Gilgo Beach LISK Serial Killer, Rex Heuermann, charged with 3 murders, July 2023

[Betty P]

From @Just K previous thread:

We have tried so hard and been so close. So many saw the Massapequa connection, the motel circuit, and the hunter connections. Imagine if LE had followed DS’s leads. We even knew about DS’s comments of the guy, his size and possible truck- as far back as 2011.

Who is DS ... ?

I think she's referring to Amber Costello's roommate, Dave Schaller, who saw Rex H and his truck when he came to pick up Amber. When she didn't return and was classified missing. Schaller went to Suffolk County PD with the info and tried to get them to investigate. They wouldn't. His tip was reviewed years later by the Task Force and NY State Police, who traced around and found Rex H. That's how he was finally arrested.

He came face to face with Rex Heuermann. 12 years later, his tip helped crack the Gilgo case

In the winter of 2010, shortly after police discovered the remains of his roommate and three other women buried on a remote stretch of Long Island shoreline, Dave Schaller provided detectives with a description of the person he believed to be the killer. More crucially, Schaller told them about...

www.nbcnewyork.com

Twelve years later....

The man they were looking for was a towering, Frankenstein-like figure with an “empty gaze” who drove a first-generation Chrysler Avalanche, Schaller recalled telling investigators. The man’s size stuck out, as did his unusual pick-up truck, which he’d used to flee the house Schaller shared with Amber Costello.

On that night, Schaller said he came home to find the stranger threatening Costello, an occasional sex worker, who had locked herself in the bathroom. The two men came to blows, with the hulking intruder eventually leaving in the truck.

Prosecutors say Costello was last seen alive on Sept. 2, 2010, as she left her home to meet that same client. A witness saw a dark-colored truck drive by the house again shortly after she left.

“When they told me she was dead, he was the first person who jumped in my head,” Schaller told The Associated Press. “I’ve been picturing his face for 13 years.”

 

[sds71]

…Ed Mack, the adoptive father of Valerie Mack, said he believes prosecutors will likely charge Heuermann in her death later this year. Tierney said he is certainly a suspect.

Mack said he’s pleased to see how the investigation has progressed.

“It shows the police are looking at all the leads and data … it looks like they are really mining the evidence,” he said...

Bittrolff’s attorneys with the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County said in a statement to Newsday that Heuermann’s arrest in the killing of Costilla “calls into question” Bittrolff’s conviction on the other murders.

“Today, we know that Bittrolff was not the perpetrator of Sandra Costilla’s murder and we will be pursuing all legal avenues to challenge Mr. Bittrolff’s convictions,” reads the statement from attorneys Lisa Marcoccia and Felice Milani.

Gilgo Beach killings: Suspect Rex Heuermann had a 'manifesto' to plan and carry out killings, prosecutors said

The "manifesto," discovered when a laptop seized in a July 2023 search warrant on his home, gave investigators the "blueprint" to understand just how Heuermann operated, the prosecutor added.

www.newsday.com

 

[IDK]

Not sure how to link the post from the last thread, but I’m now wondering if the 95lb classmate in his theatre class that he pulled up in the air with the curtain ropes was the original muse for his murders…

I could be reading too much into it, but I definitely think RH drew on his theatre experience (whether consciously or not) when planning his killings.
In his HK document, under PREP, he listed:

“SET-UP STAGE
HOLDING AREA
BUILD TABLE”

All skills he would have learned in stage crew…..

 

[rickstyles84]

I am haunted by that document and the fact that a T1 is listed with a phone number.

So matter of fact and chilling.

 

[Izzylizzy]

What happened to the old "my client said he didn't do this" or your "this case is circumstantial" ?


'Heuermann's attorney, Michael Brown, said outside court that he couldn't immediately discuss the new charges.

"Heuermann’s attorney, Michael Brown, entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of his client. Outside of court, Brown said he could not immediately discuss the new charges.

