Gilgo Beach killings: Prosecutor says civil matter delaying investigation

( NewsNation ) — A civil financial matter is hindering the investigation into the man accused of killing six women over the course of 30 years near Gilgo Beach, New York, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Dressed in a suit and tie and shackled at the wrists, Rex Heuermann appeared to listen intently as he attended his first court appearance since July. The architect occasionally glanced toward the gallery, where his wife and family were notably absent.

Heuermann’s estranged wife of 27 years is in North Carolina attending to family matters, her attorney told NewsNation. She filed for divorce after Heuermann’s July 2023 arrest.

Background of Gilgo Beach investigation

Heuermann is charged with murder in connection with the deaths of six women : Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla. He was initially charged with murder in the deaths of the first four women, and prosecutors later charged him in the deaths of Taylor and Costilla.

Police spent the past 14 years investigating the deaths of at least 10 people — most of whom were sex workers — whose remains were discovered along an isolated highway near Gilgo Beach on Long Island.

Heuermann lived across the bay from where officials discovered the bodies. He pleaded not guilty on all counts in June.

Prosecutors bemoan financial limitations in Rex Heuerman investigation

The government has frozen assets from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office as part of a separate investigation involving the previous administration. The probe into a former district attorney has tied up an estimated $13 million and significantly slowed the movement of Heuermann’s case, court officials said.

“I’d love to have that money and be able to use it to bring this case to a resolution,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said. “So, I’m going to the Department of Justice again, hat in hand, and I’ll beg them: Please give me this money so I can litigate this very significant serial killer case.”

The district attorney’s office declined to elaborate on details of that investigation and deferred all questions to the Justice Department.

Where does Rex Heuermann’s case stand now?

In the meantime, the district attorney’s office has turned over most of the electronic data extracted from the 400 devices investigators recovered from Heuermann’s home — about 120 terabytes of information.

Heuermann’s attorney, Michael Bown, said he plans to seek separate trials for the fifth and sixth victims. Brown also announced plans to ask for a change of venue, joking that “Mars” is the only place the case might receive a fair trial because of extensive news media coverage.

His attorney said he’ll seek to separate the cases so the charges relating to the first four women are tried independently from the two most recent charges.

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