Podcasts about Behavioral Analysis Unit

True crime cases rarely end cleanly, and Rex Heuermann's is no exception. He's already serving three life sentences plus a hundred years for eight murders, but the detail true crime audiences can't stop talking about isn't about him. It's about the therapist who worked closely with his family. Tony Brueski and the Hidden Killers team break down reports that the therapist wasn't actually licensed, that she appeared on a Peacock special discussing details tied to her clients, and that she reportedly guided Heuermann's wife toward living in the remodeled bedroom connected to the murders. The show explains why none of this is expected to help Heuermann's legal team on appeal, according to the attorneys consulted on the case, and uses the moment to talk about a bigger pattern in true crime: people who get close to tragedy and decide to profit from it instead of walking away. There's also a harder conversation about why it took decades to catch Heuermann in the first place, and whether law enforcement bears some responsibility given how long his victims went unheard because of the work they did. The team draws comparisons to other high-profile cases involving marginalized victims, and talks through the real staffing and funding pressures that shape which cases get attention and which don't. The episode wraps with what's still unresolved: one victim still known only as Jane Doe, families who believe there are more victims Heuermann hasn't been charged with, and his agreement to sit down with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. Closure, the team agrees, is still a long way off for everyone this case touched. Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. Hashtags #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #TrueCrimeToday #TrueCrimePodcast #LongIsland #SerialKiller #FBI #Ethics #ColdCase #TrueCrimeCommunity 

Rex Heuermann is already serving three life sentences plus a hundred years for eight murders, but the detail drawing the most attention has nothing to do with him directly. It's about the therapist who worked closely with his family. Tony Brueski and the Hidden Killers team break down how that therapist reportedly wasn't licensed, why she appeared on a Peacock special discussing case details tied to her clients, and why she reportedly guided Heuermann's wife toward living in the remodeled bedroom connected to the murders. The show walks through what it would take for that failure to actually help Heuermann's legal team on appeal, and why the attorneys consulted on the case say it doesn't hold up. There's also a conversation about why unlicensed professionals slip through the cracks in high-profile cases like this one, who's actually responsible for catching it, and what it says about the pull of notoriety when someone gets access to a story this big. The team draws comparisons to other cases where people close to a trial made questionable choices for attention or profit, and talks through the concept of the "loving critic," someone close enough to say, "you shouldn't be doing this," before it becomes a problem. The episode also revisits what's still unresolved in the larger case: one victim still known only as Jane Doe, families who believe there are more victims Heuermann hasn't been charged with, and his agreement to sit down with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. The team talks through why a case like this rarely delivers full closure, even after a guilty plea and a sentencing hearing. Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. Hashtags #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast #LongIsland #SerialKiller #FBI #Ethics #TrueCrimeCommunity #ColdCase 

Rex Heuermann is behind bars for eight murders, but Hidden Killers Live spent this episode on a question listeners keep sending in: what was really going on with the therapist working closely with his family? Robin Drake, Todd Michaels, and Lisa Hale take listener questions directly on this one, starting with reports that the therapist wasn't licensed, and that she appeared on a Peacock special discussing details tied to her clients. The hosts talk through whether that could open the door to an appeal, and share what the attorneys they've consulted on the case had to say about it. They also dig into a specific detail that's been bothering the team: reports that the therapist guided Heuermann's wife toward living in the remodeled bedroom connected to the murders. Listeners also push the hosts on a harder question sent in by a viewer named Karen, about whether law enforcement bears some responsibility for how long it took to catch Heuermann, given that his victims weren't taken seriously for years because of the work they did. The team draws parallels to other cases involving marginalized victims and talks through the real, systemic pressures investigators face when they're juggling far more cases than they can properly staff. The hosts close out the hour on what's still unresolved: one victim still known only as Jane Doe, families who believe more victims exist, and Heuermann's agreement to sit down with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit from inside Clinton Correctional. The team is honest about one thing: closure for every family affected by this case may never fully arrive. Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. Hashtags #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #HiddenKillersLive #TrueCrimePodcast #ListenerQA #LongIsland #SerialKiller #FBI #Ethics #TrueCrimeCommunity 

This episode goes deeper into the detail from the Rex Heuermann case that's generated more questions than almost anything since his guilty plea: the therapist who worked closely with his family, and what she was reportedly hiding the entire time. Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to eight murders and is now serving three life sentences plus a hundred years at Clinton Correctional. But according to reporting, the therapist involved with his family wasn't licensed, appeared on a Peacock special discussing details tied to her clients, and reportedly guided his wife toward living in the remodeled bedroom connected to the murders. Tony Brueski and the Hidden Killers team walk through how something like this slips through, who was actually responsible for catching it, and whether it gives Heuermann's legal team any real grounds for appeal. According to the attorneys the show consulted, it does not. The episode also revisits the parts of this case that remain unresolved. One victim is still known only as Jane Doe. Families in the courtroom have said they believe there are more victims Heuermann hasn't been charged with, and he's reportedly agreed to sit down with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, though the team is skeptical he'll give up everything he knows without using it as leverage first. There's also a longer look at how Heuermann evaded detection for decades while working as an architect and living just miles from where he left his victims, and what that says about how long it can take to catch someone who understands exactly how to avoid attention. For everyone following this case from the beginning, this episode covers the full picture: what's confirmed, what's still being investigated, and what may never be fully resolved. Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. Hashtags #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #HeuermannCase #TrueCrimePodcast #LongIsland #SerialKiller #FBI #Ethics #HiddenKillers #ColdCase

