Judge Tim Mezzei on Wednesday ruled that Long Island, New York, prosecutors could use DNA evidence against accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann.
The ruling serves as a significant victory for Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, who has led the case charging the murders of seven sex workers between 1993 and 2010 largely based on DNA matches with Heuermann.
“The science was on our side and that’s why we won,” Tierney wrote.
Authorities arrested and charged him with the murders of three sex workers in July 2023, whose bodies were dumped in desolate parts of Long Island.
The New York Post wrote:
He was later charged with four more deaths, and is now accused of killing Valerie Mack, 24, Melissa Taylor, 20, Megan Waterman, 22, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Sandra Costilla, 28, and Amber Lynn Costello, 27.
Their deaths remained unsolved until Suffolk County police reopened the case at Tierney’s urging.
Advanced technology allowed “degraded” DNA samples, which included hair on the victims, to be tested and linked to Heuermann.
Michael Brown, Heuermann’s attorney, criticized the evidence, calling it “magic.” Brown argued in court Wednesday that Astrea Labs, the company that did the DNA testing, is not licensed in New York and the results violate health laws.
Despite the defense’s concerns, the judge ruled in favor of the prosecution.
Asa Ellerup, the accused murderer’s wife, was present in court, but did not comment after the ruling.
