Gilgo Beach killings: Prosecutors seek to turn over hundreds of Rex Heuermann's guns to Nassau, court filings say
Rex A. Heuermann after his arrest in July on charges in the deaths of three sex workers whose bodies were found near Gilgo Beach. Credit: Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office
Suffolk County prosecutors are seeking to turn over more than 280 firearms seized from the home of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex A. Heuermann to Nassau County, where he could face gun possession charges, court filings in Suffolk County Criminal Court show.
Investigators in Suffolk County have concluded their analysis of the weapons and ammunition taken from Heuermann’s Massapequa Park home and determined some of the items may have been possessed in violation of state gun laws, the filing states.
“Proper jurisdiction for any charges related to unlawful possession of the items … would reside with Nassau County,” Assistant District Attorney Lawrence Opisso wrote in the motion filed with state Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei on Thursday.
The motion does not state specifically which sections of New York’s firearms law Heuermann may have violated, No guns are believed to have been used in the killings for which he has been accused, prosecutors have said.
WHAT TO KNOW
- Suffolk County prosecutors are seeking to turn over more than 280 firearms seized from the home of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex A. Heuermann to Nassau County where he could face gun possession charges.
- Investigators have concluded their analysis of the weapons and ammunition taken from Heuermann’s Massapequa Park home and determined some of the items may have been possessed in violation of state gun laws.
- The judge in the case also signed an order allowing Heuermann use of a laptop and external hard drive for four hours each day to review discovery in the case against him, court records show.
Opisso also states in the filing that Nassau County has suspended Heuermann’s pistol license, “which would make his continuing possession of any pistols or revolvers illegal.”
An inventory of weapons seized from his home after he was arrested shows that Heuermann collected many guns from the early part of the last century, according to a filing obtained by Newsday. His assault rifles are notated in the filing, along with a rifle with a defaced serial number, the records show. Boxes of ammunition, gunpowder and survivalist gear are among other seized items in the inventory list.
The motion to transfer the weapons was filed after conversations among Suffolk, Nassau and New York State Police with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the records show.
Prosecutors have said Heuermann had permits for 92 guns and possessed many long guns not subject to permitting.
Heuermann's attorney, Michael Brown, of Central Islip, said early Friday that he had not yet received the motion. Brown previously called the case against his client "circumstantial" and stressed that Heuermann had no prior criminal record.
Brendan Brosh, a spokesperson for Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, declined to comment.
The motion, which has yet to receive Mazzei’s approval, was filed two days after the judge signed an order allowing Heuermann use of a laptop and external hard drive for four hours each day to review discovery in the case against him, court records show. Only Heuermann, who is currently housed at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverhead, and members of his legal team are permitted to view the discovery, according to the order. Heuermann will be allowed to keep written notes about the evidence.
Gilgo Beach serial killings
More than a decade after the remains of 10 victims were found off Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach, Rex A. Heuermann has been charged with murder in three cases and is a prime suspect in a fourth.
Who is Rex Heuermann? The Massapequa Park architect lived in a rundown house and had strained interactions with neighbors. His second wife filed for divorce days after his arrest.
The victims: Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello were young women who were sex workers. Their bodies were discovered after another woman, Shannan Gilbert, made a frantic 911 call from the area that set off a police search.
The case: Investigators used DNA from pizza crust and stray hairs to tie the victims to Heuermann; burner cellphone data and a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche also are key evidence in the investigation.
The search: Police retrieved more than 200 guns from Heuermann's home and searched two Amityville storage facilities for evidence, including evidence connected to the victims.
Timeline: Key moments in the investigation, from the discovery of several sets of remains in 2010 to Heuermann’s arrest.
Heuermann, 59, has pleaded not guilty to first- and second-degree murder charges in the killings of three women — Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Lynn Costello — whose remains were found near Gilgo Beach 13 years ago.
Authorities also have said Heuermann is the “prime suspect” in the slaying of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose remains were found with the other three victims.
Heuermann was arrested outside his Manhattan architecture firm July 13 and arraigned the following afternoon.
The search of his home, led by Suffolk County Police Department detectives, continued for 12 days, ending on July 26.
While Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney declined to describe many of the items investigators removed from the First Avenue home Heuermann shared with his wife and two adult children, he did say hundreds of guns were seized. Any potential trace evidence that was found, which could include possible blood, DNA and fibers, was to be analyzed by scientists in a laboratory, the district attorney said.
“We have obtained a massive amount of material,” Tierney said in his July 26 media briefing. “All of this has to be cataloged and analyzed, and it’s going to take quite some time. … It’s not like TV. It’s going to be a while for the analysts to do their job. … We won’t know exactly what we have for quite some time, just given the sheer volume of evidence that was taken.”
After Tierney announced the conclusion of the search at Heuermann's home, Nassau County Police reopened the street where the suspect lives, which had been closed to vehicle and foot traffic since after he was arrested. Heuermann's family returned to the red-shingled house the following day.
Investigators have said they linked Heuermann to the three victims through DNA obtained from pizza crust he allegedly discarded outside his midtown Manhattan office, cellular phone site data and a dark green 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche that he once owned.
The vehicle helped crack the nearly 13-year mystery of who might have dumped the first bodies discovered in thick vegetation in the Gilgo Beach area. A state police investigator, working on a newly assembled "Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force" in 2022, produced Heuermann as a possible suspect after searching a law enforcement database for owners of dark-colored Chevrolet Avalanches, prosecutors said.
Heuermann, who stands at 6-4, also matched the physical description that a witness provided to authorities of a man who visited Costello's home on the day before she was last seen alive.
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
'Ridiculous tickets that are illogical' A Newsday investigation shows that about 70% of tickets issued by Suffolk County for school bus camera violations in 2023 took place on roads that students don't cross. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
'Ridiculous tickets that are illogical' A Newsday investigation shows that about 70% of tickets issued by Suffolk County for school bus camera violations in 2023 took place on roads that students don't cross. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
