Long Island serial killer Rex Heuremann slammed as ‘disgusting coward’

62-year-old father of two sentenced to life with no parole after pleading guilty to murdering seven women and admitted killing Karen Vergata in 1996.

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Published Jun 17, 2026  •  3 minute read

Serial killer Rex Heuremann was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. GETTY IMAGES

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Survivor after survivor lambasted Long Island serial killer Rex Heuermann as a “demon,” “an ogre” and “a monster” as he was sentenced to spend the rest of his days in prison.

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The beefy former architect — who pleaded guilty to murdering seven women — was treated as a piñata as loved ones, the district attorney and judge piled on Wednesday in a Suffolk County courtroom.

Justice Timothy Mazzei asked Heuermann: “Are you a little bit sorry for what you did to these innocent women?”

Heuermann nodded yes.

This combination of undated image provided by the Suffolk County Police Department, shows Melissa Barthelemy, top left, Amber Costello, top right, Megan Waterman, bottom left, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Rex Heuermann, 59, was accused of killing Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello and Megan Waterman over a decade ago. He was also considered the prime suspect in the death of another woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes. (Suffolk County Police Department via AP) AP

“You’re a disgusting and small man, if you’re a man at all. You’re a coward!” Mazzei said before sentencing Heureman to three life terms. “Alright, get him out of here.”

The sentencing following a chilling criminal odyssey stretching back decades with the earliest known murder happening in 1996. Cops say that Heuermann strangled his victims, many of them sex workers, over a 17-year span and buried their remains in remote areas, including the now infamous Gilgo Beach.

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Pleaded guilty in April

In April, the 62-year-old father of two pleaded guilty to murdering seven women and admitted killing Karen Vergata in 1996.

For years, bodies were turning up on the south shore of Long Island but it took until 2023 to bust Heuermann. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to life without parole. His sentences will run consecutively.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said that Heueremann was not sorry for the women he brutally murdered but “is sorry he got caught.”

Justice Timothy Mazzei called the killer “disgusting.” GETTY IMAGES

“(He is a)vremorseless and sadistic serial killer who only cares about himself,” Tierney added. “Who this defendant truly is, is seen in that planning document.”

As if to underscore his point, Tierney pointed to the killer’s murder itinerary, planning his killings. In the doc, Heuermann “methodically blueprinted” how to pick, kill and dispose of his victims.

The victims? They “meant nothing to this defendant.” Killing was “sport” to Heuermann, the DA added.

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Killer’s dark underbelly

On the surface, the serial killer lived a staid lifestyle on suburban Long Island. He would commute into his Manhattan office, then return by the Long Island Railroad at night. But Heuremann was leading a secret, dark dangerous life in the shadows.

That world was one of sex workers and porn sites depicting the torture and dismemberment of women. And he avidly followed the Gilgo Beach Murders in the media.

Crime laboratory officers arrive to the house where a suspect has been taken into custody on New York’s Long Island in connection with a long-unsolved string of killings, on Friday, July 14, 2023, in New York. Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez /Associated Press

“He thought he was being smart, he wasn’t being smart at all,” Tierney said, calling Heuermann a “psychopath.”

The DA added: “This defendant cares only about himself and his sick interests. He is not capable of caring about anything else, and that includes his own family.”

Emotional statements

Families of the seven murdered women delivered powerful victim impact statements that left the courtroom in tears.

“She had hopes, dreams and plans for the future,” said Liliana Waterman, whose mom Megan was killed. “She was a human being. She was someone’s daughter, someone’s friend. Most importantly, she was my mother. Every milestone in my life has been marked by her absence.”

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The young woman was only three years old when her mother vanished and was later found murdered. She told Heuremann that she grew up without stability, moved frequently and haunted by her mother’s murder.

Amanda Funderburg scolded the serial killer for ignoring her gaze. Heuremann murdered her sister, Melissa Barthelemy. GETTY IMAGES

“The damage he caused extends far beyond the day he committed this crime,” she said. “Today’s proceedings do not erase what happened, and nothing ever will. But today brings accountability.”

Amanda Funderburg scolded the serial killer for ignoring her gaze. Heuremann murdered her sister, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, in July 2009.

“You can look at me while I’m talking,” she told Heuremann, who briefly caught her gaze. “I hope you suffer to the fullest extent.”

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‘Begone cowardly demon’

She added that the media called Heuermann an “ogre,” and “that’s truly what you are.” Funderberg was one of the survivors who the architect taunted via phone, describing the horrors he had committed.

Elizabeth Meserve was the aunt of victim Megan Waterman.

“He not only took Megan’s hopes and dreams, he also shattered our family,” Meserve said. “When you compare his size to these smaller victims, it’s clear: He was not a fearsome predator, but rather a cowardly opportunist.”

She added:“Begone cowardly demon.”

When the convicted killer was invited to speak, he kept it brief.

Addressing the court, Heuremann said: “I am responsible for all that was said in this room, the words I say have no meaning.”

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