The arrest of an alleged serial killer in New York related to the murder of four women left families of other victims “delighted” as their attorney contended there’s “more evidence that’s involved here.”
(Video: Fox News)
Thursday, 59-year-old architect Rex Heuermann was arrested and charged with three counts of first and second-degree murder related to victims known as the “Gilgo Four.” While investigators had gathered enough evidence to charge Heuermann for the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, and Megan Waterman, with fourth victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes only believed to be connected at the time of the arrest, an attorney for other victims voiced optimism over the development.
Image: Victims Costello, Brainard-Barnes, Barthelemy, Waterman
Joining “America’s Newsroom” Thursday as police on Long Island were taking the suspect into custody, attorney John Ray spoke for the families of Shannan Gilbert and Jessica Taylor about the lengthy investigation that could find Heuermann charged with other murders that have an “awful lot of coincidences.”
“We do know that the DNA has been the key to all of their investigation, and that DNA has been worked upon over and over in the FBI’s labs. So it’s very likely that’s the source of the entire thing. But we don’t know for sure because they’re not talking yet, the police,” the attorney said as the story was breaking.
Ray added, “We’re delighted that finally something is happening.”
The search for Gilbert in 2010 ultimately led investigators to locate 11 sets of human remains along the stretch of Ocean Parkway that parallels Gilgo, Beach in Babylon, New York.
Image: Gilbert
“They may be able to link this fellow up with the other victims, but not yet,” the attorney stated, a suspicion echoed by forensic psychology expert Katherine Ramsland on NewsNation.
“There’s a lot of differences in the way some of those victims were treated and then left. So, I’m not sure that he’s attached to them,” she said. “I couldn’t rule it out, but they don’t look like the same kinds of things that we’re seeing with the four victims we’re talking about.”
Ramsland noted, “Serial killers don’t always do the same thing all the time.”
Ray too suggested, “There are an awful lot of coincidences that have occurred in this case. A stunning number of coincidences…There’s a lot more to be talked about, more evidence that’s involved here.”
He went on to tell Fox News that the case could stretch back to the 80s regarding the different victims that may be connected to the suspect and that he hopes the investigation conducted by his firm has proved beneficial to law enforcement.
“We’ve been feeding the police with information that we get. And I hope some of it’s been helpful,” the attorney said. “We’ve kept this case alive when it was being buried alive with the victims over the years, so I’m glad that the police are finally making a move.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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