Mother of Gilgo Beach murders victim hopes suspect ‘suffers at hands of other inmates’

Rex Heuermann, 59, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree and three in the second degree

The mother of one of the Gilgo Beach victims says she hopes alleged serial killer Rex Heuermann will “suffer” in prison.

Rex Heuermann, 59, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree and three in the second degree over the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello.

The women are among the “Gilgo Four” whose bodies were found along a stretch of Ocean Parkway in Long Island in 2010.

“I’d like him to suffer at the hands of other inmates,” Lynn Barthelemy told NBC News on Friday. “Let him receive what the girls received.”

And she added: “Death is too good for him. It’s too easy.”

Court documents state that Mr Heuermann is also the “prime suspect” in the murder of the fourth woman in that group, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, though he is not facing charges related to her death.

Mr Heuermann, a Manhattan architect who lives in Massapequa Park in Long Island’s Nassau County, was arrested on Friday.

This booking image provided by Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, shows Rex Heuermann, a Long Island architect who was charged Friday, July 14, 2023, with murder in the deaths of three of the 11 victims in a long-unsolved string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders. (AP)

He was taken into custody more than a decade after the first set of remains was discovered on Gilgo Beach in Suffolk County.

The remains of 11 victims have so far been discovered, including Ms Barthelemy’s 24-year-old daughter, Melissa.

“Our family has suffered every day,” added Ms Barthelemy, who lives in upstate New York.

Court documents state that “taunting phone calls” were made by a male on Melissa Barthelemy’s phone, in which the caller admitted sexually assaulting and killing the victim.

Investigators state that the calls were eventually traced to a Manhattan location near the suspect’s then-office.

The sister of Shannan Gilbert, whose disappearance in May 2010 led to the discovery of a string of human remains, also spoke out about the arrest.

“I am overwhelmed but relieved that they finally caught him. It’s been a long time coming and I never gave up hope that one day justice would be served,” Sherre Gilbert said in a statement to NBC News.

“The suspect (Rex) deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life. He destroyed many lives so while it won’t bring our loved ones back, it does help that one less monster is off the streets and he can’t ever hurt anyone else!”