‘Cold as ice’: Serial killer admits to eight murders in case that haunted Long Island for years

‘Cold as ice’: Serial killer admits to eight murders in case that haunted Long Island for years

The long-standing case concluded in a Suffolk County courtroom on Wednesday, as Rex Heuermann, a towering 62-year-old man clad in a black suit and blue tie, stood before a judge and confessed to the brutal slayings of eight women. His admissions detailed a methodical process of strangling and binding each victim before depositing their remains along the secluded shores of Long Island. Heuermann’s responses to the judge’s questions were terse, mostly “Yes,” while avoiding eye contact with the crowd of relatives who had gathered, some of whom fought back tears.

“A lot of people would talk about it – it was not taboo,” said Sandra Symon, a high school classmate of Heuermann. “Everybody had a theory.”

Heuermann, a married father of two, was arrested in 2023 after Suffolk County police linked him to the crimes using DNA found on a pizza box. Initially charged with seven murders, he added another to his tally on Wednesday when he pleaded guilty to the 1996 killing of a woman whose body had been missing for years. The case gained attention in 2010 when investigators uncovered four sets of remains within a quarter mile of Gilgo Beach.

His victims, all believed to be sex workers at the time of their deaths, were often contacted through Craigslist advertisements. In court, Heuermann confirmed that he lured them with promises of money, then killed and dismembered them before leaving the bodies on the beach. He offered little new insight, repeating “strangulation” when asked about the method and “guilty” when entering his plea.

“There wasn’t a jot of remorse in that man’s face,” remarked John Ray, an attorney representing the victims’ families. “He was as cold as ice.” The judge will formally announce his sentencing on 17 June, with multiple life terms expected.

Heuermann’s childhood home in Massapequa Park, a quiet suburb of 18,000, once stood out as an eyesore. Now, the red-shuttered house with green-lined windows draws crowds of reporters and crime enthusiasts. The property, just a block from Joe, who moved there with his wife in 1995, has become a focal point for the community’s past. “It doesn’t fit in the neighbourhood, but what are you going to do?” Joe said, declining to reveal his last name.

During the plea hearing, Heuermann’s ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, and their daughter sat expressionless in the back, the daughter clutching tissues. The family had stayed in the house after his arrest, even cooking on the front porch despite the attention from onlookers. However, as the trial approached, the town seemed ready to move on. “It’s not headlines anymore,” Joe added. “American society has a short memory for things.”