Bonus Episode: The Long Island Serial Killer Sentencing
Rex Heuermann Has Been Sentenced. Here's What Happened in Court.
If you haven't listened to Part 1 and Part 2 of our Long Island Serial Killer coverage, go back and start there — this update will make a lot more sense with the full story behind it. The short version: between the 1990s and 2010s, a man used Craigslist to target small, vulnerable women across New York, brought them back to his home, and killed them there. He has been tied to eight victims — Sandra Costilla, Karen Vergata, Jessica Taylor, Valerie Mack, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, and Amber Lynn Costello.
We told you we'd come back once sentencing happened. It happened this week, and we have a lot to say about it.
H2:
What Happened in Court
The judge did not allow the hearing to be livestreamed. Some footage has since surfaced, and according to ABC30's coverage of the sentencing, Rex Heuermann was formally sentenced after admitting to eight murders connected to the Gilgo Beach case.
Before sentencing, Rex sat through victim impact statements from family members representing each of the eight women — two representatives per victim, as the court allowed. We've put together a full breakdown of the victim impact statements here if you want to see them for yourself. Hearing it secondhand doesn't fully capture it.
Several family members spoke directly to him. Liliana Waterman, who was three years old when her mother Megan was reported missing, told the court that the damage Rex caused extended far beyond the day of the murder itself. Megan's aunt, Elizabeth Meserve, said plainly that he wasn't a fearsome predator — just a cowardly opportunist. Melissa Cann, sister of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, told him that without realizing it, he had made her his worst nightmare.
Two moments in particular stayed with us.
H2:
Melissa Barthelemy's Sister
If you remember Part 1, you'll remember the phone calls. After Melissa was killed, Rex called her teenage sister, repeatedly, telling her he was watching Melissa's body rot and that maybe one day he'd do the same to her.
That sister, Amanda Funderburg, stood in court this week and did not hold back.
"You can look at me while I'm talking," she told him directly. "It has been about seventeen years since we've spoken."
He didn't react. By every account from the room, he stared straight ahead through the entire proceeding, showing nothing.
She wasn't done. "I know everyone spoke on heaven," she said, "but do me a favor — save me a spot in hell, because I'll see you there."
We don't think we need to add commentary to that one. It speaks for itself.
H2:
Jessica Taylor's Family
Jessica's family had their own moment, and it was just as unflinching. Her cousin, Jasmine Robinson, told Rex directly that he filled her with so much repugnance it was suffocating — and that she refused to let him overtake her, because she intended to stand strong for Jessica.
These women stood in that courtroom and said everything that needed to be said, on behalf of people who never got the chance to say anything at all. It was, frankly, satisfying to watch. He earned every second of it.
H2:
What Rex Said
After the statements concluded, Judge Timothy Mazzei asked Rex if he wanted to say anything.
He stood. "There are no words I can say," he said. "I am responsible for all that was said in this room today. The words I would say have no meaning."
The judge pushed back, asking him directly if he was even sorry. Rex said yes.
Nobody in that room seemed to believe him, including, by every indication, the judge himself. We've linked Judge Mazzei's full response to Rex here because it's worth watching in full. He told Rex plainly that he'd been described as a big man, but that he wasn't a big man at all — he was a disgusting and despicable small man, if he was a man at all. A coward.
H2:
The Sentence
Rex was sentenced to three consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole, plus an additional consecutive term of 100 years to life. Functionally, he will never leave prison.
The courtroom erupted in applause and cheers as he was led away. One person in the gallery was overheard saying exactly the thing we were all thinking: at least we know where you are now.
H2:
Where This Leaves Things
This sentencing closes the criminal chapter of a case that started in 1993 and should have ended a lot sooner than it did. It doesn't undo seventeen years of damage, and it doesn't bring back eight women who should still be here. But for families who spent decades not knowing, and years after that fighting to be taken seriously, it's something. Accountability, finally, in a room where he had to sit and listen to every name he tried to erase.
We said it in Part 2 and we'll say it again — Rex Heuermann had complete control over what he did, every single time. This week, for the first time in this entire case, he didn't have any control over what was said to him.
Watch the full victim impact statements → [ youtube.com/watch?v=uIllk5QHUeI ]
Watch Judge Mazzei's response to Rex → [ youtube.com/watch?v=4hns1rXl9ug ]
Read ABC30's coverage of the sentencing → [ abc30.com ]
Haven't heard the full case yet? Start with Part 1 → [ /blog/gilgo-beach-murders-long-island-serial-killer-part-1 ]
Follow us: Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | X
Join our Patreon: Kush & Crime: A True Crime Potcast | Patreon
Support the show: Kush & Crime: A True Crime Potcast • Anchor
Thanks for listening, Buds.
Stay Safe & Stay Lifted