 During a confidential session before the plea, Rex Heuermann brought up Karen Vergata — a woman he was never charged with killing. Her case was folded into the agreement. No separate prosecution. No public presentation of the evidence against him in her death. This look back examines a plea that wasn't just about admitting guilt — it was about controlling what came out and what stayed buried.The defense attorney called it a calculated pivot. Every pre-trial motion had failed. The DNA was admissible. The charges would be tried together. There was no path to acquittal. But the plea agreement reportedly bars further prosecution related to all eight named victims and includes a cooperation agreement with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit that, according to reporting, carries no enforceable consequences if Heuermann refuses or lies. For a man who spent decades organizing his crimes into checklists and phases, the plea reads less like surrender and more like one last piece of planning.The DA's office has acknowledged it is reviewing hundreds of cold cases across Suffolk County. Heuermann's attorney insists there are no additional victims. The families packed the courtroom — some weeping as he described how he met, strangled, and disposed of each woman. His ex-wife Asa spoke afterward, directing her thoughts to the victims' families. Heuermann is expected to be sentenced to three consecutive life terms plus an additional hundred years. We revisit where the case stood at the time of our reporting. The question that won't go away is whether a man who planned everything planned his exit too.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeachKiller #LISK #KarenVergata #GuiltyPlea #CalculatedPivot #PleaDeal #LongIslandSerialKiller #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

His attorney said it out loud: pleading guilty to killing eight women was a "sense of relief" for Rex Heuermann. Not sorrow. Not a reckoning. Relief — as if the admission freed him from something he'd been carrying rather than confronting what he'd done. This look back, with retired FBI Behavioral Analysis Chief Robin Dreeke, reads that word choice for what it reveals about the person inside the plea.Dreeke breaks down the behavioral framework — what "relief" signals about how Heuermann relates to what he did, why the documented methodology matters more than the courtroom moment, and what the planning document tells behavioral analysts about a mind that organized murder into checklists with phases for before, during, and after. Prosecutors described one of the most deliberate patterns investigators say they've documented in a serial killing case — all of it stored on a computer in a house where his wife and children lived.Defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis adds the legal dimension: what the defense actually gained from the plea when the sentence was effectively the same either way, what the FBI cooperation requirement looks like in practice, and what the Behavioral Analysis Unit typically seeks from a convicted serial offender who has agreed to participate. The panel also addresses the wrongful death lawsuit filed against Asa Ellerup and Victoria Heuermann — the civil consequences now flowing from the criminal admission. Heuermann is expected to be sentenced to three consecutive life terms plus an additional hundred years. We revisit where the case stood at the time of our reporting.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeachKiller #LISK #RobinDreeke #EricFaddis #BehavioralAnalysis #GuiltyPlea #FBIBAU #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

A guilty plea provides certainty — conviction, sentence, finality on the charged cases. It does not provide the full public accounting a trial would have produced. This look back, with criminal defense attorney Bob Motta, examines what Rex Heuermann's plea resolves and what it leaves open.Heuermann pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder, and admitted to killing an eighth woman as part of the agreement. He confirmed strangulation as the cause of death for each victim. He is expected to be sentenced to three consecutive life terms plus an additional hundred years. The plea eliminates the risk of acquittal but also eliminates the evidentiary presentation, cross-examination, and public testimony that the victims' families were preparing to hear.Motta examines the mechanics of the plea from both sides: what the defense gained by avoiding trial when every pre-trial motion had failed, and what the prosecution secured through the cooperation requirement with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. He addresses the additional cases connected to the Gilgo Beach corridor — victims whose remains were found in the area but who were never charged to Heuermann — and whether the plea agreement and FBI cooperation may produce answers on those cases. The segment also considers the psychological dimension, with psychotherapist Shavaun Scott examining the dynamics inside the Heuermann family: an ex-wife who maintained she knew nothing and a daughter who publicly stated her belief in his guilt. We revisit where the matter stood at the time of our reporting.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeachKiller #LISK #GuiltyPlea #BobMotta #ShavaunScott #UnansweredQuestions #TrueCrime #GilgoBeach #HiddenKillers

Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to seven murders and admitted to an eighth. But the Gilgo Beach investigation extends beyond the charges he faced — additional sets of remains were found in the area over the years, and not all have been connected to Heuermann. This look back, with retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer, examines what the plea resolves and what it leaves open.The plea agreement requires Heuermann to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit — a provision that could produce information the courtroom never would have. Coffindaffer assesses what that cooperation may yield, whether it could lead to additional charges or connections, and how the BAU typically works with convicted offenders who have agreed to participate.The segment also examines the evidentiary foundation that drove the plea. DNA evidence matched through whole genome sequencing — admitted for the first time in a New York proceeding — connected Heuermann to multiple victims. Files recovered from his computer were characterized as a planning document. More than 350 electronic devices were seized. The defense challenged the DNA methodology, moved for separate trials, and lost on both. Heuermann's own daughter publicly stated she believed in his guilt. Coffindaffer reads the plea for what it tells investigators about the remaining open cases and whether the families connected to those cases have reason to expect additional answers. Heuermann is expected to be sentenced to three consecutive life terms plus an additional hundred years. We revisit where the matter stood at the time of our reporting.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeachKiller #LISK #UnsolvedCases #JenniferCoffindaffer #FBIBAU #GuiltyPlea #GilgoBeach #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

The forensic chain that ultimately produced Rex Heuermann's guilty plea began with a pizza crust recovered during surveillance — and ended with whole genome sequencing admitted in a New York courtroom for the first time. This look back, with defense attorney and former felony prosecutor Eric Faddis, examines the evidentiary architecture that made the case unwinnable and the two pre-trial rulings that the defense attorney himself identified as decisive.The prosecution held DNA linkage across multiple crime scenes, established through a technology never before admitted in the jurisdiction. It also held a deleted Word document recovered from Heuermann's hard drive, described as a planning document for the killings. More than 350 electronic devices were seized, with deleted files recovered from unallocated hard drive space. The defense challenged the DNA methodology through a Frye hearing but did not challenge the planning document. When the judge admitted the DNA and denied the motion for separate trials, the defense's path to acquittal effectively closed.Heuermann pleaded guilty on April 8, 2026, to three counts of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder, and admitted to killing an eighth woman as part of the agreement. He confirmed strangulation as the cause of death for each victim. He is expected to be sentenced to three consecutive life terms plus an additional hundred years, and has agreed to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. Faddis analyzes the plea structure, the sentencing exposure, and the legal significance of the FBI cooperation requirement. We revisit where the matter stood at the time of our reporting.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeachKiller #LISK #DNAEvidence #WholeGenomeSequencing #EricFaddis #PleaDeal #GilgoBeach #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

Prosecutors recovered a deleted Word document from Rex Heuermann's hard drive — described as a planning document for the killings. They matched his DNA to evidence found on and near multiple victims using whole genome sequencing, a technology admitted in a New York courtroom for the first time. And the original DNA connection came from a pizza crust recovered during surveillance. This look back, with defense attorney and former felony prosecutor Eric Faddis, examines the evidence that reportedly made the case unwinnable.Faddis explains what happens when a prosecution holds both a planning document and DNA linkage across multiple crime scenes. He walks through the forensic recovery process — more than 350 electronic devices seized, deleted files pulled from unallocated hard drive space — and where the gaps in digital forensics could have been attacked but weren't. He examines why the defense challenged the science but not the document, and what a Frye hearing actually looks like from the inside.The defense attorney himself acknowledged that two pre-trial rulings drove the plea: the admission of the DNA evidence and the denial of separate trials. Once both were decided, the path to acquittal effectively closed. Heuermann pleaded guilty to seven counts of murder — three first-degree, four second-degree — and admitted to killing an eighth woman as part of the agreement. He's expected to be sentenced to three consecutive life terms plus an additional hundred years, and has agreed to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. We revisit where the case stood at the time of our reporting.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeachKiller #LISK #DNAEvidence #PlanningDocument #EricFaddis #WholeGenomeSequencing #TrueCrime #GilgoBeach #HiddenKillers

People who waited decades for answers in the Gilgo Beach case got a plea hearing instead of a trial. Rex Heuermann stood in a Riverhead courtroom, answered the prosecutor's questions without emotion, and said one word when asked how he killed eight women: "Strangulation." Victims' families packed the gallery, weeping as the man who had maintained his innocence for nearly three years finally admitted to what he'd done. This look back, with defense attorney and former felony prosecutor Eric Faddis, examines what that plea provides — and what it takes away.A plea gives certainty. It gives a sentence — three consecutive life terms plus an additional hundred years expected. It eliminates the risk of acquittal. But it also eliminates the trial: the testimony, the cross-examination, the full public accounting of what happened to each woman. Some families wanted that. Some needed it. The plea agreement also requires Heuermann to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, which may produce answers the courtroom never would have.Faddis walks through what drove the plea from the defense side — the two pre-trial rulings that the defense attorney himself identified as the turning point: DNA evidence admitted, separate trials denied. He examines what leverage remained after those rulings and whether the defense could have gained anything more at sentencing. Heuermann pleaded guilty to seven murders and admitted to an eighth. His ex-wife told reporters her thoughts were with the victims' families. We revisit where the case stood at the time of our reporting.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeachKiller #LISK #GuiltyPlea #VictimsFamilies #EricFaddis #LongIslandSerialKiller #TrueCrime #GilgoBeach #HiddenKillers

