In a surprising development, Heuerman has admitted to intentionally causing the death of an eighth victim, Karen Vergata, who disappeared in 1996 and was not identified until 2023, in addition to the seven counts of murder he was charged with.
More than a decade after bodies were discovered in Gilgo Beach and Southampton, Manorville, New York, architect Rex Heuerman pleaded guilty yesterday to a series of murders of young women that began in 1993 and continued until 2010.
In a surprising development, Heuerman admitted in addition to the seven murders he was charged with intentionally causing the death of an eighth victim, Karen Vergata, who disappeared in 1996 and was not identified until 2023.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Heuerman will be sentenced to three consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole for the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello, and four additional terms of 25 years to life in prison for the murders of Maureen Brainard-Burns, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla and Valerie Mack. Sentencing is scheduled for June 17th.
In exchange for admitting to Vergata’s murder, Heuerman will not be charged in a case that has not yet been indicted. As part of his plea agreement, Heuerman also agreed to cooperate with the FBI.
Investigators determined Heuerman’s relationship to the victim using a combination of DNA evidence and location tracking of the disposable cell phone he used to contact the victim. All the victims worked as bodyguards. He was arrested by Special Task Force officers on July 13, 2023, in midtown Manhattan.
Mr. Heuerman founded RH Consultants & Associates Inc., an architecture firm specializing in “New York City Building Codes, New York State Codes, the New York City Department of Buildings and all major city agencies,” according to its website. The company’s customers included Catholic Charities, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, American Airlines, and major corporate customers such as Nike, Target, and Burlington Coat Factory.
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