"It’s hard for me to comment without looking at documents and without speaking to my client and looking into the evidence," Brown told reporters. "It wouldn’t be fair for me to comment at this point in time."

Accused Gilgo killer indicted in murders of 2 more women, including previously unknown victim

The New York City architect arrested last year in connection with a string of cold case bodies found on Long Island’s Gilgo Beach has been charged with murder in the deaths of two more victims, including one whose name hadn’t been publicly associated with the investigation prior to Thursday...

www.nbcnewyork.com

 

[IDK]

I’m curious if anyone here has read the book “Mind Hunter” mentioned in the documents today? If it’s graphic I would not be able to read it, but wonder if it could provide any more insight?

 

[CuriousCricket]

From @Just K previous thread:

We have tried so hard and been so close. So many saw the Massapequa connection, the motel circuit, and the hunter connections. Imagine if LE had followed DS’s leads. We even knew about DS’s comments of the guy, his size and possible truck- as far back as 2011.

Who is DS ... ?

DS is the man who shared the apartment with Amber Costello. DS reported the ogre-looking man, driving the dark green Chevy Avalanche, who picked Amber up just before she disappeared.

@justk -- Even if RH had been discovered in 2011, would the technology have been advanced enough to convict him? The important DNA testing, especially, is available only recently as DNA testing and understanding was in its infancy. DNA itself was only discovered in 1953, but testing actually began in the 1970s-80s.

The History of DNA Testing: From Discovery to Modern Applications

Exploring our history, forecasting our future, and unraveling the secrets of existence, DNA testing has transformed the globe in ways that its discoverers, Watson and Crick who identified the double helix structure, might not have imagined in 1953. An article discussing this topic highlights how...

thednatests.com

Cell phone technology and tracking as well as computer technology are also much evolved from 2011. If the cases were investigated then, would there have been enough to convict him?

Bittrolff was convicted based on his DNA being on the bodies. Did you note that the hair on Sandra Costilla was sent for comparison to Bittrolff's but came back as not a match? Because it matched RH's.

As for his conviction, this morning Sarge Joe noted that in addition to the DNA Bittrolff was convicted because his brother Timothy testified that he had helped John Bittrolff dispose of one of the bodies.
Pretty much convicts JB in my mind.

Only, that was under the Thomas Spota (2002-2017 as DA) and James Burke era -- I do wonder if there's any chance Spota had leverage to coerce the brother into testifying . . . yep, just googled it. Timothy was discovered a partial match for the DNA because Timothy's DNA was taken after he violated an Order of Protection, per the Wikipedia article on John.

My distrust of Spota and Burke makes me wonder . . .

 

[Betty P]

I could be reading too much into it, but I definitely think RH drew on his theatre experience (whether consciously or not) when planning his killings.
In his HK document, under PREP, he listed:

“SET-UP STAGE
HOLDING AREA
BUILD TABLE”

All skills he would have learned in stage crew…..

There's another murder where they man believed to be the killer cleaned up and staged the crime scene. It was a murder staged to look like suicide by hanging in the nude. He even painted a message on the door of the room, as if the victim wrote it. Later it was also revealed that he had theater experience.

Rebecca Zahau

Rebecca Zahau Nalepa

Was Rebecca's death a homicide or a suicide?

www.websleuths.com

 

[Deleted member 117884]

I could be reading too much into it, but I definitely think RH drew on his theatre experience (whether consciously or not) when planning his killings.
In his HK document, under PREP, he listed:

“SET-UP STAGE
HOLDING AREA
BUILD TABLE”

All skills he would have learned in stage crew…..

Totally agree.

I also am thinking his stage crew years in high school might have been a happy time for him (and I suspect his sick fantasies started then too).

jmo

 

[Friday13]

What happened to the old "my client said he didn't do this" or your "this case is circumstantial" ?


'Heuermann's attorney, Michael Brown, said outside court that he couldn't immediately discuss the new charges.

