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Architect to admit guilt in additional murder
Rex Heuermann, the Long Island architect accused of killing seven women linked to the Gilgo Beach serial murders, is set to plead guilty to the 1996 death of an eighth victim, Karen Vergata, sources told the BBC.
Updated 08 April 2026 - Suffolk County prosecutors have scheduled a news conference following Wednesday's court appearance.
Case background
Heuermann, 62, was arrested in July 2023 outside his Manhattan office. He has pleaded not guilty to the murders of seven women whose remains were discovered along Gilgo Beach between 2010 and 2011. The victims, most of them sex workers, disappeared between 1993 and 2010.
Investigators believe the killings began in 1996 after partial remains found on Fire Island that year were later matched to remains unearthed on Gilgo Beach. Most victims were recovered near Heuermann's Long Island residence.
New guilty plea expected
John Ray, an attorney representing some of the victims' families, confirmed to the BBC that Heuermann will enter a guilty plea during Wednesday's court hearing. The plea covers the 1996 disappearance of Karen Vergata, whose partial remains were identified in 2023. Vergata was 34 when she vanished.
Evidence and investigation
Prosecutors allege Heuermann kept a planning document outlining potential obstacles-such as DNA, tire marks, and bloodstains-and methods for avoiding detection. The document also included research on killing techniques and reflections on past murders.
During the investigation, authorities seized over 300 firearms and hundreds of electronic devices from Heuermann's home. Charges were filed in stages: initially for the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Costello, 27, followed by additional counts for Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Jessica Taylor, 20, Valerie Mack, 24, and Sandra Costilla, 28.
Next steps
The Suffolk County District Attorney's office announced plans for a news conference after Wednesday's court proceeding to disclose a "major development" in the case. Officials have not provided further details.
"The evidence paints a chilling picture of meticulous planning and calculated violence," a prosecutor stated in earlier court filings.
