An alleged serial killer who was apprehended by the police asked them whether his name was in the news, according to the Long Island prison officers who processed him.
Father-of-two, Rex Heuermann, was arrested last week in connection with three murders more than decade ago, although there may be more.
The 59-year-old has been charged with the murders of three women – all sex workers – and is a suspect in an investigation into a fourth murder.
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He is reported to have asked whether his case was ‘in the news’ after he was picked up by the police outside his office in Midtown last week.
The murders became known as the ‘Gilgo Four’ after the remains were discovered near to Gilgo Beach in 2010.
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello.
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However, the district attorney in the area says that there has been a flood of evidence and information that has come to light since his arrest.
Speaking to CNN, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said: “We feel we can prove these three murders.”
An investigator into the cold case murders first identified Heuermann as a suspect after just a month of looking into events in February 2022.
Major Stephen Udice said at a press briefing: “This was the first time that Rex Heuermann’s name had come up and the first time that he had been identified as a potential suspect,
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“At that time, the task force worked as a team to move forward with that information, and the investigation ultimately confirmed that Rex Heuermann was in fact the individual responsible for at minimum the deaths of three women.”
In total 11 bodies – mainly women – were found in the beach area in 2010.
The case was reopened once again after former New York Police Department chief Rodney Harrison took over as commissioner in the area, before a joint county and state team was launched, and eventually led the police to suspect Heuermann.
Heuermann’s distinctive green Chevrolet Avalanche was identified by someone involved with one of the victims, who also said that the killer was a large ‘ogre’, police said.
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Heuermann’s Massapequa Park home has since been searched, with 300 weapons, video equipment and other items taken out.
There’s also a storage facility that police have been searching, reportedly looking for any evidence or ‘trophies’ from the alleged crimes.
“We’re just going through his house looking to see if there’s any evidence,” a police source said of the search of the architect's home.
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“If he has any trophies.”
Heuermann, who owns an architecture firm, is being held without bail at Suffolk County Jail.
Tom Wood