Liliana Waterman, daughter of Megan Waterman, a victim of Rex Heuermann, spoke outside the court alongside other family members in Riverhead, New York, on Wednesday.
Families Confront Gilgo Beach Serial Killer
Families of eight women killed by Rex Heuermann confronted the Gilgo Beach serial killer at his sentencing on Wednesday in Riverhead, New York, more than three decades after the 62-year-old Manhattan architect began his killing spree.
Heuermann pleaded guilty to murdering seven women and admitted to killing an eighth victim in April. Just before being sentenced to life in prison without parole, he offered a weak, generalized apology.
“Everything that has been said is true,” he said. “There are no words I can say. The words I would say have no meaning.”
Judge Timothy Mazzei exploded in response, calling the serial killer a “disgusting and pathetic, small man, if you are a man at all. You are a coward.”
Victim Impact Statements
Kimberly Overstreet, sister of Amber Costello, called Heuermann “a raging, murdering sex addict.” Liliana Waterman, who was three when her mother Megan Waterman was killed, recalled learning about the crime: “I came across an article about her. That was the moment I truly understood what happened. I remember asking what ‘prostitute’ and ‘pimp’ meant.”
Waterman said her heart had been broken and “for years I tried to find a place where I felt like I belonged.” Her aunt, Elizabeth Meserve, told the serial killer: “Begone, you evil demon.”
Jasmine Robinson, cousin of Jessica Taylor, told Heuermann: “You fill me with so much repugnance, I can’t stand it. A million years isn’t enough. Nothing will ever make this right.”
“Justice has been done, but it can’t replace what has been taken,” said JoAnn Mack, mother of Valerie Mack. “She had dreams, and you took them all away from her.”
Maureen Brainard-Barnes’s sister, Melissa Cann, described living with “survivor’s guilt” for decades. “It was a weight I carried everywhere,” Cann said, sobbing. But that guilt is “not mine to carry. It is for Rex and Rex alone.”
As sentencing concluded, Judge Mazzei said: “All right, get him out of here.” The courtroom erupted in chants of “ogre, ogre” and applause.
Prosecutor's Remarks
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told the court that Heuermann continued to profit from and control his ex-wife through her participation in a recent documentary. “He has sought to enrich and manipulate from behind bars,” Tierney said. “Eight young women were needlessly and brutally murdered at the hand of this defendant.”
Tierney slammed Heuermann for calling Amanda Funderburg, sister of Melissa Barthelemy, with Barthelemy’s phone to taunt her. Funderberg described the call, in which Heuermann told her what he had done to her sister. She demanded he look at her while she spoke: “I hope you suffer in the way my sister suffered. Save a spot in hell, I’ll see you there.”
Attorney's Comments
Outside court, John Ray, attorney for Shannan Gilbert’s family, said the victim impact statements were “extraordinarily well done” but had “absolutely no impact on him.” Ray also said Heuermann “very likely murdered in other states,” citing “credible evidence” from women in Florida, Virginia, Philadelphia, and possibly Anchorage, Alaska.
The sentencing concludes an investigation that began in 2011 when four sets of remains were discovered along Long Island’s South Shore, known as the Gilgo Four. All victims were sex workers, and police faced accusations of carelessness and corruption. A taskforce established in 2022 and FBI involvement led to Heuermann’s arrest in 2023 after DNA and cellphone records connected him to a dark Chevrolet Avalanche.
Heuermann pleaded guilty to seven murders and confessed to an eighth, using “strangulation” on all victims: Barthelemy, Mack, Taylor, Waterman, Costello, Brainard-Barnes, Costilla, and Vergata.
