LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK: The first arrest has been made in a decade-old Gilgo Beach serial killings case. The suspect Rex Heuermann was arrested on Thursday, July 13 late at night while returning home from his Manhattan office. He will be presented before the judge in connection with the first four murders, infamously called as ‘Gilgo Beach four.’ The murders took place in late 2010, and the victims were identified as young prostitutes in their 20s.
The police records show that the victims were strangled before being dumped near the beach in burlap sacks. Several months later six more women were found dead along with a toddler. Notably, Heuermann’s property is located north of Gilgo Beach, in striking proximity to where the bodies were discovered. The 59-year-old architect was interviewed last year by Bonjour Realty, where he boasted about his career. “I was born and raised on Long Island and have been working in Manhattan since 1987. A very long time!” he said.
How was Rex Heuermann caught?
Rex Heuermann, the architect from New York City, was being closely followed by the cops for almost a year. The officials were able to match him to the crimes with the help of phone calls made from burner phones to the victims’ cell phones back in 2010-2011. As per the source, “It was 'good, old fashioned police work' that cracked the case, rather than any DNA developments.” However, it is still unknown what exactly led to the arrest of Heuermann on Thursday. He will appear before a judge in Long Island on Friday noon, July 14, as per the Daily Mail.
John Ray, an attorney representing the family of two of the victims, revealed, “We had a tip about a week ago that they were about to do this. We have two names but we obviously don't want to say unless we're 100% sure.”
'Deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life'
One of the victims’ sisters Sherre Gilbert told NBC News on Shannan Gilbert’s murder, “I am overwhelmed but relieved that they finally caught him. It’s been a long time coming and I never gave up hope that one day justice would be served. The suspect deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life.”
She added, “He destroyed many lives so while it won’t bring our loved ones back, it does help that one less monster is off the streets and he can’t ever hurt anyone else.”