Rex Heuermann, the man allegedly responsible for several of the Gilgo Beach, N.Y., murders, added a new charge to his list on Tuesday when Suffolk County Court charged him with the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, a 25-year-old woman.
The accusation, per NBC, comes after an analysis of the remains of the young woman, which appeared near Gilgo Beach, east of New York City, in 2010. New DNA proof was obtained linking Heuermann to the crime when investigators used DNA from his daughter from a discarded energy drink.
This fourth charge joins those for the homicides of Megan Waterman, 22 years old; Melissa Barthelemy, 24; and Amber Lynn Costello, 27. All of them were sex workers, and their bodies appeared in 2010 on Long Island.
Heuermann pleaded not guilty to the new charges. According to his lawyer Michael Brown during a press conference, the accused, who is now 60 years old, is willing to face the accusation and prove his innocence: "He’s looking forward to fighting these charges and we’re doing that."
Heuermann must remain in custody
During the court appearance, which Heuermann attended with his ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, the judge declared that the accused will remain in judicial custody and that he would also not have the right to bail.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney was relieved with the judge's decision and, during a subsequent press conference, assured that the new victim, Brainard-Barnes, was an "intellectual" as well as a writer who "cared deeply about the people she loved":
She was a devoted sister, mother, daughter. She is sorely missed by those that loved her. It has been an honor and a privilege to work these cases and provide that small measure of closure for the family members.
Heuermann is yet to appear in court for the remaining murders, although he has not yet been formally charged in the killings of Gilbert, Taylor or Mack, other victims whose bodies were found near Gilgo Beach. His next court date is scheduled for Feb. 6.
