Current:Home > InvestRekubit Exchange:Gilgo Beach Murders Case: Authorities Detail Suspect Rex Heuermann's "Concerning" Internet History -BeyondProfit Compass
Rekubit Exchange:Gilgo Beach Murders Case: Authorities Detail Suspect Rex Heuermann's "Concerning" Internet History
NovaQuant View
Date:2025-04-10 06:03:15
Authorities say they've unearthed chilling evidence in the case of the Long Island serial killer—including his alarming search history.
Days after suspect Rex Heuermann was arrested and Rekubit Exchangecharged in connection to the murders of three women found in Gilgo Beach over a decade ago, the prosecuting attorney on the case has given insight into their investigation.
According to authorities, once Heuermann was identified as a suspect, they say that investigators were able to trace his burner phones, which led to the discovery of additional burner phones, fake email accounts and false identities he had used in the process of "gathering a massive amount of digital evidence and trace evidence."
"We saw all this, really sort of concerning searches that he was undergoing," Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told People July 19. "In a 14-month period, over 200 times, he's searching for information about the Gilgo investigation. He's trying to figure out what we're up to."
According to NBC New York, prosecutors said questions included in his search history included, "Why could law enforcement not trace the calls made by the long island serial killer" and "Why hasn't the long island serial killer been caught." Additionally, investigators also allege they found hundreds of internet searches about sexual abuse toward women and child pornography, as well as searches for victims and their families.
"He was obsessively looking at the victims," Tierney noted. "But he's also looking at the victim's siblings."
Heuermann was also seemingly captivated by other serial killers, per authorities, with his online history featuring searches for "11 currently active serial killers," and "8 Terrifying Active Serial Killers (We Can't Find)."
According to Tierney, Heuermann, a 59-year-old man from Massapequa Park, was "pretty surprised" when he was arrested July 13.
"I think he lived this double life, and he used the anonymity of phones and computers to shield himself from the rest of society," the district attorney said. "Unfortunately for him—and fortunately for the rest of us—he wasn't successful."
Upon his arrest, Heuermann was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Megan Waterman, 22; and Amber Lynn Costello, 27. He pleaded not guilty to all counts at an arraignment on July 14, per his defense attorney Michael J. Brown.
"There is nothing about Mr. Heuermann that would suggest that he is involved in these incidents," Brown said in a July 14 statement to E! News. "And while the government has decided to focus on him despite more significant and stronger leads, we are looking forward to defending him in a court of law before a fair and impartial jury of his peers."
According to NBC News, he is also suspected in the disappearance and death of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, whose remains were also found near Gilgo Beach.
The women were among the remains of 11 people who were discovered after the 2010 disappearance of Shannan Gilbert kickstarted an investigation. (Her remains were found by police on Oak Beach in December 2011.)
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison previously described Heuermann as "a demon that walks amongst us, a predator that ruined families."
"However, even with this arrest, we're not done," Harrison said during a July 14 press conference. "There's more work to do in the investigation in regards to the other victims of the Gilgo Beach bodies that were discovered."
(E! and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
For more true crime updates on your need-to-know cases, head to Oxygen.com.veryGood! (81421)
Related
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- South Carolina Senate approves ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors
- A North Dakota man is sentenced to 15 years in connection with shooting at officers
- Minnesota sports betting bill runs afoul of partisan rancor over state senator’s burglary arrest
- Average rate on 30
- 'Pure evil': Pennsylvania nurse connected to 17 patient deaths sentenced to hundreds of years
- In Israel, Blinken says Hamas must accept cease-fire deal, offers cautious optimism to hostage families
- New Bumble feature gives women a different way to 'make the first move'
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Kentucky judge declines, for now, to lift ban on executions
Ranking
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Judge declares mistrial after jury deadlocks in lawsuit filed by former Abu Ghraib prisoners
- Ex-Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías pleads no contest to domestic battery, placed on probation
- Are Boston Bruins going to blow it again? William Nylander, Maple Leafs force Game 7
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Officials say opioid 'outbreak' in Austin, Texas, linked to 9 deaths and 75 overdoses
- Lewiston bowling alley reopens 6 months after Maine’s deadliest mass shooting
- Proof Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky's Cutest Family Moments Are Always in Fashion
Recommendation
Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
Julia Fox gets real on 'OMG Fashun,' vaping, staying single post-Ye and loving her son
Judge declares mistrial after jury deadlocks in lawsuit filed by former Abu Ghraib prisoners
Are Boston Bruins going to blow it again? William Nylander, Maple Leafs force Game 7
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
Surprise! Young boy has emotional reaction when he unboxes a furry new friend
PGA Tour winner and longtime Masters broadcaster Peter Oosterhuis dies at age 75
China highway collapse sends cars plunging, leaving at least 48 dead, dozens injured