LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK: A massive haul of firearms was confiscated from the Long Island home of suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann, a day after the New York state police examined the property to determine if he had any "trophies" from his victims. The 59-year-old Manhattan architect was arrested from his office on Thursday, July 13, on charges related to the death of victims, whose bodies were found on an isolated Long Island beach in December 2010.
Heurermann was later charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three of second-degree murder in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. He has also been named a prime suspect in the death of a fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose body was bound and hidden in thick underbrush along a remote beach highway. Following Heurermann’s arrest, a team of forensic investigators searched his residence in an effort to uncover new information in the serial murder case that has baffled detectives for more than ten years.
'He has a very large safe in which guns are kept'
At a press conference on Friday, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said police have discovered several red flags in Heurermann’s case including the fact that he had "continued to patronize sex workers," had been using fake identification and burner phones and had permits for an astounding 92 firearms. On Sunday morning, July 16, officials were seen removing at least four long-barreled firearms from the architect's 'dungeon-like' Massapequa home as well as a number of blue plastic crates containing weaponry. “He has a very large safe in which guns are kept,” Tierney said on Friday, adding “We’re continuing to execute search warrants.”
Cops removed firearms from Heurermann’s house just a day after they were seen carrying out a child-sized blonde doll that was kept in a large wooden and glass case adorned with flowers. The creepy doll with a red bow adorned on top of its head, wearing a red outfit, was just one of several items officers clad in hazmat suits, gloves, and masks took out of the home and filled into a truck. “We’re just going through his house looking to see if there’s any evidence,” a police source told The NY Post. The insider continued by noting that police are searching to determine “If he has any trophies” from the victims.
Who is Scott Bonn?
Following Heurermann’s arrest, a criminal profiler who described the serial murderer as "average Joe" back in 2011, claims it is "gratifying" to realize he was accurate. 'When I heard the news yesterday, I sort of had to smile to myself because it was pretty much what I had predicted,' said Scott Bonn, a criminologist, author, and serial-killer researcher who has spoken about the Gilgo Beach killings, according to Daily Mail. When the hunt for a potential Gilgo Beach serial killer picked up steam in 2011, Bonn made the prediction that the killer would be "someone who can walk into a room and seem like your average Joe." He added that the man would be well-organized and careful about his work. Additionally, he said, the killer was 'persuasive enough and rational enough' to convince his victims to meet him on his terms.