"Heuermann’s attorney, Michael Brown, entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of his client. Outside of court, Brown said he could not immediately discuss the new charges.

"It’s hard for me to comment without looking at documents and without speaking to my client and looking into the evidence," Brown told reporters. "It wouldn’t be fair for me to comment at this point in time."

Accused Gilgo killer indicted in murders of 2 more women, including previously unknown victim

The New York City architect arrested last year in connection with a string of cold case bodies found on Long Island’s Gilgo Beach has been charged with murder in the deaths of two more victims, including one whose name hadn’t been publicly associated with the investigation prior to Thursday...

www.nbcnewyork.com

Weather he did, indeed, not get the chance to thoroughly look through the documents or go over the details with RH, he knows enough to know that LE and the DA have a solid case against his client.

I just hope RH starts talking, I don’t know if Brown can get him to, but I hope he does.

 

[Friday13]

I’m curious if anyone here has read the book “Mind Hunter” mentioned in the documents today? If it’s graphic I would not be able to read it, but wonder if it could provide any more insight?

I have not but I’d probably find it interesting

 

[Luna20]

Has anyone seen him talk in court?

 

[Betty P]

DS is the man who shared the apartment with Amber Costello. DS reported the ogre-looking man, driving the dark green Chevy Avalanche, who picked Amber up just before she disappeared.

@justk -- Even if RH had been discovered in 2011, would the technology have been advanced enough to convict him? The important DNA testing, especially, is available only recently as DNA testing and understanding was in its infancy. DNA itself was only discovered in 1953, but testing actually began in the 1970s-80s.

The History of DNA Testing: From Discovery to Modern Applications

Exploring our history, forecasting our future, and unraveling the secrets of existence, DNA testing has transformed the globe in ways that its discoverers, Watson and Crick who identified the double helix structure, might not have imagined in 1953. An article discussing this topic highlights how...

thednatests.com

Cell phone technology and tracking as well as computer technology are also much evolved from 2011. If the cases were investigated then, would there have been enough to convict him?

Bittrolff was convicted based on his DNA being on the bodies. Did you note that the hair on Sandra Costilla was sent for comparison to Bittrolff's but came back as not a match? Because it matched RH's.

As for his conviction, this morning Sarge Joe noted that in addition to the DNA Bittrolff was convicted because his brother Timothy testified that he had helped John Bittrolff dispose of one of the bodies.
Pretty much convicts JB in my mind.

Only, that was under the Spota and James Burke era -- I do wonder if there's any chance Spota had leverage to coerce the brother into testifying . . . yep, just googled it. Timothy was discovered a partial match for the DNA because Timothy's DNA was taken after he violated an Order of Protection, per the Wikipedia article on John.

My distrust of Spota and Burke makes me wonder . . .

I remember in the early days after they first found the bodies being encouraged that new people were coming into Suffolk Co PD, but what a disappointment. When Burke was caught with a briefcase full of porn, etc. in his work car, I had to take a break.

 

[NicMed329]

…Ed Mack, the adoptive father of Valerie Mack, said he believes prosecutors will likely charge Heuermann in her death later this year. Tierney said he is certainly a suspect.

Mack said he’s pleased to see how the investigation has progressed.

“It shows the police are looking at all the leads and data … it looks like they are really mining the evidence,” he said...

Bittrolff’s attorneys with the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County said in a statement to Newsday that Heuermann’s arrest in the killing of Costilla “calls into question” Bittrolff’s conviction on the other murders.

“Today, we know that Bittrolff was not the perpetrator of Sandra Costilla’s murder and we will be pursuing all legal avenues to challenge Mr. Bittrolff’s convictions,” reads the statement from attorneys Lisa Marcoccia and Felice Milani.

Gilgo Beach killings: Suspect Rex Heuermann had a 'manifesto' to plan and carry out killings, prosecutors said

The "manifesto," discovered when a laptop seized in a July 2023 search warrant on his home, gave investigators the "blueprint" to understand just how Heuermann operated, the prosecutor added.

www.newsday.com

I’m wondering also if RH “staged” Sandra’s body to look like the others that Bittrolff was charged for murdering. To throw it off himself? My mind is all over the place!!!

