By Hank Russell
Rex Heuermann appeared in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead to hear charges of allegedly murdering a seventh woman.
Heuermann, 61, of Massapequa, was charged on December 17 with the murder of Valerie Mack, whose remains were found in Manorville and near Gilgo Beach. According to news reports, when asked how he pleaded, Heuermann replied, “Your honor, I am not guilty of any of these charges.”
Heuermann was held without bail.
According to court documents obtained by Long Island Life & Politics, Mack — born Valerie Lyn Fulton — was found dead by three hunters in the woods on November 19, 2000. A dog accompanying the hunters alerted them to a black plastic bag wrapped up with duct tape. The hunters opened the bag and found inside another bag with human remains. Police later arrived and observed the remains of a female, later identified as Mack.
Court documents also revealed that Mack’s head and hands were severed from her body, as well as her right leg. On April 4, 2011, Mack’s skull, hands and right foot were found along Ocean Parkway, just east of Gilgo Beach. The discovery occurred just 1.5 miles from where Jessica Taylor’s skull, hands and forearm were found.
Investigators with the Gilgo Homicide Task Force examined Heuermann’s house and seized more than 350 electronic devices. Before his arrest, the task force extracted the data from these devices, which contained a significant collection of violent, bondage, and torture pornography, currently dating back to 1994.
Before Mack’s disappearance, task force members uncovered pornographic images that included breast mutilation and tying up women with rope, similar to what happened to Mack.
On May 23, 2020, and July 30, 2020, Heuermann’s home IP address was used to access Gilgonews.com, a website previously maintained by the Suffolk County Police Department to disseminate information regarding the Gilgo Beach investigation. on May 23, 2020, at approximately 11:30 p.m., at the time Rex Heuermann’s home IP address visited Gilgonews.com, the web page highlighted the upcoming identification of “Manorville Jane Doe,” who would later be identified as Mack. On July 30, 2020, at approximately 10:50 p.m., Heuermann’s home IP address visited the website again, viewing information regarding the Mack case.
The task force executed a search warrant on Heuermann’s residence on July 15-16, 2023 and found press clippings on the murders. On May 21, 2024, task force members went back and found a press clip in Heuermann’s bedroom, which contained details about Mack and Taylor’s disappearances and murders.
Two outside forensics laboratories analyzed a hair sample found on Mack. Using DNA techniques and direct genome sequencing, as well as mitochondrial analysis, six of the seven victims, including Mack, were tied to Heuermann.
During a press conference, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney spoke about the advanced DNA analysis used in prosecuting Heuermann. ”It’s been used in other parts of the country, but never used in New York,” Tierney said.
Tierney said there will be a Frye hearing slated for early next year. During the hearing, the defense will have the opportunity to challenge the admissibility of this scientific evidence.
He said the Word document — called the “HK document — listing terms such as “rope/cord,” “saw/cutting tools,” “foam drain cleaner,” “DS” and “small is good” will help the case. “The HK document evinces two things: one, it evinces intent and, two, it evinces careful and meticulous planning. There was a certain modus operandi in certain cases, and, with Jessica and Valerie, he used the same modus operandi.”
The DA’s office has been ordered by the judge to provide the defense with all forensic evidence, which will be “a difficult task,” Tierney said, due to the amount of evidence collected, “but the judge is pushing us and we are complying with the judge’s orders.” He said the judge is “very active and aggressive” and is “eager to try the case.”
Tierney called this case “the most unique case I’ve ever done. We took a cold case, developed a suspect and we were off and running. … The evidence will paint a certain picture, but we have to prove that picture at the trial.”