LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK: The older half-brother of JonBenet Ramsey, who was found murdered in her parents’ Colorado home in 1996, believes that the arrest of Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann could shed light on the identity of child beauty queen’s killer. The 59-year-old Heuermann was arrested on July 13 in connection to the infamous Gilgo Beach murders that wreaked havoc on Long Island for more than a decade.
The Manhattan architect has now been slapped with charges of first-degree murder and second-degree murder for allegedly killing Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. He is also the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes but authorities haven’t charged him in the case due to lack of cell phone data. The remains of four sex workers, known as the 'Gilgo Four,' were found bound and hidden on an isolated Long Island beach in December 2010. On Friday, July 14, Heuermann appeared in a Riverhead court where his lawyer indicated that he'll plead not guilty to the charges.
'JonBenet’s killer will likely have a similar bio'
Following Heuermann's arrest, six-year-old Ramsey’s half-brother John Andrew claimed that her killer will "likely have a similar bio" as the Gilgo Beach murders suspect. “No criminal record but you can’t hide this level of darkness. It will manifest itself in other areas of your life. Try as you might you can’t blend,” Andrew wrote in a tweet, adding, “JonBenet’s killer will likely have a similar bio”. His claims came in response to a tweet by Defense Diaries that read, "Hindsight is 20/20 as his neighbors state that they viewed #RexHeuermann as such a creep that they wouldn't allow their kids to trick or treat at his home on Halloween. This guy gives off massive #Gacy vibes."
The unsolved case of Ramsey’s murder has been the subject of national attention for decades along with numerous news articles, books, TV shows, and films. Ramsey, who participated in several child beauty pageants, was only six years old when she was found battered and tied in the basement of her family's house on December 26, 1996. An autopsy revealed that the child had died of strangulation and trauma to the head, and multiple family members were considered initial suspects. Officials have not charged any suspect in Ramsey’s murder but a convicted pedophile previously confessed to have accidentally killed the pageant queen. Gary Oliva is currently housed at the Limon Correctional Facility in Colorado, serving a 10-year sentence for child pornography.
'He was compulsively searching pictures of the victims'
Meanwhile, a slew of new court documents revealed that police traced Heuremann with the help of a burner phone that he used to contact the alleged victims. Another key piece of evidence linking him to the murders was a strand of his hair that was allegedly found at the bottom of a hessian bag that had been used to wrap Waterman's body. Police have connected at least ten victims to the serial killer and know of at least six other killings that may be connected. Previously, it was also revealed that Heuermann was tracking not just the victims but also their loved ones. "He was compulsively searching pictures of the victims, but not only pictures of the victims, pictures of their relatives, their sisters, their children, and he was trying to locate those individuals," the district attorney for Suffolk County, Ray Tierney, said in a conference.
