Rex Heuermann, the notorious Gilgo Beach serial killer, appeared in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, New York, for sentencing on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (James Carbone/Newsday via Pool)
Suffolk County officials wasted no time in transferring Rex Heuermann upstate, ensuring that he begins his life term in prison promptly. The swift move came just a day after he was handed the harshest penalty permissible under New York law for his role in the gruesome Gilgo Beach murders.
The 62-year-old, who once worked as an architect in New York City, was sentenced to three consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. These will be followed by four additional sentences of 25 years to life. District Attorney Ray Tierney revealed that Heuermann had constructed a chilling “Dexter”-style kill room in his basement, where he murdered seven out of his eight known victims.
“The sentence fits the severity of his crimes, and he unquestionably earned it,” stated his former wife, Asa Ellerup, through her lawyer, Bob Macedonio.
Meanwhile, in a separate case, the defense for alleged assassin Luigi Mangione initially proposed a psychiatric defense in court, only to retract it the following day. Mangione, a former Ivy League student, would have needed to admit to shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson to use an “extreme emotional disturbance” defense under New York law. If successful, this defense could have significantly lessened his state-level sentence upon conviction but might have complicated his upcoming federal trial scheduled for next year.
A photo obtained by News Media shows Luigi Mangione. (Obtained by News Media)
The former court clerk whose misconduct helped overturn Alex Murdaugh’s murder conviction is now asking a federal judge to toss his $600,000 lawsuit against her. Lawyers for Rebecca Hill argued in a filing Thursday that Murdaugh has no right to recover the money he spent defending himself during a 2023 trial over the murders of his wife and son.
Former Colleton County Court Clerk Becky Hill closes her eyes with a coffee mug on a swing outside her South Carolina home on Saturday, May 23, 2026. Hill is facing a civil lawsuit from disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh, whose murder convictions in the deaths of his wife and son were reversed earlier this month after Hill allegedly influenced jurors on the case. (Kat Ramirez for News Media)
“Happy Face” killer Keith Jesperson has some prison advice for fellow serial murderer Rex Heuermann, warning the “ogre”-like monster that “little guys work out too, to beat up us big guys.” Heuermann can expect to get in some prison fights, he says.
Convicted murderer Keith Jesperson, right, shown here at a Nov. 2, 1995, court appearance in Portland, Ore., with attorney Thomas Phelan. Jesperson has become a prison penpal of fellow convicted serial killer Rex Heuermann. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)
The mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie remains missing more than 135 days after her suspected abduction from her Tucson home. Some cybersecurity experts believe she may have been the victim of a “wrench attack,” where a hacker coordinated with local thugs to try and extort bitcoin from her daughter. The trend is on the rise, experts say, and increasingly involves vulnerable victims related to wealthy targets, rather than the earners themselves.Â
Savannah Guthrie wipes a tear from her eye during a visit to the “Today” show set at Rockefeller Plaza in New York on Thursday, March 5, 2026, just over a month after her mother’s suspected abduction. It remains unsolved. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
“Hell on Wheels” killer Mackenzie Shrilla is now serving up prison meals. The 21-year-old, convicted of slamming her Toyota Camry into a building on purpose and killing her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic Russo, and their 19-year-old friend Davion Flanagan in 2022, has landed a job behind bars. Aside from prison food, she is serving concurrent sentences of 15 years to life behind bars.
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Karen Read is due in court for three separate hearings next week connected to the O’Keefe family’s wrongful death lawsuit. Read was acquitted a year ago this week of all homicide-related charges stemming from her ex-boyfriend John O’Keefe’s frigid death during a 2022 blizzard.
Tyler Robinson will also hear from Judge Tony Graf, who is expected to rule on a defense motion to punish prosecutors for making extrajudicial remarks about the case against Charlie Kirk’s accused assassination.
Barry Morphew is also due back in court in Colorado in connection with the death of his wife, Suzanne.
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