One word. When prosecutors asked Rex Heuermann in a Riverhead courtroom how he killed eight women over seventeen years, he answered with a single word: strangulation. No emotion. No elaboration. Victims' families packed the gallery, weeping, while the man who had maintained his innocence for nearly three years matter-of-factly confirmed what investigators had spent decades trying to prove. This look back sits with that moment and everything that led to it.Heuermann pleaded guilty to seven counts of murder — three first-degree, four second-degree — and admitted to killing an eighth woman as part of the plea agreement. He said he used burner phones to lure each woman with the promise of money, strangled them in his Massapequa home, and left their remains along Ocean Parkway. His defense attorney told reporters the plea was driven by two pre-trial rulings: the admission of DNA evidence matched through whole genome sequencing — a first for a New York courtroom — and the denial of separate trials. Once both motions failed, the math changed.Defense attorney and former felony prosecutor Eric Faddis breaks down what drove the plea, what the evidence looked like from both sides, and the question families are still carrying: a plea gives certainty, but does it give closure? Some waited decades for a trial that will now never come. The agreement requires Heuermann to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit — which may eventually produce answers the courtroom didn't. He's expected to be sentenced to three consecutive life terms plus an additional hundred years. We revisit where the case stood at the time of our reporting.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeachKiller #LISK #GuiltyPlea #EricFaddis #Strangulation #LongIslandSerialKiller #TrueCrime #GilgoBeach #TheGilgoBeachCase

Rex Heuermann received three consecutive life sentences plus one hundred additional years for the murders of eight women in Suffolk County, New York. Presiding Judge Timothy Mazzei characterized the defendant as “disgusting,” “despicable,” and “a coward.” The plea agreement requires Heuermann's full cooperation with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.During a confidential proffer session preceding the plea, Heuermann volunteered a confession to the killing of Karen Vergata — a victim he had not been charged with killing. The plea agreement's jurisdictional scope is limited to Suffolk County. Heuermann's property records reflect ownership in Chester, South Carolina, and the Las Vegas metropolitan area — both jurisdictions that maintain capital punishment statutes.During sentencing, testimony described a telephone call placed by Heuermann to the sister of victim Melissa Barthelemy following the killing, during which the caller described what he had done. The presiding judge observed that the conviction addressed “eight that we know of.”A look back at the most compelling stories of the week.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #GilgoBeachKiller #LISK #TrueCrimeToday #MelissaBarthelemy #KarenVergata #SuffolkCounty #TrueCrime #FBI

Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to eight Gilgo Beach murders. Three consecutive life sentences. A hundred years stacked on top. No appeal. The case is closed — in New York. But the judge who sentenced him said “eight that we know of,” and South Carolina and Nevada both have death penalty statutes and both have properties connected to Heuermann where women disappeared.Before the sentence, Heuermann agreed to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. He confessed to killing Karen Vergata — a woman he was never charged with killing — during a confidential proffer session. He brought her up himself. The plea deal covers Suffolk County. It does not immunize him from prosecution in other jurisdictions.During sentencing, Melissa Barthelemy's sister described a phone call Heuermann made after one of the murders — he called the victim's sister and described what he had done. The families got three life sentences. What they didn't get is confidence that the full scope of what Heuermann did has ever been documented.A look back at the most compelling stories of the week.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #GilgoBeachKiller #LISK #HiddenKillers #MelissaBarthelemy #KarenVergata #SuffolkCounty #TrueCrime #FBI

Melissa Barthelemy's sister picked up a ringing phone. The voice on the other end was Rex Heuermann's. He had just killed Melissa. And he described what he had done. That detail came out during sentencing — the same proceeding where a judge called Heuermann a disgusting coward and ordered him removed while families chanted ogre.Three consecutive life sentences. A hundred years. No appeal. The sentence looks like an ending. It isn't. Heuermann confessed to killing Karen Vergata during a confidential proffer session — a woman he was never charged with killing. He brought her up himself. He volunteered information to get credit. And as part of his plea deal, he agreed to sit with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit and describe everything.But the plea covers New York. Heuermann owned properties in South Carolina and Nevada — both death penalty states — where women disappeared. The judge said “eight that we know of.” The question is whether the cooperation that earned Heuermann his plea was designed to close the case or to prevent anyone from opening the ones that might carry a needle.A look back at the most compelling stories of the week.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #GilgoBeachKiller #LISK #HiddenKillersLive #MelissaBarthelemy #KarenVergata #SuffolkCounty #TrueCrime #FBI

Eight women. That's what Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to. Seventeen years of killing. But former FBI behavioral analyst Robin Dreeke has said the likelihood the number stopped at eight is “limited to none.” If Dreeke is right, there are families out there who don't know the Gilgo Beach case has anything to do with them — people whose loved ones disappeared and were never connected to Heuermann.The FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit interview, built into the plea deal, may be the only way those names surface. The same interview program confirmed Samuel Little as the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history after he confessed to ninety-three murders in a dozen states. Many of Little's victims had been written off — deaths ruled overdoses or accidents, cases closed without answers. The interview reopened every one of them.Tony digs into why the FBI has been interviewing convicted killers since the 1970s and what the program has actually produced: a national crime database, a behavioral classification system used worldwide, and the recovery of remains that families had waited decades to bury. Gary Ridgway's six months of FBI interviews led investigators to four women whose families had never been able to lay them to rest.The criticism of the Heuermann interview is understandable — it gives a convicted killer attention. The FBI's fifty-year track record says the attention is a tool, not a reward. What it produces is the point. And what it might produce here is the answer to whether eight is the real number or just the floor.LinksJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodDisclaimerThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.Hashtags#GilgoBeach #RexHeuermann #TrueCrimeToday #GilgoBeachKiller #FBI #LISK #SerialKiller #ColdCase #SamuelLittle #TrueCrime

