'Monster' Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Shipped Upstate Just 1 Day After Sentencing: Officials

LONG ISLAND, NY — After almost three years — and just one day after he was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences plus 100 years behind bars — Long Island has said good-bye to "monster" Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann.

According to the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office, Heuermann was taken Thursday to the Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, NY.

That drive is approximately 131 miles and took about two hours and 18 minutes, according to Google maps.

The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision told Patch: "Rex Heuermann is currently undergoing admission processing at Green Haven Correctional Facility, one of the Department’s designated intake facilities."

The facility is considered a "reception" center; it has not yet been determined where he will ultimately be sent, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said after the sentencing.

DOCCS typically assigns an incarcerated individual to a facility based on an evaluation of their criminal history, security risk, and other factors such as medical, mental health, and program needs.

The process begins in a reception center where an individual undergoes medical and security assessments, and an offender rehabilitation coordinator conducts an intake interview. A security classification is determined, and the individual is sent to a facility that matches their needs, security level, and program requirements, which can change over time.

Tierney also said Wednesday that since Heuermann had been sentenced, his DNA would now be released into the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, operated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon told Patch that after Wednesday's sentencing, Heuermann would transferred to a prison in upstate New York, Toulon said, and it may not be the facility that he ultimately ends up in, he said.

When asked if Heuermann would be released into the general population, Toulon said his classification would be determined after observation of his physical and mental health.

"The state is going to look at all factors," he said.

If Heuermann ends up in general population, "it could be a concern," Toulon said. "If someone wants to do something to Rex, they're not going to do it the first week or even the year. They'll wait until his guard is down — they'll be in the laundry or commissary, or waiting as he's walking down the corridor. 
That's where it could possibly happen."

But, he added, there are many incarcerated individuals found guilty of committing crimes against women and children, "and the state has a good protocol to deal with that."

As for the condition of Heuermann's plea concerning the FBI's behavioral analysis unit, Toulon explained that the FBI will likely interview him. "They probably just want to understand his mindset, because if the FBI is investigating other jurisdictions and cases similar to serial killers', then they can have a better understanding of a particular mindset."

Heuermann will likely be asked, in question-and-answer format, about his background and upbringing. "And then, of course, why he committed these crimes. Why did he choose certain times, days — particular women? Because he didn't engage with other sex workers out of those he killed — and he didn't kill the others."

He added: "They would want to understand as much as possible to get background information and probably use it in their database when dealing with other serial killers throughout the country."

Heuermann, Toulon said, throughout his time in the Suffolk County Correctional Facility — and even now, with sentencing looming — has never shown signs that he might be suicidal.

"Our mental health staff visited him and talked to him to ensure that there were no suicidal ideations. They felt that he was pretty much as stable can be considering the circumstances he's facing," he said.

Similarly, his demeanor has remained unchanged, Toulon said.

"There's been no change, nothing at all. It's not like he's lost his appetite or he's sleeping more. There's nothing unusual."

During the entire incarceration period, Toulon said: "From our perspective, we understood who Rex Heuermann really was. Everything that he does, we've watched very closely. We were able to put in trends and understand data to see who this guy is while he's incarcerated.
You know, it's totally different from when he's in the community prior to him being arrested, but now once he's with us, we see him every single day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days, for almost three years. And have gotten to get a better understanding. And, you know, regarding his disposition — if you think about, for almost three years, he's been able to hold the same disposition, which means this is truly who this monster truly is."

After the sentencing, his cell would packed up as he readied for transfer to state prison, Toulon said.

"And then Suffolk County will be done with Rex Heuermann," Toulon said.

Heuermann, inside his cell, had mainly clothing, notepads, and commissary items, including chips, cookies and candy, Toulon said.

Snacks are important to prisoners, he said. "We only feed incarcerated individuals three times a day. And it's not like there's a choice on the menu. It's very challenging for many to adjust to life in jail, especially the food," he said.

One thing that Heuermann amassed during his stay was a collection of chilling books, many crime novels, Toulon said.

"Some of the books that he's read while in our custody include The Devil's Banker, Pretty Girls, Nowhere to Run, Sinister, Blood on the Beach, Gentlemen Sinner, Portrait in Death, The Dead Girl, Sharp Objects, Picture Me Dead, Chosen to Die, and Sleep No More," Toulon said.

In a stunning turn of events after nearly three years of court proceedings, Heuermann pleaded guilty to killing seven women and took responsibility for the death of an eighth victim, Karen Vergata, in a Riverhead court in April.

During the allocution, Heuermann answered a series of questions posed by Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, who was prosecuting the case.

Tierney asked, in succession, whether Heuermann had intended to murder his eight victims, including Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Valerie Mack, Sandra Costilla, and now, Vergata.

"Yes," he said simply, in a voice devoid of emotion or remorse. "Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes."

As a condition of the plea agreement, Heuermann waived his right to appeal — and the plea agreement stated that there woiuld be no more prosecutions related to the death of the eight women.

Also, a condition of the plea was that Heuermann must work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and their behavioral analysis unit.

Heuermann, 62, of Massapequa Park, pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder, after killing the seven victims previously referenced by the indictment, as well as admitting publicly, as part of his allocution, to killing the eighth victim, Karen Vergata, the DA said.

Heuermann was sentenced on Wednesday, to three consecutive sentences of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for killing Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, the DA said.

Heuermann was also sentenced to a consecutive sentence of 100 years to life imprisonment for killing Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla, and Valerie Mack, Tierney said.

In exchange for Heuermann’s admission to the murder of Karen Vergata, the additional murder is covered by Heuermann’s plea to the murders of the seven charged victims, Tierney said.

At the sentencing, the victims' families shared their heartbreaking stories as the judge and those in the courtroom cried silently.