In a change from his initial not guilty plea, Heuermann entered the pleas in Suffolk County Court. As part of the deal, he will not be charged with the murder of Karen Vergata, according to multiple reports. During the proceedings, Heuermann answered 'Yes' when asked if he had strangled, bound, and dismembered his victims, and appeared emotionless throughout, multiple outlets reported.
According to Daily Mirror, Robert Macedonio, an attorney for Heuermann's ex-wife Asa Ellerup, said she wanted to hear the admission directly from him. According to Daily Mail, Ellerup herself asked why he committed the crimes. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Heuermann killed seven of his eight victims in the basement of his Massapequa Park home.
She wanted to hear it from him.
His first victim, Sandra Costilla, was murdered in November 1993 inside his Ram Charger, Tierney said. Heuermann inflicted sharp force injuries to Costilla's face, torso, breasts, thigh, and vaginal area after her death, according to Tierney. Her body was later found by hunters in a wooded area of North Sea, Southampton, multiple reports said.
Tierney said Heuermann met each victim at least once before luring them to his home, and that his family was out of town during the murders. Ellerup, his ex-wife, moved her bedroom into the basement where the killings occurred, she revealed in a Peacock documentary. Heuermann killed Karen Vergata days before marrying Ellerup in 1996, according to multiple reports.
I want to know why. Why did he do this?
A planning document found on a hard drive provided key evidence, multiple outlets reported. The case is explored in the documentary 'Killing Grounds: The Gilgo Beach Murders,' available on Prime Video, which covers the discovery of 11 bodies at Gilgo Beach between 1996 and 2011 and includes a warning about flashing images and distressing scenes. The exact cause of death for Karen Vergata has not been disclosed, and it remains unclear what specific evidence beyond the planning document linked Heuermann to the murders.
How he selected his victims is also unknown.