Rex Heuermann agreed to sit down with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. He'll walk into that room thinking he controls the conversation — that he gets to decide what to share, what to hold back, and how to shape the story. Former FBI behavioral analyst Robin Dreeke says Heuermann will “dribble and draft” the information, using it as currency. That's how these interviews always go.Except the FBI has something they've almost never had before. Prosecutors recovered a planning document from Heuermann's hard drive — a Word file he created, updated over years, and thought he'd erased. According to court filings, it contained eighty-seven specific details about how he prepared, killed, and disposed of evidence. His own written methodology, recovered from his own basement. When Heuermann talks, the FBI won't just be listening. They'll be checking.Tony traces the fifty-year history of the FBI's killer interview program from its origins with agents Ressler and Douglas through the thirty-six foundational interviews that built modern criminal profiling. He walks through the cases where cooperation produced results the evidence alone never could — Gary Ridgway leading investigators to four bodies, Samuel Little's ninety-three confessions solving cold cases across the country. The program works not because killers cooperate willingly, but because the FBI has spent decades learning how to turn their narcissism into something useful.Heuermann is the first digital-era serial killer the BAU has studied. The question isn't whether he'll try to lie. It's whether his own notes will let him.LinksJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodDisclaimerThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.Hashtags#GilgoBeach #RexHeuermann #HiddenKillers #GilgoBeachKiller #FBI #BehavioralAnalysis #LISK #SamuelLittle #ColdCase #TrueCrime

Rex Heuermann is sentenced. Life without parole. Eight murders. It's over. So why would he agree to sit in a room with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit and walk them through what he did?Former FBI behavioral analyst Robin Dreeke says the answer is simple: information is the only currency Heuermann has left. He'll use it to stay relevant, to feel important, to maintain some sense of control from inside a cell. He'll dribble out details and try to manage the flow. The FBI has known this dynamic since Edmund Kemper told Robert Ressler in a California prison that he could rip his head off before the guards arrived. They've been navigating killer ego for fifty years.The program started in the 1970s when Ressler and John Douglas interviewed thirty-six convicted killers to build the science of criminal profiling. It produced ViCAP, the national violent crime database. It produced the interview techniques that got Samuel Little to confess to ninety-three murders. It produced the six-month cooperation that led Gary Ridgway to the remains of four women nobody had been able to find.Now the FBI wants Heuermann. Not for the eight he admitted to — that's settled. They want to know if there are more. They want to study the first digital-era serial killer who used burner phones, fifty-eight hard drives, and a written planning document to operate for nearly two decades. And they want to check what he says against the document he thought he'd deleted.Heuermann thinks the interview is his stage. The FBI has a different use for it.LinksJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodDisclaimerThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.Hashtags#GilgoBeach #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeachKiller #FBI #BehavioralAnalysis #LISK #SamuelLittle #GaryRidgway #ColdCase #TrueCrime

Rex Heuermann received consecutive life sentences for the murders of eight women he strangled over a seventeen-year span. The judge called him disgusting. Called him a coward. Told officers to get him out of the courtroom. Families cheered and chanted as he was led away.But one piece of testimony from that sentencing tells you more about who Heuermann is than the sentence itself. A family member of one of the victims described a phone call Heuermann made after the murder. It was not a threat. It was not a warning. It was something else entirely — and it reveals the kind of person the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit is about to spend hours sitting across from.Heuermann agreed to full cooperation with the BAU as part of his plea deal. He is required to be truthful and complete. He will describe how he chose them, how he killed them, how he hid in plain sight for nearly two decades. And former FBI agents believe the real number of victims goes well beyond eight. Jennifer Coffindaffer, contributor to Hidden Killers, walks through what that phone call tells investigators and what the BAU sessions may uncover.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #JudgeMazzei #FBI #BAU #SerialKiller #MelissaBarthelemy #Sentencing #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

Rex Heuermann was sentenced to consecutive life terms after pleading guilty to murdering eight women over seventeen years. The judge became emotional, called Heuermann a coward, and ordered him removed from the courtroom as families cheered and chanted. Built into his plea deal: full cooperation with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. What a victim's family member told the court about a phone call Heuermann made after one of the killings is something investigators will be studying closely.Anna Kepner's accused killer, sixteen-year-old Timothy Hudson, is now behind bars after a federal judge reversed his own pretrial release decision. The judge described the evidence in language that is extraordinary for a pretrial ruling and cited sealed forensic evidence filed days before. Anna had reportedly told her parents she was afraid of her stepbrother before they ever stepped on the Carnival Horizon. She told them he had knives.Nancy Guthrie is eighty-four years old with no known cryptocurrency. A two-billion-dollar cybersecurity firm called her alleged abduction a wrench attack by proxy. If CertiK's classification is right, whoever showed up at Nancy's door that night may have been looking for someone else in the neighborhood entirely. One full conversation. Three cases. Jennifer Coffindaffer, contributor to Hidden Killers.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #AnnaKepner #NancyGuthrie #GilgoBeach #TimothyHudson #CertiK #FBI #JenniferCoffindaffer #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime

