Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann will face one trial for all seven murder charges he’s facing, Judge Timothy Mazzei ruled on Tuesday, September 23.
Mazzei made the decision after Heuermann’s attorneys sought to break up the cases into separate trials, according to ABC News. While one single trial will cover all of the charges, a trial date has not been set. Heuermann is next scheduled to appear in court in January.
Heuermann was arrested in 2023 and pleaded not guilty to the murders of seven women found in or near Gilgo Beach, New York.
Sandra Costilla was the first victim in the string of murders when she was killed in 1993. Valerie Mack was killed in 2000, while Jessica Taylor was killed three years later in 2003. Costilla’s body was found in the North Sea on Long Island, while partial remains of Taylor and Mack were found near Gilgo Beach and in Manorville on Long Island, according to People.
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The murders continued when Maureen Brainard-Barnes was killed in 2007 and was later found near Gilgo Beach. Meanwhile, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Lynn Costello were killed between 2009 and 2010 and their remains were all found in Gilgo Beach.
The new ruling comes one week after Suffolk County prosecutors said in a filing that they’re ready for trial, per ABC News. Prosecutors also certified they turned over all of the evidence to Heuermann’s lawyers, which includes a 723-page inventory and a list of people who may have relevant facts to share about the case.
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Earlier in September, ABC News reported that Suffolk County prosecutors submitted DNA evidence they claimed linked Heuermann to six of the seven women he’s been accused of killing. However, the defense sought to have the evidence excluded because it involved the use of whole genome sequencing. Their argument was that the technique was not previously admitted in a criminal trial in New York state. Despite the defense’s argument, the judge ruled that the DNA can be used as evidence in the case, per ABC News.
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