Gilgo Beach murder suspect expected to be charged in death of 4th woman: Sources

Rex Heuermann, accused of killing three women, will appear in court Tuesday.

January 13, 2024, 10:53 AM

Alleged serial killer Rex Heuermann returns to court next week on Long Island where he is expected to be charged in the death of a fourth woman whose remains were found in a marshy spot near Gilgo Beach, multiple sources told ABC News.

Heuermann, 60, is already charged with killing three women whose bodies were found wrapped in burlap in close proximity and prosecutors have said he is the prime suspect in the death of a fourth, Maureen Brainard-Barnes.

Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to killing Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello, all of whom were found dead in December 2010. He is being held without bail.

PHOTO: In this Aug. 1, 2023, file photo, Rex A. Heuermann appears before Judge Timothy P. Mazzei in Suffolk County Court, in Central Islip, New York.
In this Aug. 1, 2023, file photo, Rex A. Heuermann appears before Judge Timothy P. Mazzei in Suffolk County Court, in Central Islip, New York.
James Carbone, Pool via Getty Images, FILE

He is due back in court in Riverhead Tuesday when prosecutors are expected to announce that a grand jury has returned an indictment charging him with a fourth murder, the sources said.

Brainard-Barnes was found wrapped with a belt that had a distinctive buckle bearing the initials WH, which could stand for Heuermann's father, prosecutors have said.

There was no immediate comment from the Suffolk County District Attorney's office, which is handling the prosecution of Heuermann. The suspect is an architect who investigators linked to the women, all sex workers, through DNA evidence, including a sample taken from pizza crust in the trash outside his Manhattan office.

There are six other Gilgo Beach victims whose deaths remain unsolved.

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