RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — Prosecutors revealed in court on Wednesday that DNA from serial killing suspect Rex Heuermann’s cheek swab matches the DNA previously collected from a pizza crust, which linked him to one of the victims (source).
The 60-year-old architect, Heuermann, was arrested on July 13 and charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, three of the women whose bodies were discovered along a secluded beach highway in Long Island. Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the death of a fourth woman.
He pleaded not guilty and has been held without bail at Suffolk County Jail in Riverhead.
During his arrest, authorities revealed that they had analyzed DNA from a pizza crust found in a Manhattan trash can, linking it to Heuermann’s estranged wife, Asa Ellerup. They then obtained permission to collect a cheek swab from Heuermann to further establish his connection to the killing of Waterman.
“The buccal swab erases all doubt,” stated Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney before the judge, as reported by Newsday.
The arrest of Heuermann comes 13 years after the discovery of 10 sets of human remains buried near Gilgo Beach in Long Island, fueling suspicions of a serial killer. While authorities believe some of the murders were committed by a serial killer, they do not believe that all the victims were killed by the same person.
Prosecutors informed Suffolk County Court Judge Timothy Mazzei that they had handed over thousands of documents to Heuermann’s defense team.
Heuermann stated in court that he spends two to three hours each day reviewing the evidence against him.
In response to the significance of the DNA sample, Heuermann’s defense attorney, Michael Brown, stated outside the courtroom, “There is nobody on the face of the earth that is credible is going to say that hair is my client’s hair,” as reported by the New York Post.
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