Rex Heuermann was sentenced to multiple life terms without the possibility of parole Wednesday after victims’ relatives delivered emotional statements at a hearing in Riverhead, Long Island.
Judge Timothy Mazzei handed down the life sentences and told Heuermann, "Get him out of here," as cheers erupted in the courtroom.
JoAnn Mack, the adoptive mother of Valerie Mack, told the court, "What you have done to our family is beyond what words can express."
Melissa Cann, a sister of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, said her sibling was "not just murdered, she was the victim of a predator and a serial killer so evil, it has been unbearable."
Amanda Funderburg, a sister of Melissa Barthelemy, called Heuermann an "ogre," a "repulsive monster," and "a demon inside and out," and said, "I hope you take a spot in hell, because I will see you there."
Mazzei asked Heuermann whether there was anything he wished to say; Heuermann replied, "There are no words I can say," and when asked whether he was sorry he killed his victims replied, "Yes, I am."
In early April, Heuermann pleaded guilty to counts related to seven murders and admitted that he intentionally caused the death of an eighth woman, Karen Vergata.
The defendants Heuermann admitted killing include Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Megan Waterman, 22; Amber Costello, 27; Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25; Jessica Taylor, 20; Valerie Mack, 24; Sandra Costilla, 28; and Karen Vergata, 34.
Three women — Barthelemy, Waterman and Costello — disappeared in 2009 and 2010 and were sex workers whose bodies were found on Gilgo Beach; those bodies were bound at the head, midsection and legs by burlap.
Heuermann, a former Manhattan architect who lived in Massapequa Park, was arrested in 2023 and brought into custody by Suffolk County police.
Police tied Heuermann to the murders with DNA from a pizza box and took him into custody at his Midtown Manhattan office, the court heard.
Investigators said the case dated back to discoveries in 2010 when four sets of remains were found within a quarter mile of each other, and police probed the deaths for more than a decade before the arrest.
Officials said a tip and changes in leadership prompted the creation of a task force in 2022 that brought together federal and local law enforcement and led to Heuermann's identification within six weeks.
Family members have alleged that investigators were not aggressive enough early on because several victims were sex workers, and leaders of the investigation later faced separate obstruction scandals.
Relatives described the long-term impact on children, including Nicolette Brainard-Barnes saying she was 7 when her mother disappeared and Liliana Waterman saying she was 4 when her mother's body was found and learned details online years later.
The judge imposed three life sentences for first-degree murder plus 25 years to life on four second-degree murder charges, with the terms running consecutively.