On Tuesday, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney officially indicted suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann for the alleged death of a seventh victim in the shocking and mounting case against the Massapequa Park resident.
Heuermann, 60, has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of former escort Valerie Mack, 24, according to a superseding indictment unsealed Tuesday. Mack's decapitated and dismembered body had previously been discovered in Manorville in 2000, wrapped in a plastic bag and bound with duct tape, according to a bail application released with the new indictment.
"Moreover, both of her hands had been severed from her body, above the wrists, and the victim's right leg had also been cut off from her body at the mid calf," the application read. "Ms. Mack's torso, legs and arms were also bound with rope."
The rest of Mack's missing remains were finally discovered in April 2011, off to the side of Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach.
In court Tuesday, Heuermann pleaded not guilty to the newest charges against him; he will continue to be held without bail by Judge Timothy Mazzei.
According to the bail application, Heuermann has connected with Mack's death via DNA of a hair discovered ib Mack's body that later tested positive in connection with Heuermann's wife and daughter; evidence was also gleaned from the content found on over 350 electronic devices that had been seized from his Massapequa Park home.
Document allegedly created by Heuermann were also unveiled by prosecutors containing plans on how to carry out his purported murders, including acquiring supplies such as "rope/cord," "saw/cutting tools," and "foam drain cleaner," a "body prep" section with a reminder to "remove head and hands," and another entitled "DS," which may stand for "dump site," which officials say had one location listed where Mack's remains were discovered.
"The lives of these women matter. We, as investigators, understand that. No one understands that more than the families," DA Tierney said at a news conference.
Tierney also noted that Heuermann was discovered to have kept clippings from newspaper and magazine stories about the Gilgo Beach murders, including the cover of People Magazine.
Heuermann 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 Massapequa Park 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, bringing the number of his alleged victims at the time to six. Tuesday's indictment in connection with the death of Valerie Mack brings the number of Heuermann's alleged victims to seven.
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to all charges. A trial date has yet to be set.