DNA from pizza crust linked suspect to Gilgo Beach murders
- Suspect in Gilgo Beach Long Island killings charged with murder
- The hunt for a suspect began with Shannan Gilbert’s 2010 disappearance
- DA discusses "interesting evidence" that linked Heuermann to the crime
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(NewsNation) — Gilgo Beach suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann was identified through DNA left on pizza crust thrown out in a Manhattan trash can, according to his bail application.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney spoke out on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” about the “interesting evidence” that linked Heuremann to three of 11 killings in Long Island from over a decade ago.
“There was great phone evidence that was developed by the FBI … There was also eyewitness evidence with regard to an individual who matched his (Heuermann’s) physical description with victim Amber Costello,” Tierney said. “Law enforcement put “it all together and (was then) able to compare some of that DNA that was left at the scene with the defendant and his family’s DNA.”
In court Friday, Heuermann pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and three second-degree charges for the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. Authorities are continuing to work toward charging Heuermann for a fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes. The investigation for a suspect began with the 2010 disappearance of another victim, Shannan Gilbert.
Heuermann reportedly had seven burner phones; And during a 14-month period, he made Google searches on the Gilgo Beach killings 200 times. It was also discovered that Heuermann looked at “torture porn,” including that of women being abused, raped and killed. Heuermann had access to 92 handguns, according to Tierney.
“He used a lot of burner accounts, a lot of fictitious email addresses,” Tierney said. “We were looking at his searches, and he was obsessed with the victims, the victim’s family, as well as what exactly we were doing in our investigation.”
Tierney said that when he first took office, he wanted to make sure that details of the investigation weren’t leadked to the media.
“One of the biggest assets that any investigation could have is we have investigative secrecy, and that means that the targets don’t know what we’re doing. (They) don’t know how close we’re getting.”
Hair that was matched to Heuermann’s wife was also found on three victims, according to the application. Travel records show she and their kids were out of the state when the killings happened.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