Rex Heuermann strangled eight women over seventeen years. A judge handed him consecutive life sentences and told officers to get him out of the courtroom. The families of those women stood in that courtroom and addressed the man who destroyed their lives. One of them told the court about a phone call Heuermann made after the murder — a call that was not a confession.That phone call is at the center of this conversation. It tells you something about Heuermann that goes beyond the killings themselves. It tells you what kind of person the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit is about to sit across from when he begins the cooperation sessions required by his plea deal. He will be required to be truthful, accurate, and complete about everything he did. He will relive every detail. And every expert who has studied this case believes the FBI already knows something the public hasn't caught up to yet: eight is probably not the real number.Jennifer Coffindaffer, contributor to Hidden Killers, walks through the sentencing, the BAU cooperation, and what Heuermann's post-crime behavior reveals about what else he may have done.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #JudgeMazzei #FBI #BAU #SerialKiller #MelissaBarthelemy #Sentencing #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

Rex Heuermann's sentencing closed one chapter and opened another. The judge handed down consecutive life terms, called him a coward, and ordered him removed from the courtroom. Heuermann's plea deal requires full cooperation with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. He will describe everything — how he chose them, how he killed them, how he hid it. Former agents believe eight is not the final number. And testimony from one of the victims' families revealed something about Heuermann's behavior after the murders that the BAU will study closely.Anna Kepner's accused killer is now in federal custody. Timothy Hudson walked free for four months before the same judge reversed his own release. The detention order described the evidence in terms rarely seen in a pretrial ruling. Sealed forensic evidence was filed days before. And Anna had reportedly warned her family about Hudson before they boarded the Carnival Horizon together.Nancy Guthrie's alleged abduction was classified as a crypto crime by a two-billion-dollar cybersecurity firm. She has no known crypto holdings. The question at the center of this investigation: did whoever took her have the wrong address? Jennifer Coffindaffer, contributor to Hidden Killers, walks through all three.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #AnnaKepner #NancyGuthrie #GilgoBeach #TimothyHudson #CertiK #FBI #JenniferCoffindaffer #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime

Melissa Barthelemy was twenty-four years old when Rex Heuermann strangled her to death. Her remains were found near Gilgo Beach on Long Island. And according to testimony delivered at Heuermann's sentencing, what Heuermann did after the murder may tell investigators more about him than the killing itself.Heuermann was sentenced to consecutive life terms. Judge Mazzei asked if he was even a little bit sorry. Called him a coward. Ordered him removed from the courtroom. The families chanted ogre as he was taken out. But before the sentence, Heuermann agreed to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit as part of his plea deal — a deal that requires him to describe everything he did with total honesty.The hard truth is that Heuermann will enjoy every minute of those sessions. The attention. The expertise directed at understanding him. The FBI knows this. They are doing it anyway because fifty years of sitting across from killers has produced results the public rarely sees. Jennifer Coffindaffer, contributor to Hidden Killers, explains what the BAU expects to learn and why the families may not have heard the last of Rex Heuermann's crimes.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #MelissaBarthelemy #FBI #BAU #SerialKiller #JudgeMazzei #Sentencing #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

Amanda Funderburg stood in a Suffolk County courtroom and addressed the man who killed her sister, Melissa Barthelemy. She told the court about a phone call. A call Heuermann made to her after the murder. What he said on that call is not something you forget.Heuermann was sentenced to consecutive life terms. Judge Mazzei was visibly emotional. He asked Heuermann if he was sorry. Called him a disgusting, despicable small man and a coward. Ordered him removed from the courtroom as the families chanted ogre.That sentencing closed one chapter. The cooperation agreement opens another. Heuermann will sit with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit and describe everything — how he chose his victims, how he killed them, how he maintained a Manhattan career and a suburban family for seventeen years while the bodies accumulated near Gilgo Beach. His defense attorney says he is required to be truthful, accurate, and complete. Former FBI agents say the chances he stopped at eight are limited to none. Jennifer Coffindaffer, contributor to Hidden Killers, explains why Funderburg's testimony matters to the BAU and what the cooperation sessions may reveal beyond the eight confirmed victims.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #AmandaFunderburg #MelissaBarthelemy #FBI #BAU #JudgeMazzei #Sentencing #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

In court, Rex Heuermann said strangulation in the same tone every time the DA asked how each woman died. He answered yes and no and eight and nothing else. He did not turn around. He did not acknowledge the families. His attorney described the plea as bringing a huge sense of relief.He ran a double life for seventeen years — architecture firm by day, murders timed to the family vacation calendar. People around him called him respectful and normal. Every woman he killed was someone whose absence the world was unlikely to track.This is a live conversation. Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott and Tony Brueski are talking through the clinical reality of compartmentalization at this scale — how someone maintains that partition, whether the normal suburban version of Heuermann was real or performance, and what the FBI should expect now that he has agreed to cooperate with their Behavioral Analysis Unit. Bring your questions.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #HiddenKillers #GilgoBeachKiller #ShavaunScott #TrueCrime #LiveDiscussion #SerialKillerPsychology #Compartmentalization #DoubleLife

