New York Architect Pleads Not Guilty to Seventh Gilgo Beach Murder Charge

A New York architect, already facing charges in the infamous Gilgo Beach killings, was indicted for the murder of a seventh woman on Tuesday.

Rex Heuermann has been charged with the murder of Valerie Mack, whose remains were first discovered on Long Island in 2000. Mack was an escort in Philadelphia and was last seen by her family in New Jersey that same year.

Partial skeletal remains of Mack were found in Manorville, New York, in 2000, approximately 50 miles (80 kilometres) east of where more of her remains were discovered on Gilgo Beach over a decade later. Her identity was confirmed through genetic testing in 2020.

Earlier this year, human hair found with Mack’s remains was tested and matched the genetic profile of Heuermann’s daughter, prosecutors revealed. Heuermann’s daughter, who would have been three or four years old at the time of Mack’s death, is not suspected of any wrongdoing.

On Tuesday, in a courtroom in Riverhead, New York, Heuermann pleaded not guilty to the charges, stating, “I’m not guilty of any of these charges, your honour.”

Following the court appearance, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office was expected to hold a news conference with local and state law enforcement.

Heuermann is also accused of murdering six other women whose remains were found on Long Island.

The Gilgo Beach killings investigation began in 2010 when police, searching for a missing woman, discovered 10 sets of human remains along a barrier island parkway, raising fears of a serial killer.

Investigators have utilised DNA analysis and other evidence to identify the victims, many of whom were sex workers, and connected them to remains found elsewhere on Long Island. The case has persisted through five police commissioners, over 1,000 tips, and doubts about the existence of a serial killer.

Heuermann, who resided in Massapequa Park on Long Island with his wife and two children, and commuted to his Manhattan architecture office, was arrested on 13 July 2023. He is charged with the murders of Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman, and Melissa Barthelemy, and earlier this year, he was accused of the deaths of three other women—Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Sandra Costilla, and Jessica Taylor. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Prosecutors revealed in a June court filing that a hard drive found in Heuermann’s basement contained files used to “methodically blueprint” his killings, including checklists and lessons for “next time.”

During recent searches of Heuermann’s home and office, authorities discovered old magazines and newspapers featuring articles about the Gilgo Beach killings, which prosecutors believe he kept as “souvenirs” or “mementos.” One such item was a July 29, 2003, copy of the New York Post that included an article about the disappearance and deaths of Mack and Taylor.

Prosecutors are also investigating the death of Karen Vergata, whose remains were found in 1996 and identified in 2022 through new DNA analysis.

In September, authorities released new renderings of an unidentified victim discovered in 2011, stating the victim, previously identified as male, may have presented as female and died in 2006.

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