The accused Gilgo Beach serial murderer was charged with murder again on Tuesday, increasing the total number of alleged victims to seven, all of whom were women who were killed close to New York City.
According to court documents, a hair belonging to suspect Rex Heuermann’s wife or daughter was discovered close to victim Valerie Mack’s left wrist. Mack is 24 years old.
Heuermann’s estranged wife is not regarded as a suspect in any of these killings, and their daughter would have been four years old when Mack was killed.
Before her skeleton remains were discovered in 2000 and 2011, Mack was employed as an escort; it took years for her identity to be determined.
According to authorities, Mack’s killer sliced off her right leg, which bore a tattoo of her son’s name.
Prosecutors claim that notes discovered on the suspect’s computer, referred to as his “planning document,” were made “for the removal of identifying marks on the victim’s body,” including tattoos, “prior to packaging the body for transportation.”
The killer allegedly severed “Mack’s lower right leg at mid-calf to inhibit and/or delay the identification of Ms. Mack’s tattoo and therefore, Ms. Mack,” according to court documents filed by the prosecution.
Numerous victims were prostitutes who supposedly met Heuermann after promoting their services.
“The lives of these women matter,” Ray Tierney, the district attorney for Suffolk County, told reporters in Riverhead.
As investigators, we are aware of that. Families are obviously the ones who understand it the best. Therefore, once more, we are incredibly happy, humbled, and grateful to have the opportunity to work with these families.”
In a brief court appearance on Tuesday, Heuermann, 61, denied any role in the killings of the woman or the disposal of her remains, which were discovered on Long Island’s southern shore.
“I am innocent of all these charges, your honor,” he added.
Michael Brown, the defense attorney, declared outside the court that he would target the business that provides DNA testing to investigators.
The defense is also debating whether to request that the seven murder counts be divided into different cases or to have the trial transferred outside of Suffolk County.
“I know he s extremely frustrated, he has said from day one he is not responsible for these murders,” Brown stated to reporters. “He wants his day in court.”
According to police, investigators are still looking into other unsolved homicides in the area to see if Heuermann is connected to them.
Karen Vergata, 34, who was once known as Jane Doe Seven, was killed, but no one has been taken into custody as of yet. Her remains were discovered in sets in 1996 and 2011.
Investigators are still trying to find the murderer of a victim known as “Asian Doe.”Authorities have described the person whose remains were found in 2011 as a biological male of Chinese ethnicity who was dressed in women’s clothing at the time.
“An army of investigations is pursuing numerous cold cases in the area, and it’s impossible to know how many potential victims might be out there,” Tierney said.
The relatives of the fatalities were standing behind the prosecutor as he spoke to media.
Gloria Allred, a lawyer who represents the families of multiple victims, stated, “Let’s be clear, none of the victims deserve to die,” “They were merely attempting to make some money to sustain themselves and their families, and they were all innocent. Every day they are missed, loved, and remembered.
According to officials, Heuermann was charged after Mack’s close ones were kept informed about the investigation.
“They are very grateful,” Tierney stated. “They are very grateful for the small bit of closure that the task force has been able to provide.”
Mack’s accusation follows Heuermann’s alleged murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Sandra Costilla, and Jessica Taylor by Suffolk County prosecutors.
According to officials, Costello and Waterman were killed in 2010, Brainard-Barnes in 2007, Barthelemy in 2009, Taylor in 2003, and Costilla in 1993.
In July 2023, Heuermann, an architect from New York City, was arrested and first charged with the murders of Barthelemy, Waterman, and Costello.
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