Rex Heuermann: Long Island serial killing suspect 'depressed and lonely' as he is kept in windowless cell

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK: Rex Heuermann, a suspected Long Island serial killer, appeared in court on Tuesday, February 6, to discuss the status of the murder case against him.

Manhattan architect Rex Heuermann has entered a not guilty plea to the charges of  killing four women who were discovered dead near Gilgo Beach in 2010.

Rex Heuermann spends majority of his time in a windowless cell

Rex Heuermann is being held without bond and receiving counseling while incarcerated, according to his attorney Michael Brown, because he has been kept apart for his own safety and is feeling "depressed and lonely", CBS reported.

The 60-year-old spends the majority of his time in a windowless cell, according to Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D Toulon Jr's statement made last month, as CrimeOnline noted. 

“There was an individual that did say if he was able to get into close contact with him, ‘I’m going to do something.’ Inmates in jail do not like inmates that abuse women, or children,” Toulon said.

“Because of the nature of his case, it’s high-profile, it’s incumbent to keep him safe because justice will be served in the courts and not in my jail.”

In court, prosecutors stated that they had given the defense access to 2,500 pages of lab reports, DNA evidence, and information from electronic devices connected to Heuermann.

Additionally, they presented the defense with the police department's "lead log," which included 2,944 tips received between the start of the case in 2010 and January 2, 2024, according to Newsday.

The entire file containing the first 25 tips was also turned over. In an interview with reporters following the incident, Brown stated that the tips were crucial, especially for the defense to see how the investigators handled them. 

“Obviously some of those leads aren’t going to be significant at all,” he stated.

He went on to say, “But some of those leads are going to be extremely significant. And they’re going to be important for us in the defense of this case."

"So we want to see those leads and we want to see the credibility of those leads and we want to see what follow-up the police department did in regard to those leads.”

At least once, according to Brown, the police were on the verge of apprehending a different suspect.

“We were informed, among other individuals, that there was another individual that the prior district attorney of this county was prepared to charge with these crimes,” said Brown.

“We haven’t received any of that documentation. We expect that it will be forthcoming, but that’s very important, extremely important to this case.” 

Rex Heuermann accused of first- and second-degree murder

Following the hearing on Tuesday, February 6, current Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney stated that the case does not yet have a motion schedule and that the discovery process is still ongoing.

With regard to the tip data, Tierney stated, “The defense specifically asked for that material, so that’s why we prioritized it. A lot of material provided; we still have more material to turn over."

"But we’re continuing to provide that discovery on a rolling basis.”

In connection with the demise of Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, and Melissa Barthelemy, as well as the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Heuermann is accused of first- and second-degree murder.

He was charged with the murder of Brainard-Barnes last month after being apprehended on July 13 last year for the first three killings.