The families of seven victims spoke to the court about the hell Heuermann put them through — some finding peace, others vowing revenge

After nearly two hours of testimony from the families of Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, Amber Costello, 27, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Jessica Taylor, 20, Valerie Mack, 24, and Sandra Costilla, 28, Rex Heuermann was given three life sentences for their murders, to be served consecutively. He was also 25 years to life on four additional second-degree murder charges. Heuermann, also known at the Long Island Serial Killer, remained largely impassive during victim impact statements.

The 62-year-old Massapequa, Long Island, resident pleaded guilty to seven murders on April 8, 2026 in exchange for several life sentences with no possibility of parole. He also admitted to killing 34-year-old Karen Vergata, but was not charged with her death, due to the plea deal. Heuermann gave up his right to appeal in exchange for no further prosecution for the eight victims. He also agreed to be interviewed by the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. 

Judge Timothy Mazzei brought the sentencing proceedings to order at 9:30 a.m. this morning at the Arthur M. Cromarty Court Complex in Suffolk County, New York. Heuermann entered the room wearing two sets of handcuffs, given his stature, according to documentarian Josh Zeman.

One by one, the victims’ families took the stand to address Heuermann. Per Zeman, Valerie’s adopted mother, JoAnn Mack, told him: “What you have done is beyond words…but you have never been able to touch her soul.” Taylor’s cousin, Violet Swager, tore into Heuermann, calling him a failure and a loser, while her other cousin, Jasmine Robinson, talked about a mocking call she received from the killer after Jessica’s death. “I can’t even put into words the eviscerating hatred I have for you,” she continued, according to ABC 7. “You fill me with so much repugnance.”

Brainard-Barnes’ sister, Missy Cann, then said her piece, recounting decades of survivor’s guilt she has come to accept is not her fault — but Heuermann’s. In some ways, she said, she’s also his victim. “She was not just murdered. She was the victim of a predator, a serial killer,” Cann added. “You are a coward who preyed on vulnerable, innocent women.”

Amanda Funderburg, Barthelemy’s sister, raged against the man who killed her loved one, vowing revenge against him and telling him “save me a spot in hell because I’ll see you there,” according to Zeman. Meanwhile, Megan Waterman’s family called upon folks to not forget the Asian Doe and Shannan Gilbert, who were also found dead in the same area but have not been officially connected to Heuermann.

The court then read a statement from Amber Costello’s sister, Kimberly Overstreet, who said that she’s found god and direction after struggling due to her sister’s murder. Sandra Costilla’s sister, Ruth Ramos, also submitted a statement, thanking Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney for finally bringing her peace following decades of confusion. Tierney then addressed the judge, asking for Heuermann to receive the maximum sentence. “[You’re] a remorseless and sadist serial killer,” Tierney told Heuermann.

Heuermann then said, simply: “The words I would say have no meaning and I’m going to leave it there.”

Judge Mazzei was not moved. “I know you are sorry you got caught, aren’t you a little sorry for what you did?” he asked. Heuermann replied in the affirmative, but Mazzei continued. “You are disgusting and despicable small man — if you are a man at all.” The judge then sentenced him to life without parole, telling court officers, “Get him out of here,” to applause from the room.

For decades, New York has been haunted by a shady figure known as the Long Island Serial Killer, who was thought responsible for a string of unsolved murders from 1993 until 2011. “The Gilgo Four” — named for the beach where the bodies were found — were discovered in 2010 during a search for Shannan Gilbert, who police believe died accidentally. Those women included Brainard-Barnes, Barthelemy, Waterman, and Costello, who police say were all found wrapped in camouflage-style burlap in the same area. Each was a small woman in their twenties who had advertised sex work on Craigslist. Police labored for over a decade since their discovery to find their killer, but the investigation stalled out, mired in scandal. 

In 2022, DA Tierney launched a new task force to dig into the case, and in July of 2023, former architect Heuermann was arrested outside his Manhattan office. He was first charged with the murders of Barthelemy, Waterman, and Costello — then Brainard-Barnes, Taylor, Mack, and Costilla. Due to a 32-page court document detailing the profusion of evidence that led to his arrest, he was held without bail.

During the course of their investigation, prosecutors found DNA evidence linking Heuermann to crime scenes, written plans for past and future murders, and more than 300 guns in his home. Investigators matched DNA from hair found at a crime scene to DNA taken from Heuermann’s discarded pizza crust, tossed in Midtown Manhattan, near his office. Police initially homed in on Heuermann when they were able to connect him to a truck seen picking up one of the victims in 2010. Cellphone data also helped tie Heuermann to victims’ families, as he called them to mock their pain on a burner phone, purchased with his credit card.