Topics: US News, Crime, True crime
Prosecutors have shared new phone data allegedly connected to the suspect of the Gilgo Beach serial killings.
In May 2010, a 23-year-old woman named Shannan Gilbert reached out to authorities in fear of people trying to kill her.
Gilbert, who worked as an escort, then disappeared and during their search for her, police discovered the bodies of four women near Gilgo Beach on Long Island - deaths which became known as the Gilgo Beach serial killings.
In July 2023, New York architect Rex A. Heuermann was arrested and charged with the murders of three of the four women - Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello.
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He was later also charged with the murders of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla and Valerie Mack.
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
On Tuesday (March 3), during a pre-trial hearing, a court filing was shared by prosecutors following their investigation into cellphone data focusing on two phones, one of which they allege was in Heuermann's possession at the time of his arrest.
The phones are reported as having been registered under aliases.
The filing allegedly discovered that in the four years leading up to Heuermann's arrest, the phones were used to contact a minimum of 60 sex workers over 500 times.
The court documents claim one phone saw over 56 sex workers contacted over 300 times between January 2021 and March 2022.
And the other phone saw 61 'prostitution-related' numbers contacted over 220 times up until February 2023.
The filing also revealed the alleged search history on an account tied to one of the cellphones.
The cellphone data reportedly brought up over a thousand searches, including attempts to access pornographic films depicting 'bruised and impaled women'.
A police detective said, as quoted by NewsDay, the evidence makes 'clear' Heuermann is a 'sexual sadist'.
The new court records are also reported as revealing regular payments were being made to online dating app Tinder, prosecutors said.
Assistant Suffolk County District Attorney Andrew Lee said in a motion filed Tuesday: "[Heuermann’s] modern day use of burner phones to patronize prostitutes is probative ... of [his] modus operandi."
Indeed, it follows authorities speaking out shortly after Heuermann's arrest about his use of cellphones.
In July 2023, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at a news conference, as quoted by NewsDay, that Heuermann used seven different burner phones over the course of 14 months.
Data on the phones allegedly revealed searches into the Gilgo Beach investigation, alongside searches looking up information and photos of the victims and their family members.
Tierney said the suspect even allegedly visited a website created by Suffolk police which appealed for information and tips in connection to the murders.
The district attorney said: "For each of the murders, he got an individual burner phone and he used that to communicate with the victims and then shortly after the death of the victims, he then would get rid of the burner phone."
Heuermann is currently set to stand trial for the seven killings in September 2026.
UNILAD has contacted Heuermann's defense attorney Michael J. Brown for comment.