 

[Izzylizzy]

I’m curious if anyone here has read the book “Mind Hunter” mentioned in the documents today? If it’s graphic I would not be able to read it, but wonder if it could provide any more insight?

Here ya go.
On Amazon it has over 5,000 reviews and a 4.5 stars rating which is rare.
You'll find out soon enough from the reviews just how graphic it is.

Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit

Amazon
https://www.amazon.com › Mindhunter-Inside-Elite-Ser...




https://www.amazon.com/Mindhunter-Inside-Elite-Serial-Crime-ebook/dp/B000FC0RRY
The book is about a legendary FBI profiler who delves into the minds of notorious serial killers, providing chilling details of his cases and encounters with ...

 

[Luna20]

Re-the sex party. Refer to these post in thread 11.

#608
#671

 

[sds71]

Suffolk County DA discusses new charges in Gilgo Beach serial killer case

Rex Heuermann, the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer, is facing two more murder charges. Heuermann may have started preying on young women earlier than first believed, according to an investigation by Suffolk County police. NBC News’ Tom Llamas talks to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond...

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Snoopster]

In the previous thread I asked is anyone could provide a 'character list' for the people involved in the case. I don't have a lot of time to understand who everyone is, but here is what I have come up with in the past half hour or so. So clearly I won't have all relevant people listed here. (please let me know who else should be added to the list.)

Victims:
- Megan Waterman - Gilgo 4
- Melissa Barthalomy - Gilgo 4
- Amber Costello - Gilgo 4
- Maureen Brainard-Barnes - Gilgo 4
- Jessica Taylor (charged Jun 6/24) - Died 2003.Found Manorville.
- Sandra Costilla (charged Jen 6/24) - Died 1993. Found Southampton.
- ?? Valerie Mack. No charges yet...but suspected.

Suspect:
Rex Heuermann

Suspect's family:
- wife: Asa Ellerup
- daughter: Victoria Heuermann
- son: Christopher Sheridan. (special needs?)

LE/DA:
- Raymond Tierney (Suffolk County DA)
- Rodney Harrison (detective??)

Attorneys:
- Michael Brown. (Rex Heuermann's attorney)
- Robert (Bob) Macedonio. (Rex's wife's, Asa Ellerup, attorney.)
- John Ray. Represents victim Shannon Gilbert's family.

Other:
- Dave Schaller. Victim Amber Costello's roommate. (Saw Rex H and his truck.)
- Ed Mack. (suspected victim) Valerie's adoptive father.
- John Bittrolff. Previously accused of Sandra Costilla's murder. Murdered 2 other women.

Media:
- Mike Morford. Citizen Detective podcast.
- Joe Ciacolone. (criminologist; former NYPD) Interviewed John Ray, victim's lawyer.


Please provide additions and corrections. Thank you!

 

[Eaglette]

There are so many unaccounted for missing/murdered.
I've digested yesterdays additional two (2) women.
Now I'm angry !

(April 2005, #RexHeuermann timeshare transaction in Las Vegas.
May 2005, Lindsay Marie Harris, a Las Vegas escort goes missing, weeks later her legs are found in Illinois) one of many.

For added creep and stretching out, RH took at least one of his victim's phones and was ringing her family cruelly taunting them, revealing personal family details only the victim could have given him, on one call saying he'd finally killed her & was watching her rot !
Over eleven years later, tech indicates he was still stalking the victim's families.

RH should have been caught at least 10 YEARS AGO.

How many beefy/ogre 6 foot 6" guys own a CHEVY AVALANCHE, live within SIX MILES of Amber Costello’s House, all spotted by a WITNESS?

One guy: RH

 

[Just K]

I still wonder if Heuermann perused this board.

Me too and I wonder if he was a member at any point in time.