44°
The 60-year-old Long Island resident, of Massapequa Park, was arraigned on two more charges of second-degree murder in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, June 6, in the killings of Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla.
Taylor’s decapitated remains were discovered in Manorville, west of Halsey Manor Road, on July 26, 2003, a week after relatives reported last seeing her. Both of her arms had been severed below her elbows and a tattoo on her torso had been “severely obliterated by a sharp object,” according to prosecutors.
The woman’s skull, hands, and forearm would go undiscovered until March 2011 when they were located along Ocean Parkway, just east of Gilgo Beach.
Her remains were found on the same side of the road as those of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, all four of whom Heuermann is charged with murdering.
Costilla’s remains were discovered by hunters in a wooded area of Southampton, in the hamlet of North Sea, on Nov. 20, 1993. The 28-year-old was lying on her back with her arms outstretched over her head with her uncovered legs spread apart, prosecutors said.
Her shirt had been pulled up over her torso and head, exposing her breasts. Investigators determined she had suffered multiple stab wounds to her face, torso, breasts, thigh, and vaginal area.
Costilla was a native of Trinidad and Tobago and, like the other victims, was working as a sex worker at the time of her murder, prosecutors said.
According to court documents, Heuermann’s DNA matched with male hairs that were found on both Costilla and Taylor’s remains.
Prosecutors also noted that, as with the other killings, his wife and children were out of state at the time, “which would have allowed Defendant Heuermann unfettered time to execute his plans for Ms. Taylor, which included the decapitation, dismemberment, and transportation of her remains, without any fear that his family would uncover or learn of his involvement in these crimes.”
The additional murder charges come weeks after teams from the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force conducted another search of Heuermann’s home on Monday, May 20.
Heuermann, a 60-year-old architect with an office in Manhattan, was arrested in July 2023 on murder charges in the deaths of three Gilgo Beach victims: Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello.
In January 2024, Suffolk County prosecutors formally charged him with murdering a fourth victim, 25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Heuermann was arrested after authorities linked his DNA from a discarded pizza crust to DNA from a man’s hair that was found on camouflage burlap used to restrain Waterman.
Investigators also linked Heuermann’s email account to dozens of disturbing search queries, including “girl begging for rape porn” and “torture redhead porn,” prosecutors said. He reportedly looked up numerous news articles about the Gilgo Beach murders.
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains jailed without bail.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Kingston and receive free news updates.
