The attorney representing Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann indicated that his client may seek to have separate trials for each of the six murders he is accused of having committed, reports say.
At the hearing, prosecutors turned over "voluminous" amounts of evidence, including 30 terabytes of data seized from electronic devices taken from Heuermann's Massapequa Park home and 1,600 pages of lab reports.
In addition, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney revealed that his office has received over 7,000 tips following the suspect's arrest one year ago.
"This is a case where obviously captured the public's imagination. The public is continuing to provide tips, which is being evaluated," Tierney said.
Michael Brown, Heuermann’s defense attorney, told reporters at the hearing that in addition to attempting to stagger the trials against his client as it relates to the six murder accusations, he's also seeking a change of venue due to the high-profile nature of the case.
“In Suffolk County, everybody knows about this case. In Nassau County, everybody knows about this case. In every other county in our state, I would suggest that everybody knows about this case," Brown said. "So we’re definitely going to explore a potential change in venue.”
Tierney issued a response to Brown's suggestion of an alternate venue, saying, “I think that’s a motion that defense in all likelihood will explore. I think if you look at those reasons why you would want to try these cases together, obviously that is going to be something that the defense is going to look at and make the appropriate decision.”
Heuermann, 60, made national headlines when he was arrested on July 13, 2023, as a suspect in the Gilgo Beach case; he was charged the following day by Tierney in the murders of three of the "Gilgo Four" victims: Amber Lynn Costello, 27, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, and Megan Waterman, 22.
On January 16, 2024, Tierney unsealed additional charges against Heuermann at the Suffolk County Courthouse in Riverhead, tying him to the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, a fourth woman whose remains were discovered near Gilgo Beach; Heuermann was already the prime suspect in her death.
In June, Heuermann was also arraigned and charged with the murders of Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla, bring the number of his alleged victims to six. It was also revealed that Heuermann is under investigation in the 2000 death of Valerie Mack as well.
At his June indictment, Tierney noted that investigators combing Heuermann's home had uncovered numerous horrific “planning documents” for his alleged crimes stored on a hard drive in his computer, including locations where he would dump human remains, as well actions he would undertake to avoid being caught, such as "Wash body inside and all cavities" and "Remember: don't charge gas."
Heuermann, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, has been held without bail since his arrest.