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Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann was charged Thursday with the murders of two additional women after it was revealed that a series of disturbing “planning documents” for the slayings were discovered on a hard drive in his home — with the alleged killer nodding in court as prosecutors read the twisted instructions, which included to hit potential victims “harder next time.”
The 60-year-old father of two, who appeared in court Thursday morning, was tied to the 1993 murder of Sandra Costilla and the 2003 death of Jessica Taylor through DNA from male hair found on the remains of both victims, prosecutors wrote in a court filing.
Prosecutors revealed that they discovered a series of sickening “planning documents” that Heuermann allegedly used to map out his kills on a hard drive discovered in the basement of his Massapequa Park home, which was searched in the wake of charges against him for the murders of four young women, known as the “Gilgo Four.”
“The task force believes that this is a planning to document, that was used by Heuermann to plot out his kills with excruciating detail,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told reporters after the arraignment Thursday.
“His motivations, meticulous planning, and clear intent was obvious. His intent was nothing short but to murder these victims.”
Heuermann pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail at his court hearing Thursday.
Prosecutors said his disturbing lists included notes on potential or past dump sites and supplies he had on hand to try and evade detection — and had titles such as “PROBLEMS” and “BODY PREP.”
During his court appearance, Heuermann appeared to nod along when the prosecution read out an excerpt from his list that suggested he should “‘hit [the victim] harder next time.’”
One list marked “POST EVENT” included reminders to “change tires,” “burn gloves,” “dispose of pics [of victims],” and “have story set.”
The list titled “BODY PREP” included notes to wash the “inside and all cavities” of his deceased victim and to remove their “head and hands” and “marks from torture.”
Another list detailing post-crime cleanup referred to strategies for hanging drop cloths from the ceiling and concerns about how sound travels – leading investigators to believe that the torture “likely” took place inside Heuermann’s home.
Suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann — a New York City architect and married dad of two — was arrested in connection with the long-unsolved Gilgo Beach murders. The arrest is tied to the so-called “Gilgo Four,” women found wrapped in burlap within days of each other in late 2010.
Another list detailing post-crime cleanup referred to strategies for hanging drop cloths from the ceiling and concerns about how sound travels – leading investigators to believe that the torture “likely” took place inside Heuermann’s home.
The years-long investigation that led to the arrest revolved around the discovery of more than 10 sets of human remains along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach in Suffolk County between December 2010 and April 2011.
Most victims were petite female sex workers with green or hazel eyes. But there were also two exceptions: a 2-year-old girl and a young Asian man.
“With Heuermann’s family vacationing out of state, Defendant would have had unfettered time and exclusive access to [his house] allowing Defendant Heuermann ample opportunity to execute, and clean up after, these crimes,” prosecutors wrote in a bail application.
Another section of notes included “PROBLEMS,” or potential ways Heuermann believed could be apprehended for his alleged crimes.
The extensive list included DNA, tire marks, blood stands, as well as witness identification and hair and fiber evidence.
Heuermann even noted that getting more sleep was important in order to have “more play time” – the sick euphemism he supposedly used to refer to torturing and killing the victims.