He said it. After years of standing stone-faced in court, after denying everything, after forcing investigators and families through years of legal proceedings — Rex Heuermann stood in Suffolk County Court and pleaded guilty to killing seven women. He admitted to killing an eighth, Karen Vergata, whose case will not be separately charged under the plea deal.

For the families of Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amber Lynn Costello, Sandra Costilla, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, and Megan Waterman — this is the formal legal confirmation of what they have been carrying for years. Some wept in the courtroom as Heuermann detailed his crimes. This is what resolution looks like when it comes too late and still isn’t enough.

Heuermann’s ex-wife Asa Ellerup sat in the last row with their daughter Victoria. Asa told reporters her thoughts and prayers are with the victims. Victoria has previously stated publicly that she believes her father most likely committed the killings. A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against all three of them by the son of Valerie Mack.

On Hidden Killers Live With Tony Brueski & Robin Dreeke, defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis and Robin Dreeke sit down for a panel discussion on what this plea means — legally, behaviorally, and for every family connected to this case. What the defense gained. What the prosecution traded. What the FBI cooperation opens up. And why his attorney chose the word “relief” to describe a man admitting to killing eight women.

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The cellphone evidence in Melissa Barthelemy's case maps Rex Heuermann's alleged movements with precision. Prosecutors say the burner phone she'd connected with traveled from Massapequa Park to Midtown Manhattan on the day she disappeared — mirroring Heuermann's daily commute. Hours later, Melissa's own phone traveled the reverse route — from Manhattan back toward Long Island. And then, for five weeks, someone used Melissa's phone to call her 15-year-old sister, taunting her with details of the killing. Under three minutes per call. From crowded Manhattan locations. Emotionally flat. Calculated.

Episode 5 of "The Seven." Melissa was 24, from Buffalo, living in the Bronx, working escort ads on Craigslist because the cosmetology career she'd trained for hadn't taken off yet. She was four feet ten, 95 pounds. She had eight cats. Her landlady described her as a sweet girl. Her remains were the first found in December 2010 — discovered by a cadaver dog during a training exercise along Ocean Parkway.

Prosecutors allege Heuermann's internet searches included more than 200 queries about the Gilgo investigation and images of the victims' families. The phone trail, the taunting calls, the DNA, the search history, and Melissa's full story — all covered here.

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Maureen Brainard-Barnes was the first of the Gilgo Four to disappear — July 2007. Three days later, her phone was used in Suffolk County along the Long Island Expressway. Prosecutors allege Rex Heuermann checked her voicemail after she was gone. Burner phone data from the phone that contacted Maureen traced back to "the box" — a tight cluster of cell towers surrounding Heuermann's Massapequa Park home. Every burner phone connected to the Gilgo Four pinged from that same area.

Episode 4 of "The Seven." Maureen was 25, a mother of two, facing eviction, about to lose custody. She took the train from Connecticut to work as an escort in Midtown Manhattan because the money was the only thing standing between her and losing her children. At 11:43 p.m. on July 9, she called a friend and said she was going to meet a client. Nobody heard from her again for more than three years — until her remains were found in December 2010, wrapped in burlap on Ocean Parkway, alongside the other Gilgo Four victims.

DNA on a leather belt used to bind her remains matched Heuermann's wife's profile. The belt also bore the initials "WH" — matching Heuermann's grandfather, William Heuermann. The cellphone evidence, the DNA, the family's fight for justice, and Maureen's full story — all covered here.

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