On June 17th, Rex Heuermann was sentenced to life in prison without parole — but the verdict only deepens the question at the heart of this case. What kind of man keeps a private "how to get away with murder" playbook and still convinces his wife, his neighbors, and his coworkers he's just an ordinary Long Island dad? In this Crime Scene bonus, forensic psychologist Dr. Joni Johnston joins us to unpack the psychology of the Gilgo Beach killer: how Rex Heuermann compartmentalized two lives for more than a decade, why the people closest to him never saw it, and what the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit will be looking for when they finally sit across from him. Subscribe to The Binge today to get this episode ad-free and unlock 60+ true crime series instantly. Subscribe directly at GetTheBinge.com — or if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, tap "Subscribe" at the top of the show page. Follow Crime Scene on socials!  Instagram: @thebingecrimescene | @thebingetruecrime  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebingecrimescene Crime Scene is hosted by Jonathan Hirsch and Cooper Moll.  Instagram: @thisisjonathanhirsch | @bycoopermoll Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Long Island architect and family man pleads guilty to killing multiple women — finally putting a name and a face to a case that haunted New York for more than a decade.  But as investigators unearth Rex Heuermann's private "how to get away with murder" playbook and the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit prepares to sit across from him, the real chill comes from how carefully he studied the people hunting him, and how many chances those closest to him had to see who he really was before the bodies were ever found. Subscribe to The Binge today to get this episode ad-free and unlock 60+ true crime series instantly. Subscribe directly at GetTheBinge.com — or if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, tap "Subscribe" at the top of the show page. Listen to CUT, COLOR, KILL discussed in this episode, hosted by Jonathan.  Follow Crime Scene on socials!  Instagram: @thebingecrimescene | @thebingetruecrime  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebingecrimescene Crime Scene is hosted by Jonathan Hirsch and Cooper Moll.  Instagram: @thisisjonathanhirsch | @bycoopermoll Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong examines the stunning guilty plea of Rex Heuermann, the Long Island architect known as the Gilgo Beach Serial Killer. For more than fifteen years, the murders of at least eight women dumped along a desolate stretch of Ocean Parkway went unsolved — one of the most haunting cold cases in American history. Candice walks through the investigative breakthroughs that finally brought Heuermann to justice, then is joined by legal analyst Josh Ritter to break down the terms of his plea agreement, including an unprecedented requirement to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Killer Psyche ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, we're joined by Johnny Grusing, a former FBI agent with 25 years of experience, including time in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. He shares his story of investigating a serial killer, Scott Kimball, and the case that's detailed in his book, The Devil I Knew. Johnny takes us through the twists and turns of the investigation, from meeting Kimball as an informant to uncovering a web of disappearances and potential victims. With a unique perspective on the case, Johnny opens up about the challenges of dealing with a clever and manipulative suspect.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rex Heuermann's guilty plea resolved eight murder charges in one proceeding. But the structure of the deal itself raises questions that go beyond the confession. During a confidential session with prosecutors, Heuermann raised the name Karen Vergata — a woman he was never charged with killing. Her case was absorbed into the plea agreement, effectively closing it without a separate prosecution or public evidentiary hearing. The cooperation agreement with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit reportedly includes no mechanism to compel truthful participation or penalize refusal.This week's True Crime Today review revisits the most significant Gilgo Beach developments — the legal architecture of the plea, the evidentiary rulings that forced it, and the psychological dimensions revealed through documentary footage.Every defense motion had been denied. Whole genome sequencing — the forensic technique that matched Heuermann's DNA to evidence recovered from victim remains — was ruled admissible. The court ordered all charges tried in a single proceeding, eliminating any possibility of severance. Heuermann's defense had exhausted its options. The plea, framed by his attorney as a calculated pivot, followed a thousand days of maintained innocence.The Peacock documentary captured the private aftermath. Asa Ellerup, Heuermann's ex-wife, heard him describe the killings during a jailhouse visit — including confirmation of dismemberment conducted inside their shared residence. His daughter Victoria confronted him directly about whether the victims registered as human to him. He said they did not. Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott analyzes the family dynamics under that level of sustained psychological exposure — the denial structures, the trauma responses, and what Heuermann's clinical detachment during these conversations reveals about how he processed decades of violence.The DA's office has acknowledged reviewing hundreds of cold cases across Suffolk County. Sentencing is pending. Whether this plea represents justice or an engineered exit remains the central unresolved question.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #GilgoBeachKiller #KarenVergata #SuffolkCounty #LISK #GuiltyPlea #SerialKiller #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

