MASSAPEQUA PARK, NEW YORK: A person arrested as well as charged for the death of three women has reportedly been on cops’ radar for more than a year. Rex Heuermann is said to be the prime suspect in the killing of a fourth woman but is yet to be charged for that. The accused serial killer faced arraignment on Friday, July 14, before pleading not guilty to three counts of first-degree and three counts of second-degree murder.
As per CBS News, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said, “I would, first and foremost, like to offer my deepest condolences to the family members. To the family members of Amber Costello, Melissa Barthelemy, and Megan Waterman. Rex Heuermann is a demon that walks among us. A predator that ruined families.”
Why did cops arrest Rex Heuermann now?
Reports have said that a special team was made in January last year to watch the man, suspected of taking the lives of the prostitutes. However, the investigators understood that Heuermann was also keeping an eye on them. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney A. Tierney reportedly said, “We knew we were playing before an audience of one person.”
The New York Post reported that a few months after the team was formed, officials found that he was the owner of a suspected vehicle, a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche, which was allegedly driven by Costello’s killer. Besides, several other pieces of evidence came to light that convinced cops that Heuermann was allegedly behind those over a decade-old-murders. Tierney went on to explain, “We knew that this person would be watching, and we didn’t want to give him any insight into what we were doing. And we also didn’t want him to know just how close we were getting.”
“This individual was a person that continued to patronize sex workers at all hours of the night. He continued to use fictitious email addresses, fictitious identities, and burner phones. So as we worked through the case and we got closer and closer and we built the evidence, suddenly the balance tips in favor of public safety. So I think we all wanted, as a task force, to continue it. But I think we collectively thought it was time to strike that balance and take him off the streets,” the District Attorney added.
'He was in tears'
Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Harrison commended the special force and stated, “If not for the members of this task force, he would still be on the streets today.” However, according to Defense attorney Michael Brown, Heuermann has claimed himself to be innocent.
“We just got appointed on this case. There’s not much I can tell you folks at this point in time. I will say to you folks that it’s extremely circumstantial in nature. In terms of speaking to my client, the only thing I can tell you that he did say, as he was in tears, was 'I didn’t do this,’” the lawyer shared.
