Gilgo Beach murders: How a paper towel linked Rex Heuermann to 1 of his victims, DA says
Admitted Gilgo Beach, New York, serial killer Rex Heuermann was linked to one of his victims, Megan Waterman, by the distinct pattern on a Bounty paper towel, according to the district attorney.
In court on Wednesday, Heuermann changed his plea to guilty and admitted to the murders of eight women: Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, Sandra Costilla, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, Maureen Brainard-Barnes and Karen Vergata.
Prosecutors said the New York City architect targeted sex workers, strangled them and dumped their bodies near Long Island's Gilgo Beach from 1993 to 2010.
"This was his obsession," Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told ABC News. "With his internet searches and his thought process, this was what was driving him."
A piece of evidence that would've been presented had the case gone to trial is a rolled up Bounty paper towel recovered from Waterman's mouth, Tierney said.
Waterman, 22, went missing in June 2010 and her remains were found in December 2010 in Gilgo Beach, according to Suffolk County police.
The paper towel had a particular pattern that Bounty created specifically for the box store BJ's Wholesale Club, and that pattern was only in circulation in 2010, Tierney said.
When searching Heuermann's home, investigators found a BJ's receipt for Bounty paper towels, and "the SKU [stock-keeping unit] number was for a Bounty paper towel with that same pattern," Tierney said.
"And so we were able to show that this Bounty paper towel was purchased by the defendant," Tierney said. "And inside his desk drawer was a square of that same paper towel that matched perfectly and that he had kept in his office since 2010."
That paper towel square was a "memento" for Heuermann, Tierney said, adding that prosecutors "would have utilized [that] at trial to link him to the commission of that particular murder."
Heuermann was arrested in 2023 and initially pleaded not guilty to killing seven women. He was set to go to trial in September.
On Wednesday, Heuermann agreed to serve three consecutive life sentences followed by four consecutive sentences of 25 years-to-life, prosecutors said. His sentencing is set for June 17.
Tierney said, from his "outside observation" as a prosecutor, Heuermann, 62, wanted to change his plea because "I think he was done."
"He wanted this to come to a conclusion -- that's just my impression," he said.
Waterman’s daughter, Liliana Waterman, told reporters on Wednesday that she accepts the guilty plea and is "very, very thankful."
Part of the plea arrangement requires Heuermann to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.
"I think it's very important," Tierney said.
"This is clinical," he said. "So I think they're going to, hopefully, gain insight into him, his motivations, you know, what created this need or desire in him. And hopefully we'll gain insight, you know, for cases going forward."
