In a pivotal ruling for the Gilgo Beach murder case, a Suffolk judge said Wednesday that DNA analysis tying suspect Rex A. Heuermann to six victims will be allowed at trial.
State Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei determined that advanced testing performed by Astrea Forensics using whole genome sequencing met the threshold for admissibility. Prosecutors say the results link Heuermann to hairs recovered with the victims’ remains.
“We won; the evidence is admissible,” District Attorney Ray Tierney said after the hearing, calling the decision a significant step for the prosecution.
Defense attorney Michael J. Brown countered that the science is not broadly accepted and promised to challenge the ruling. “We disagree with the court’s decision,” Brown said. “This fight is far from over.” The defense filed a new motion immediately, arguing the lab lacked proper New York State accreditation and therefore should never have been allowed to test the samples.
Heuermann, a 60-year-old architect from Massapequa Park, has been jailed in Riverhead since his July 2023 arrest. He has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder connected to the deaths of women whose bodies were found near Gilgo Beach and elsewhere on Long Island between 1993 and 2010.
The case has drawn national attention since police first discovered remains along Ocean Parkway in 2010. Prosecutors have described Heuermann as meticulous, citing digital files they say detailed steps for covering up the crimes.
Relatives of the victims welcomed the court’s decision. Joann Mack, whose daughter Valerie was among the victims, said: “Very pleased, very pleased — this is the result we hoped for.”
Heuermann’s trial date has not yet been set.