the defendant may enter a guilty plea today", calling it the "worst-kept secret" in the building.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from Long Island

In the small Long Island town of Massapequa Park, home to 18,000, American flags line streets bordering dozens of well-maintained residences, some with boats sitting in the driveway.

But to many in the neighbourhood, one house always stood out. The dilapidated red-shuttered house with green-lined windows is just a block away from Joe, who moved into the neighbourhood with his then-wife in 1995.

“It doesn’t fit in the neighbourhood,” said Joe, who declined to share his last name for privacy reasons. “You don’t think anything of it.”

That house belongs to Rex Heuermann, his childhood home where he lived with his wife and kids and where police allege he wrote guides on how to kill and torture women.

But residents told the BBC that aside from the occasional newsline, they chose to no longer think about the serial killer who once lived amongst them.

“It’s not headlines anymore,” Joe said. “American society has a short memory for things.”

“I know who my neighbours are here, but you don’t know anyone, to be honest with you,” he added.

Rex Heuermann is expected to change his plea to guilty in court today.

Before now, the former New York City architect had denied being behind the murders that began in 1993 and continued until 2010. His trial was set for this September.

It is unclear why Heuermann is changing his plea, but the reversal comes after prosecutors say they found more damning evidence tying Heuermann to the murders.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney previously said officials had found a document they believed Heuermann used when planning his crimes, which included columns labelled "problems" and "supplies".

Under the "problems" column, "DNA", "tire marks", and "blood stains" were among items listed. The document also included killing methods Heuermann allegedly had researched and lessons from past murders.

Details of the plea deal between Heuermann and prosecutors that allows him to accept guilt have not yet been made public, and a judge will have to agree to those terms.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Families of the Gilgo Beach victims have just started to arrive in court, filling the first few rows of the room.

Their attorney, Gloria Allred, is here as well with the dozens of family members.

Among them are Melissa Cann, the sister of Maureen Brainard-Barnes and Elizabeth Meserve, the aunt of Megan Waterman.

Some of the victims' families already know each other, having worked together for years to try to push the investigations forward when they got few answers.

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Live reporter

The 2010 search for Shannan Gilbert, a woman who went missing on Long Island, spawned the sprawling investigation that led to Heuermann's arrest and charges that he killed several women over a nearly two-decade period.

Ultimately, Gilbert's death was ruled to be undetermined by the medical examiner but the police at the time said they believed it was due to accidental drowning. Prosecutors have found no connection between Heuermann and the other bodies.

In December 2025, army veteran Andrew Dykes of Florida was arrested after police used DNA from semen from a vaginal swab to connect him to the 1997 killing of Tanya Denise Jackson. At the time, Jackson could not be identified, and she was given the code name Peaches because of a distinctive tattoo on her torso.

Body parts belonging to Jackson were found in 2011, and nearby were the remains of a young girl. Investigators identified them as mother and child using advanced DNA technology.

Dykes and Jackson were both in the US Army and stationed in Texas when they began an affair. Dykes was married and had children at the time and is the biological father of the toddler named Tatiana Marie Dykes.

Andrew Dykes, who was an army specialist in human anatomy and physiology, was transferred to a base in New York City in 1995, where Taylor and the baby later joined him, investigators say.

As with Heuermann's victims, the bodies were discovered on a Long Island beach not far from Gilgo. Dykes' DNA was matched to the swab after Florida police followed him until he threw away a cup and straw he had just finished drinking from.

Dykes was extradited from Florida to Nassau County, where he has been indicted on a charge of murder in the second degree.

Mystery remains about the circumstances of the body of an Asian male also found during the search for Gilbert.

Image source, Tribune News Service via Getty Images