RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – Suspected serial killer Rex A. Heuermann is set to appear in a Suffolk County courtroom next week as a special grand jury has been considering new charges related to a fourth set of remains found in the seaside community, sources confirmed on Thursday.
It remains unclear as to why Heuermann is having a new court appearance, but prosecutors have stated that the special grand jury was only being asked to consider an indictment into the killing of Gilgo victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Heuermann had previously pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with murder in the killings of three other women whose remains were found in the Gilgo Beach area in December 2010.
Numerous sources have indicated that Heuermann is scheduled to appear in Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei’s courtroom on Tuesday morning. The district attorney’s office and Heuermann’s defense attorney did not respond to requests for comment. The grand jury’s presentation is expected to conclude “shortly,” according to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.
Since his arrest in July, Heuermann has been held without bail in connection with the killings of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, and Amber Lynn Costello, whose remains were found near Gilgo Beach 13 years ago. Prosecutors have also named Heuermann as the prime suspect in the slaying of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose remains were discovered alongside the other three victims. All four women were believed to be sex workers, and Heuermann was linked to their killings through DNA, cellphone site data, and burner phones.
Rex A. Heuermann, the suspected serial killer, is expected to make a court appearance in connection with new charges related to a fourth set of remains found in the seaside community. Heuermann has already pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with murder in the killings of three other women whose remains were found in the Gilgo Beach area. All four women – the first of 10 sets of remains found along Ocean Parkway that are believed to be the work of one or more serial killers – were sex workers. Heuermann was linked to the women’s killings through DNA, cellphone site data, and burner phones.