The suspect accused of murdering at least three sex workers in 2010 kept an “arsenal” of weapons in his home, police say, according to Fox News.
Rex Heuermann, accused of being the “Gilgo Beach serial killer,” allegedly had more than 200 guns stashed away in his Massapequa home, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told Fox News.
“He had an arsenal in a vault that he had downstairs. It’s concerning, regarding the guns being registered or legal or not, that’s something we’re still taking a look at. Anytime somebody has that type of arsenal we have some concerns,” Harrison stated.
Police have seized over 200 firearms from the home of Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann. “‘He had an arsenal in a vault that he had downstairs,’ Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told Fox News Monday.” https://t.co/Z46Sarhcbx
— Steve Lookner (@lookner) July 17, 2023
Heuermann was arrested Thursday after police allegedly connected him to the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello using DNA found on a piece of discarded pizza crust. A fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, is also allegedly connected to the suspect, Fox News reported. (RELATED: Remains Found t Serial Killer’s Home Identified 42 Years Later)
All four victims were found in close proximity to each other, all had been bound with belts or tape, and three of the victims were covered in a burlap material. Each of the victims had been contacted by a person using a “burner” cellphone shortly before their disappearance and at least two of the victims’ cellphones had been used by the killer after their deaths, court records show.
A renewed investigation into the murders began in January 2022, when the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office assigned an experienced team of investigators, analysts, and prosecutors to work in tandem with law enforcement officials. That investigative team discovered a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche, that a witness had reported seeing in Costello’s driveway before her disappearance, was allegedly registered to Heuermann at the time of the murders.
“We found that he was an architect and some other things, and we were able to do some phone records and some other background checks and how he uses his credit cards and look at his family,” Harrison told Fox News, adding that Heuermann is an “ogre” that he was “very, very glad” to be able to get of the streets.
Heuermann’s lawyer has dismissed the charges against his client, who has pleaded not guilty, calling him a “loving husband” and “dedicated father.”
“There is nothing about Mr. Heuermann that would suggest that he is involved in these incidents. And while the government has decided to focus on him despite more significant and stronger leads, we are looking forward to defending him in a court of law before a fair and impartial jury of his peers,” Michael J. Brown told ABC 7 New York.