Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann sentenced, says 'I am responsible"

Key Points:

• Rex Heuermann, a 62-year-old New York architect, pleaded guilty to murdering eight women in the Gilgo Beach serial killings and was sentenced to multiple life terms without parole on June 17, ending a decades-old cold case.
• Heuermann received three consecutive life sentences without parole for three victims and four consecutive 25-year-to-life sentences for four others, with the sentencing hearing marked by emotional statements from victims' families condemning him.
• The murders began in 1993 and were linked to Heuermann in 2022 after DNA evidence, including a match from a pizza he ate, connected him to the crime scene; however, he has not been charged with other related deaths in the area.
• As part of his plea deal, Heuermann agreed to cooperate with the FBI's behavioral analysis unit to provide insights for law enforcement, while Suffolk County officials plan to transfer him to a maximum-security prison.
• Victims' families emphasized focusing on the victims rather than the killer, with advocates calling for greater respect and protection for women to prevent similar crimes in the future.