Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann charged with fourth murder

Alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann at a New York court hearing in November

The suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann has been charged with a fourth murder in New York state.

Mr Heuermann, 60, was already charged in July with killing three women more than a decade ago, part of a string of Long Island murders that could have up to 11 victims.

He appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty, according to the BBC's partner CBS News.

Mr Heuermann has been held in Suffolk County Jail without bail.

Local news described him as silent and stone-faced during his brief court appearance. His estranged wife, Asa Ellerup, and daughter were also present.

"He's looking forward to fighting these charges and we're doing that," his attorney Michael Brown told reporters after the court hearing.

Mr Heuermann also pleaded not guilty this summer to three charges of first-degree murder and three charges of second-degree murder for the killings of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello.

The fourth victim was Maureen Brainard-Barnes.

Her daughter Nicolette Brainard-Barnes told reporters that "while the loss of my mom has been extremely painful", the charges have "brought hope for justice for my mom and my family".

Ms Brainard-Barnes' sister, Melissa Cann, was also in the courtroom on Tuesday.

"It has been 16 years since I last saw my sister, 16 years since I heard her voice, because 16 years ago, she was silenced," Ms Cann said.

The remains of Ms Brainard-Barnes, who was 25 when she vanished, were discovered along Ocean Parkway in December 2010 when authorities were searching for Shannan Gilbert, a sex worker who disappeared earlier that year.

Altogether, 11 sets of human remains were found on the same stretch of Gilgo Beach between 2010-11, linked to nine women, one man and a toddler. The identities of four, including the toddler, her mother and the man, remain unidentified.

The women Mr Heuermann is accused of killing - known as the Gilgo Four - were sex workers last seen between July 2007 and September 2010.

Prosecutors revealed new evidence in the latest court filings unsealed on Tuesday, including a credit card statement showing Mr Heuermann's wife checked into a hotel in New Jersey during the time of the alleged murders.

His family's absence gave Mr Heuermann "unfettered time to execute his plans for each victim", prosecutors said, "without any fear that his family would uncover or learn of his involvement in these crimes".

His wife, whom he married in 1996, according to CNN, filed for divorce within a few days of his arrest. The Associated Press has reported that he also has a stepson.

Police identified Mr Heuermann as a suspect in early 2022 using cell phone data, witness descriptions and other information.

Authorities also found hair on a piece of burlap used to wrap one of the victims and linked it to Mr Heuermann via a sample from a pizza box he discarded in January 2023.

He was arrested in July as detectives surrounded him outside his Manhattan architecture office, RH Consultants and Associates.

When police and investigators searched Mr Heuermann's Long Island home - just a few miles from where the remains were found - they uncovered between 200 and 300 hidden guns.

Mr Heuermann also allegedly used a burner phone to conduct more than 200 searches on topics related to serial killers and the Long Island investigation.

Neighbours at his Long Island Massapequa Park home expressed surprise at his arrest.

"The guy's been quiet, never really bothers anybody," neighbour Etienne DeVilliers told CBS.

The investigation into the other victims is ongoing. Mr Heuermann is not suspected in all of the 11 deaths.