The alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer, Rex Heuermann, resided merely three miles from the notorious Amityville Horror house, a location etched in Long Island's history due to the 1974 family massacre that inspired both a book and a film. Heuermann, 59, spent his childhood and much of his adult life in the Massapequa Park home, which he purchased from his mother in the 1990s. While working as an architect in Manhattan, prosecutors claim he was involved in the murders of sex workers between 2007 and 2010, whose bodies were subsequently discovered along a nearby isolated stretch of highway. Adding another layer to the narrative, Heuermann also has a connection to a storage facility located close to the Amityville Horror house, the contents of which are currently under investigation by authorities.
The Amityville Horror house gained notoriety after Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his family there in 1974. Five decades later, Heuermann, who lived a short distance away, is accused of similar heinous crimes. Interestingly, Heuermann's residence is also located near the former Nassau County police academy. DeFeo's crimes involved the killing of his parents and four siblings, after which he attempted to dispose of evidence in a canal and storm drain before going to work. He initially tried to blame the murders on a mob hitman but eventually confessed and directed law enforcement to the location of the murder weapon and other evidence.
The Amityville house, bought by the Lutz family after the DeFeo murders, became infamous for alleged paranormal events that prompted the family to leave abruptly. Its waterfront location, with a boathouse linked to Gilgo Beach via canals and the Great South Bay, adds a chilling connection to Heuermann's alleged crimes. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, who were killed between 2007 and 2010. He is also the primary suspect in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes. A multi-agency task force connected Heuermann to the crimes through witness testimony, phone records, and DNA evidence obtained from a discarded pizza box in New York City.
The DNA from the pizza crust matched a hair sample from the victims, linking Heuermann to the crimes. The bodies of the four women were discovered along Ocean Parkway in December 2010. Heuermann's next court appearance is scheduled for August 1st, and if found guilty, he faces a potential sentence of life in prison without parole.
