RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) – Suspected serial killer Rex A. Heuermann is expected to appear in a Suffolk County courtroom next week as a special grand jury considers new charges related to a fourth set of remains found in the Gilgo Beach community. Heuermann, 60, has already pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with murder in the killings of three women whose remains were found in the area in December 2010. The special grand jury was only being asked to consider an indictment into the killing of Gilgo victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Heuermann’s court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday morning in Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei’s fourth-floor Riverhead courtroom. The district attorney and Heuermann’s defense attorney did not respond to requests for comment, and it was not immediately clear why Heuermann is facing a new court appearance. Prosecutors have said that the grand jury presentation would conclude “shortly” after Heuermann’s most recent court appearance.
Heuermann had been held without bail since his July 13 arrest in the killings of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, and Amber Lynn Costello. He pleaded not guilty to the original six-count indictment related to the other three slayings at his initial arraignment on July 14. Prosecutors have linked Heuermann to the killings through DNA, cellphone site data, and burner phones.
The victims were all sex workers, and Heuermann was also the prime suspect in the slaying of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose remains were found with the other three victims. Heuermann has professed his innocence and is actively working on his defense. The case has garnered significant attention and will continue to unfold as the grand jury deliberates on potential new charges.