Rex Heuermann, the admitted Gilgo Beach serial killer whose crimes haunted Long Island for more than a decade, is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in Suffolk County Court, where he is expected to receive multiple consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Heuermann, 62, of Massapequa Park, pleaded guilty in April to the murders of seven women and admitted to an eighth killing, bringing an abrupt end to a case that had been headed toward trial.
Prosecutors said he confessed to killing Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Valerie Mack and Sandra Costilla. He also admitted responsibility for the 1996 murder of Karen Vergata.
Under the plea agreement, Heuermann is expected to receive three consecutive life sentences for the murders of Barthelemy, Waterman and Costello, along with a consecutive sentence of 100 years to life for the murders of Brainard-Barnes, Taylor, Costilla and Mack.
He waived his right to appeal and agreed to cooperate with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit.
The sentencing marks the latest chapter in a case that captivated the nation after the remains of several victims were discovered along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach beginning in 2010.
The investigation remained unsolved for years before a multi-agency task force renewed efforts and ultimately linked Heuermann to the killings through DNA evidence, cellphone records and other forensic evidence.
Family members of the victims are expected to address the court before the sentence is imposed.