Rex Heuermann: Seven Women Waited Over a Decade for This

Melissa Barthelemy was 24. Megan Waterman was 22. Amber Costello was 27. Maureen Brainard-Barnes was 25. Jessica Taylor was 20. Sandra Costilla was 28. Valerie Mack was 24. Their remains were found scattered along isolated stretches of Long Island — some near Gilgo Beach, some in Manorville, some in remote wooded areas. For over a decade, no one was charged. Their families waited. And waited. And now, reportedly, the man accused of taking all of them is expected to stand in a Suffolk County courtroom and say the word "guilty."

This week's look back at the most compelling developments in the Gilgo Beach case centers on what this expected plea means for the people who've carried this weight the longest. Rex Heuermann is reportedly set to change his plea on April 8. The deal is still being finalized. A judge must accept it. But if it holds, there will be no trial. No testimony. No cross-examination. The families who have waited since the first remains were discovered will hear the plea — and that may be the closest thing to a courtroom reckoning they get.

His daughter has said publicly she believes he most likely did it. Files recovered from his computer allegedly contained checklists — a systematic approach to limiting noise, cleaning bodies, destroying evidence. His defense challenged the DNA evidence twice and lost. The motion to try the cases separately was denied. Life without parole was the only outcome either way. But a plea means the story ends on his terms — not theirs.

And then there are the others. Andrew Dykes' arrest in the murder of Tanya Jackson — the woman known as "Peaches" — proved that Ocean Parkway was used by more than one killer. Four additional victims found along that corridor remain uncharged. Their families don't get a courtroom. They don't get a plea. They get silence.

Someone needs to answer for all of them.

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

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