April 17, 2026 · Updated April 17, 2026
Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty on April 8, 2026, to the murders of the Gilgo Four — ending a legal process that began more than 15 years ago when four women's remains were found along Ocean Parkway. Sentencing is set for June 17. Here's what the plea means for the families who never stopped pushing for answers.
Rex Heuermann entered a guilty plea on April 8, 2026, in the Babylon-area Gilgo Beach serial murder case, admitting to the killings of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes — the women known as the Gilgo Four. Sentencing is scheduled for June 17, 2026.
Heuermann admitted guilt in the murders of all four women whose remains were found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach in Suffolk County. The Gilgo Four disappeared between 2007 and 2010. Their remains were discovered in 2010.
For the families, the plea closes a chapter that has been open for close to 20 years. There will be no trial — no reliving the evidence in a public courtroom, no risk of acquittal, no cross-examining of loved ones' memories.
Sentencing is set for June 17, 2026, in Suffolk County Court. Given the nature of the charges — four counts of murder — a life sentence without the possibility of parole is the expected outcome.
Yes, and significant ones. Heuermann was also charged in connection with additional victims beyond the Gilgo Four. The investigation into those cases remains active.
The bodies of the Gilgo Four were found in December 2010. That's more than 15 years between discovery and a guilty plea. Heuermann wasn't arrested until July 2023.
