On April 8, Rex Heuermann, 62, pleaded guilty to seven murders, bringing a formal end to a mystery that has lingered for over fifteen years. He also admitted to intentionally causing the death of an eighth victim, Karen Vergata, whose killing had not yet been formally charged. Heuermann pleaded guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree and four counts of murder in the second degree. In court, Heuermann admitted to killing all eight women and disclosed that he used a burner phone to lure each woman with the promise of money. He is expected to be sentenced to three consecutive life terms without possibility for parole for three of the victims, followed by a consecutive sentence of 100 years to life for the remaining murders. As part of his guilty plea, Heuermann agreed to cooperate fully with the FBI’s behavioral analysis unit.
As the CSE Institute previously reported, on July 13, 2023, Heuermann was arrested and charged with the murders of three women whose bodies were found in Gilgo Beach, New York between 2010 and 2011: Amber Lynn Costello, 27, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, and Megan Waterman, 22. Additional victims were identified in the same area, including Shannan Gilbert, 23, whose disappearance and family’s relentless persistence first set the investigation in motion and led to the discovery of all known victims. Long before Heuermann was ever arrested and charged, the media branded him the “Long Island Serial Killer,” or “LISK,” spawning a popular podcastabout the murders, as well as a Netflix movie dramatization, several documentaries, and a book.
In total, Heuermann admitted responsibility for the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor, and Valerie Mack. Almost all of the victims in this case were women in prostitution. Predators do not target victims at random; they target women who society has already decided are expendable. Many of these women were driven into the commercial sex trade by necessity or coercion. Maureen Brainard-Barnes was a mother who needed stable housing and support for her children. Megan Waterman was a victim of sex trafficking, advertised on Craigslist and Backpage, whose trafficker was later arrested on federal charges of Interstate Trafficking of Prostitutes. Amber Lynn Costello was a survivor of childhood sexual assault who struggled with addiction. By characterizing these women only as “sex workers”, the media routinely erases the exploitative circumstances informing their involvement in the commercial sex trade.
A study conducted by CSE Institute externs and published in the Villanova Law Review, titled “The Language of Exploitation,” examined 468 news articles and found a systemic failure in how the media portrays commercial sexual exploitation. That article found that 36% of articles used derogatory terms such as “prostitute” or “hooker.” That kind of language ostracizes the victims and downplays the legitimacy of their suffering. In 82% of cases, the media minimized the violence perpetrated against women, revictimizing survivors by deeming their experience unremarkable. The language used to describe people in prostitution shapes public perception, which ultimately shapes policy. When victims are portrayed to be some type of lesser category of person, the public’s sense of fear and urgency is reduced, which decreases pressure on law enforcement and investigators to act. Seen early in the investigation of this case, Dominick Varrone, the then-Chief of Detectives of the Suffolk County Police Department, implied that only those who were engaged in prostitution via Craigslist really had anything to fear from the killer. Varrone stated, “[t]he other consolation is he’s not selecting citizens at large, he’s selecting from a pool.” Robert Kolker, author of Lost Girls, a book about the Gilgo Beach murders stated, “The subtext was clear: If the victims had been successful and well-educated, like the victims of David Berkowitz, the serial killer known as Son of Sam, all of Long Island might need to be in a panic.”
The resolution of the Heuermann case presents an opportunity for future actors in law enforcement, media, and advocates to treat all victims with the dignity and urgency that they deserve. Rather than using the terms “prostitute” or “hooker,” the CSE Institute advocates for the use of the term “person in prostitution.” Using this term connotes that the individual has an identity outside of their current situation. In contrast, the terms “prostitute” and “hooker” are dehumanizing and degrading and emphasize “other-ness” while also delegitimizing many individuals’ victimization. Similarly, the term “hooker” should never be used when referring to an individual. Heuermann’s work with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit as part of his plea agreement also presents a rare opportunity to learn how predators target and exploit vulnerable women. The CSE Institute hopes this valuable information will be used to improve law enforcement response protocols for missing persons cases involving people in prostitution and trafficking survivors.
The CSE Institute extends its most sincere condolences to all the families of the victims in this case for the pain and mistreatment they and their loved ones endured by the hands of Rex Heuermann, law enforcement, and the news media.
The CSE Institute will continue to provide updates on this matter.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.