The mother of one of the Gilgo Beach murder victims says she hopes suspected killer Rex Heuermann “suffers” at the hands of other inmates behind bars.
Lynn Barthelemy struck a vengeful tone when speaking about her daughter Melissa’s alleged murderer, feeling “death was too good” for the “devilish” Manhattan architect.
“Let him have what the girls got,” she said NBC newsadding that a painless death would be an “easy” way out of the consequences of the heinous crimes.
The Barthelemy family suffered relentless heartbreak when Melissa’s killer repeatedly taunted them about her death, but when police traced the calls to Heuermann’s Manhattan office, the mother said, “I always knew the calls would be key.”
Her comments came on the heels of Heuermann’s dramatic arrest Thursday night in Manhattan for the murder of three victims found on Gilgo Beach in 2010 and 2011. Up to 11 sets of remains were discovered on the beach.
Lynn Barthelemy, mother of Gilgo Beach murder victim Melissa Barthelemy, said ‘death is too good’ for her daughter’s killer
Lynn’s daughter Melissa disappeared in 2009, and her body was found the following year
Rex Heuermann is shown in one of his Tinder profile photos. Police traced the fictitious email account he used on the profile and his phone number to the case
Heuermann’s arrest came after a decade-long manhunt for the infamous “Gilgo Beach serial killer,” with police admitting on Friday they acted out of fear he might strike again.
He is charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, who disappeared in 2009, and of Megan Waterman and Amber Costello.
Despite having the alleged killer in custody, Lynn Barthelemy said it’s little comfort because of the heartbreak her family has endured for 14 years.
“Our family suffered every day,” she said. “I wish he would suffer at the hands of other prisoners.”
After Melissa’s murder, the killer made harassing phone calls to her family, where he mocked her death and sexually assaulted and killed her.
But the psychopathic move may have led investigators to the killer, as they were able to trace the calls to a location in midtown Manhattan near Heuermann’s old office.
“I always knew the phone calls would be key,” Barthelemy added.
Heuermann pleaded not guilty to the murders after his arrest.
Barthelemy said she hopes Heuermann “suffers” because her family suffers “every day.”
Shannan Gilbert’s sister (pictured) said they were “overwhelmed” by the news that her killer may have been caught after more than a decade. She went missing in May 2010 and her remains were found in December 2011. Heuermann has not been charged with murder
Up to 11 sets of remains were found on or near Gilgo Beach, and while Heuermann has only been charged with three murders, the families of those found believe their killer has finally been caught.
Sherre Gilbert, the sister of Shannan Gilbert, whose decomposed remains were found in December 2011, said she was “overwhelmed” by the news.
“It’s been a long time coming and I never gave up hope that justice would one day be served,” she said in a statement to NBC News.
“The defendant deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life,” she continued.
“He’s destroyed many lives, so while it won’t bring back our loved ones, it helps that there’s one less monster off the streets and he can never hurt anyone else.”
John Ray, an attorney for the families of Shannan Gilbert and another victim, Jessica Taylor, said he hoped the arrest means “the dam has broken.”
While he said the arrest brings a “sigh of relief,” he believes Heuermann is not responsible for all 11 murders and that there is “undoubtedly” another suspect.
A map showing where the remains of the victims were located along the barren stretch of Ocean Beach Parkway in Gilgo Beach, located on the south coast of Long Island
Heuermann was arrested after a decades-long hunt for the infamous Gilgo Beach serial killer. He has pleaded not guilty
Prosecutors allege that other evidence linking Heuermann to the murders includes:
- His wife’s DNA was found on three of the victims’ bodies
- One of his own hairs was found on the bodies of one of the victims
- Calls from a burner phone to the victims were traced to his office
- A phone call to one of the victim’s sisters after she died was traced to his office
- His Tinder profile with pictures of him was linked to the burner’s phone number
- His personal phones always pinged in the same areas as the suspected burners
- His Chevrolet pickup truck matched the suspicious vehicle spotted by a witness
- He matches the physical description of “bogeyman,” such as a man seen with one victim
- Heuermann conducted graphical searches for child pornography and sexual torture
- He also searched Google for updates on the case, searching “why the police couldn’t trace the calls from the Long Island serial killer.”
The arrest came as detectives admitted they raided Heuermann out of fear he might kill again.
The alleged serial killer had been tracked since last year and police planned to continue the operation to build their case.
However, they decided to swoop in and make the arrest in the interest of “public safety,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told reporters.
Tierney cited a number of red flags, saying Heuermann “continued to patronize sex workers,” using fake IDs and burner phones, and holding licenses for as many as 92 firearms.
“Which, of course, made us very nervous,” says Tierney, who has been leading a secret investigative task force targeting Heuermann since spring 2022.
Prosecutors say a wealth of evidence links him to the murders, including DNA recovered from a pizza crust Heuermann threw out that matches genetic material found on the woman’s remains.
He has denied the crimes he is facing and is due to appear in court on August 1.