- Joined
- Aug 13, 2013
- Messages
- 16,379
- Reaction score
- 171,581
While news of Heuermann’s willingness to plead guilty broke in late March, his desire to admit to the killings developed much closer to September, officials said in the aftermath of Wednesday’s hearing.
Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said the defense first approached prosecutors about a potential guilty plea shortly after State Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei issued his Sept. 3 decision allowing nuclear DNA evidence to be presented at trial."It all came together rather quickly," the district attorney told Newsday in an interview hours after the plea was accepted.
Defense attorney Michael J. Brown, of Central Islip, declined to give a time frame for the plea but acknowledged the judge’s decision regarding DNA was "monumental" and helped lead his client to change his mind."We then pivoted and did our best to protect his interest," Brown said. Decision was all his…
When Heuermann stood across from Tierney and admitted killing Karen Vergata, whose death was never charged, that wasn’t the first time he was acknowledging that to prosecutors.Tierney said Heuermann previously entered into a proffer agreement with the government…
He met Vergata the month she died. Because Heuermann was never charged in Vergata’s death, the evidence connecting him to that crime are less known and we will never know if a grand jury would have charged him with the murder."We had evidence linking him to the commission of this case," Tierney said. "Whether we would have indicted it, I’m not sure. Once he accepted responsibility for it, that concluded our investigation. We took the win and went with it."
Brown said Wednesday that he expects Heuermann will speak at his sentencing June 17, when Mazzei will also hear from Brown, prosecutors and the families of the victims.
"I suspect at sentencing he’ll have something to say and I’ll leave it at that," Brown told reporters.
When asked if he suspects Heuermann will provide additional details about the killings at that time, Brown gave a one-word response: "No."
Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said the defense first approached prosecutors about a potential guilty plea shortly after State Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei issued his Sept. 3 decision allowing nuclear DNA evidence to be presented at trial."It all came together rather quickly," the district attorney told Newsday in an interview hours after the plea was accepted.
Defense attorney Michael J. Brown, of Central Islip, declined to give a time frame for the plea but acknowledged the judge’s decision regarding DNA was "monumental" and helped lead his client to change his mind."We then pivoted and did our best to protect his interest," Brown said. Decision was all his…
When Heuermann stood across from Tierney and admitted killing Karen Vergata, whose death was never charged, that wasn’t the first time he was acknowledging that to prosecutors.Tierney said Heuermann previously entered into a proffer agreement with the government…
He met Vergata the month she died. Because Heuermann was never charged in Vergata’s death, the evidence connecting him to that crime are less known and we will never know if a grand jury would have charged him with the murder."We had evidence linking him to the commission of this case," Tierney said. "Whether we would have indicted it, I’m not sure. Once he accepted responsibility for it, that concluded our investigation. We took the win and went with it."
Brown said Wednesday that he expects Heuermann will speak at his sentencing June 17, when Mazzei will also hear from Brown, prosecutors and the families of the victims.
"I suspect at sentencing he’ll have something to say and I’ll leave it at that," Brown told reporters.
When asked if he suspects Heuermann will provide additional details about the killings at that time, Brown gave a one-word response: "No."
Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann's guilty plea answered crucial questions while raising new ones
Eight new facts we learned this week about the Long Island serial killer case.
www.newsday.com
