Prosecutors Detail Heuermann's Alleged Online Activity in New Court Filing

Prosecutors revealed new details about Rex Heuermann’s alleged online activity in a recent court filing, claiming the Long Island serial killer suspect contacted sex workers hundreds of times and conducted thousands of searches related to violent content before his arrest.

According to court documents obtained by ABC New York, the Suffolk County district attorney’s office detailed Heuermann’s alleged digital footprint as part of their response to a defense motion to suppress evidence. Prosecutors claim the 62-year-old suspect registered burner phones and created a Tinder account using the aliases “Andrew Roberts” and “Thomas Hawk” to communicate with sex workers while concealing his identity.

The filing alleges Heuermann used a Gmail account to conduct “thousands” of searches for hardcore violent pornography and content related to sex workers. Prosecutors say the same email address was used for more than 100 searches connected to the Gilgo Beach serial killings and other murders.

His alleged search history included queries such as “Why hasn’t the long island serial killer been caught,” “Map of all known serial killers” and “Cops launch Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force,” according to prosecutors.

The Suffolk County district attorney’s office included these details after Heuermann’s defense team filed a motion to suppress certain evidence. Prosecutors argued that his alleged use of burner phones to contact sex workers represents “a consistent pattern spanning over 15 years” that demonstrates his “current and former modus operandi to not only commit these murders, but also to avoid apprehension and prosecution.”

In the filing, prosecutors also contended that the materials they discovered provide clear evidence that Heuermann is a “sexual sadist.”

Heuermann was arrested in July 2023 and charged with the murders of seven women: Sandra Costilla, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. He entered not guilty pleas during hearings in July 2023 and January 2024.

The case is scheduled to go to trial in September after Labor Day. In September 2025, Judge Mazzei ruled that all seven murder cases against Heuermann will be tried together in one hearing, rejecting the defense team’s request to split the cases.

Prosecutors have said they used DNA evidence from Heuermann’s discarded pizza crust to help link him to the 2007 killing of Maureen Brainard-Barnes and six other deaths in the Long Island area that occurred over a decade-long period.

The defense has challenged this evidence collection method, arguing that taking DNA from the pizza crust violated Heuermann’s constitutional right to privacy. Defense attorney Danielle Coysh stated in January that while “Rex Heuermann may have abandoned his pizza crust, he never abandoned all that personal information that is now our DNA,” according to CBS News.

Despite the defense’s constitutional arguments, the judge ruled that advanced DNA testing can be used during the trial. Prosecutors have maintained that the advanced DNA testing is critical for linking Heuermann to the murders.

The Gilgo Beach case has drawn significant attention since the discovery of remains along Ocean Parkway beginning in 2010. The alleged victims were found over several years in the area, leading to one of Long Island’s most high-profile serial killer investigations.

Heuermann’s trial will mark a significant milestone in a case that has captivated the Long Island community for more than a decade, as prosecutors present their evidence linking the suspect to the series of murders that terrorized the region.