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Jun 23, 2023

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THE alleged Long Island Serial Killer used a fake name on Tinder and bathroom selfies to lure women before he was finally arrested this week, court documents have revealed. Rex Heuermann, a

THE alleged Long Island Serial Killer used a fake name on Tinder and bathroom selfies to lure women before he was finally arrested this week, court documents have revealed.

Rex Heuermann, a 59-year-old architect, was arrested on Thursday night and charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder in the Gilgo Beach slayings.

He's charged in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, whose bodies were found wrapped in burlap near Gilgo Beach on Long Island’s South Shore in December 2010.

All of the women were sex workers in their 20s whose remains were found within one-quarter mile of one another.

The death of a fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, is also believed to be connected to the case.

The infamous murders shook Long Island and went unsolved for over a decade.

A total of 10 bodies were discovered in the area, though Heuermann is only facing charges in three killings.

Investigators arrested Heuermann near his Manhattan office after they recovered his DNA from a discarded pizza box, according to his bail application filed in the County Court of Suffolk County, New York.

A single strand of male hair, believed to be Heuermann's based on DNA analysis, was previously found at the bottom of burlap covering Waterman.

Detectives had reportedly been honing in on him as a suspect for some time.

The bail application sheds new light on the evidence that led to the charges against Heuermann.

The documents describe a scene that unfolded at Costello's home on September 1, 2010, the day before she disappeared.

The sex worker met with a stranger that night who offered $1,500 for her services.

According to the court documents, the client repeatedly called Costello before showing up at her West Babylon, New York home at around 11.17pm.

"A prostitution client showed up at Ms. Costello’s residence located in West Babylon, New York," the court documents state.

"After the client entered the home, a ruse was executed on the client whereby a person pretended to be the outraged boyfriend of Amber Costello and the client left from the residence, while Amber Costello retained the money the client had brought to pay for her services.

"Based upon interviews, that client was described as a large, white male, approximately 6’4’ to 6’6” in height, in his mid-forties, with 'dark bushy hair,' and 'big oval style 1970’s type eyeglasses.'

"A witness described him to police as appearing like an 'ogre.'”

A witness also saw a Chevrolet Avalanche parked in the driveway of the residence.

Heuermann’s Chevrolet Avalanche was key in leading investigators to suspect he could be the killer in the Gilgo Beach murders.

Phone records showed that a burner phone used to contact Costello was located in Massapequa Park, where Heuermann lived with his wife, prosecutors said.

Heuermann's wife was traveling outside of New York at the time of Costello's disappearance.

"On September 5, 2010, the cellular telephone subscribed to by his wife returned to New York from New Jersey," the court docs said.

This would have been several days after Costello vanished.

Heuermann allegedly made several Google Pay transactions for a Tinder account in January 2011, according to American Express records that were obtained from a subpoena.

The account owner used the name "Andy," with Andrew Roberts also showing up associated with the Tinder profile.

Andrew is Heuermann's middle name, according to court docs.

The email address used for the Tinder profile was under the name "John Springfield" and had a zip code from Astoria, Queens in New York City.

A search warrant was obtained to investigate the email address, which turned up several selfies that appeared to have been taken by Heuermann.

The photos were allegedly sent to people in the hopes of soliciting and arranging hookups, which investigators believe links Heuermann to the "John Springfield" email address and Tinder profile.

Additionally, prosecutors allege that Heuermann made a series of strange and incriminating internet searches.

Among the searches listed in the document are: "Why could law enforcement not trace the calls made by the Long Island Serial Killer" and "Why hasn't the Long Island Serial Killer been caught."

Heuermann also searched for child pornography and explicit videos depicting rape, prosecutors said.

The suspect appeared in court on Friday, appearing smug and speaking only to confirm his name.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

Judge Richard Ambro ordered that he be held without bond and cited the “extreme depravity” of the crimes as justification for keeping him in custody.

Heuermann is also being investigated in connection with the murders of the other women whose remains were found months later in the same area, including Shannan Gilbert and Jessica Taylor.

John Ray, an attorney who represents the families of the two women, told The U.S. Sun that the news of Heuermann's arrest has been bittersweet for him and the victims' families, though they hope it marks a step toward finally achieving justice for the women.

The attorney added that he expects more arrests to follow in the wake of Heuermann's.