The suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer was back in court for another pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, during which time prosecutors shared some new information about the man accused of killing seven women.
Prosecutors with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office revealed that Rex Heuermann spent about four summers in the 1980s working at Jones Beach, which allowed him to become very familiar with the area where the remains of six his seven alleged victims were found.
"This defendant is a serial killer who meticulously and methodically hunted down and murdered seven women," said DA Ray Tierney.
The prosecution argued on Tuesday that Heuermann should get one trial for all seven of those alleged victims, after the defense sought to have the case separated into five different trials.
Judge Tim Mazzei did not rule on that question, nor on whether the prosecution's DNA evidence can be used in the case. A California lab's DNA testing — which linked hairs found on the victims to Heuermann — has never before been used in a New York criminal case.
But the DA sounded confident the evidence would be allowed in court.
"This is sound science. It is the future of DNA analysis," said Tierney. "This science has been around for many years and if the defense wants to call it magic, that’s fine."
For Heuermann, his attorney said that the more he has looked at the evidence, the more he is convinced his client is not the killer prosecutors make him out to be.
A hearing to contest the admissibility of the evidence was set for March 12, further delaying the start of the trial. Heuermann was arrested in Summer 2023, and the case has yet to go before a jury.
Heuermann's defense team said their client is "being patient" as he waits behind bars throughout the process of pre-trial hearings, "because he knows how important" the hearings are.
"He knows the progress of the case, or lack thereof, and he too doesn’t want it rushed," said Heuermann's attorney, Michael Brown. "He’s holding up OK, looking forward to his day in court and we’ll get there."
What was determined on Tuesday: the location of the trial. The defense now believes Heuermann should get his day in court in Suffolk County.
"The residents of Suffolk county, who are familiar with what goes on in Suffolk county, we are looking forward to having them sit in that courtroom," Brown said.
