Gilgo Beach killings: Suffolk DA Ray Tierney to prosecute case himself, his office says

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney will lead the team that will prosecute accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex A. Heuermann, a spokeswoman for his office said on Wednesday.

Tierney has already taken a hands-on role in the case by presenting evidence to the grand jury that indicted Heuermann and leading the prosecution at the defendant’s July 14 arraignment. 

"District Attorney Tierney is presenting this case," spokeswoman Tania Lopez told a Newsday reporter Wednesday.

The unusual move will mark the first time Tierney has personally prosecuted a case since he took office in January 2022. He previously served as a federal prosecutor, trying cases in the Eastern District of New York as recently as 2021.

Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to a six-count indictment charging him with first- and second-degree murder in the killings of three women who worked as sex workers and whose remains were discovered in the Gilgo Beach area in 2010 — Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello. Heuermann is also the "prime suspect" in the killing of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose body was found in proximity to the other three women, prosecutors have said. 

The announcement comes one day after the prosecutor announced that a search of Heuermann's home has concluded and the focus of investigators has shifted back to the special grand jury and the Suffolk County Crime Lab as prosecutors work toward an indictment in the Brainard-Barnes killing. 

Investigators are now analyzing volumes of materials seized from Heuermann’s Massapequa Park home, his Manhattan office and properties in Las Vegas and South Carolina. Tierney said this week that any potential trace evidence that was found — which could include blood, DNA and fibers — will be analyzed by scientists in a laboratory. 

Fred Klein, the former chief of the major offense bureau of the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office and a visiting assistant professor of law at Hofstra University, said it was highly unusual for district attorneys to lead prosecution teams. 

“I’ve known Ray Tierney for a long time and I really have respect and admiration for him as an attorney and a prosecutor,” Klein said. “However, I think for him to assume the responsibility of an actual trial will be challenging for him and his office. As the DA, he has responsibility for every case in their office. A new crisis comes up every day in a place like the Suffolk County DA’s office.” 

Klein said taking on a decade-old case that involves three victims and large amounts of evidence will be challenging, and it will take Tierney away from other responsibilities.

“From that perspective, it is a curious decision,” Klein said. "I give him credit for making the effort." 

Klein said the last time a Long Island district attorney led the prosecution of a case was former Suffolk District Attorney James Catterson. In 1990, Catterson led the team that prosecuted two men charged in the murder of a St. James nurse. One defendant was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and other charges. The second defendant was found guilty of felony murder and first-degree burglary.

Also on Wednesday, Massapequa Park Mayor Daniel Pearl said the village installed No Parking, No Stopping and No Standing signs near Heuermann's First Avenue home in an attempt to keep away curious gawkers. Nassau police said this week that they may issue summonses for loitering and jaywalking. 

Pearl said residents expressed concerns about violations of privacy, trespassing and other issues after members of the media and others began gathering at the home almost two weeks ago. Massapequa Park officials, he said, support Nassau police's efforts to keep curiosity seekers away. "They don't want the gawkers to come out," Pearl said of Massapequa residents.