The guilty plea made headlines. What happened in the room before it didn't. Rex Heuermann didn't just confess — he negotiated. He brought up Karen Vergata, a woman prosecutors never charged him with killing, and got her case folded into a deal that blocks any future prosecution. The cooperation agreement with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit reportedly has no enforcement mechanism if he refuses to participate or provides false information.This week's Hidden Killers review pulls together the most critical conversations from the Gilgo Beach case — from the legal maneuvering behind the plea to the psychological fallout captured on camera.Every avenue Heuermann's defense team tried to open had been shut down. Whole genome sequencing was admitted. The charges would be tried together. With nothing left to fight, Heuermann's team shifted from defense to damage control — and the deal they struck raises serious questions about what stays sealed and who benefits from the silence.Then the documentary footage surfaced. His ex-wife Asa Ellerup confronted him in a jailhouse visit and heard him confirm dismemberment — inside the home they shared, in a basement room she was never allowed to enter. She moved back into the house afterward. His daughter Victoria asked whether he ever thought about his children during the killings. He told her no. Asked whether he saw the victims as human, he said he didn't. Victoria chose forgiveness — not because the answer was acceptable, but because she said the alternative was her own destruction.Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott dissects every layer — Asa's psychological framework for surviving alongside a predator without acknowledging it, Victoria's grief for a father who is still alive but fundamentally gone, and Heuermann's own clinical detachment. He described a timed kill cycle to investigators and told a therapist he doesn't recognize himself in the evidence photos. The families of the victims sat in the courtroom and listened to every word. The question now isn't just what Heuermann admitted — it's what the deal ensured he'd never have to.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #GilgoBeachKiller #KarenVergata #LISK #SuffolkCounty #SerialKiller #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #WeekInReview

In this episode, ⁠Crawlspace Media⁠'s Tim Pilleri and Lance Reenstierna speak with filmmaker and podcaster ⁠Joshua Zeman⁠ about the convicted Long Island serial killer, Rex Heuermann. Josh has been on the trail of LISK since before his 2016 documentary series called ⁠The Killing Season⁠, and in this conversation, we discuss Rex's evolving process, him agreeing to work with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, other possibly connected murders and more. This episode was previously published on Missing April 23rd, 2026. Joshua is responsible for ⁠Cropsey⁠, ⁠Killer Legends⁠, ⁠The Killing Season⁠, ⁠Murder Mountain⁠, ⁠Sons of Sam⁠, ⁠Checkpoint Zoo⁠, to name a few. He also is behind the podcast Sinister and ⁠Monster: Hunting the Long Island Serial Killer⁠. Check out everything Joshua has going on and listen to Sinister: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.sinisterpodcast.com/⁠⁠⁠. ⁠Listen to Monster: Hunting the Long Island Serial Killer:⁠ ⁠https://monster-podcast.com/lisk/⁠. Follow Joshua: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@sinisterwithjoshzeman⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/josh.zeman⁠. ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@SinisterPodcastJZ⁠. Check out Quince: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://quince.com/MISSING⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Check out Mint Mobile: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/missing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Main podcast theme by Kevin Macleod. Check out his work at⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://incompetech.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠. Additional music by David Williams. See his work at⁠⁠ ⁠⁠http://williamsflutes.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow Missing: IG: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/MissingCSM/⁠⁠. Youtube:⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/missingcsm⁠⁠⁠. FB:⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/MissingCSM⁠⁠. X:⁠⁠ https://twitter.com/MissingCSM⁠⁠. Spotify:⁠⁠ https://open.spotify.com/show/0yRXkJrZC85otfT7oXMcri⁠⁠. Apple:⁠⁠ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/missing/id1006974447⁠⁠. Follow Crawlspace: IG:⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/Crawlspacepodcast⁠⁠. TT:⁠⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@crawlspacepodcast⁠⁠. FB:⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/Crawlspacepodcast⁠⁠. X:⁠⁠ https://twitter.com/crawlspacepod.⁠⁠ Spotify:⁠⁠ https://open.spotify.com/show/7iSnqnCf27NODdz0pJ1GvJ⁠⁠. Youtube:⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/crawlspace⁠⁠. Apple:⁠⁠ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crawlspace-true-crime-mysteries/id1187326340⁠⁠. Check out our entire network at⁠⁠ http://crawlspace-media.com/⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this new episode, Crawlspace Media's Tim Pilleri and Lance Reenstierna speak with filmmaker and podcaster Joshua Zeman about the convicted Long Island serial killer, Rex Heuermann. Josh has been on the trail of LISK since before his 2016 documentary series called The Killing Season, and in this conversation, we discuss Rex's evolving process, him agreeing to work with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, other possibly connected murders and more. Joshua is responsible for Cropsey, Killer Legends, The Killing Season, Murder Mountain, Sons of Sam, Checkpoint Zoo, to name a few. He also is behind the podcast Sinister and Monster: Hunting the Long Island Serial Killer. Check out everything Joshua has going on and listen to Sinister: ⁠⁠https://www.sinisterpodcast.com/⁠⁠. ⁠Listen to Monster: Hunting the Long Island Serial Killer:⁠ https://monster-podcast.com/lisk/. Follow Joshua: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@sinisterwithjoshzeman⁠. ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/josh.zeman. ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@SinisterPodcastJZ. Check out Quince: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://quince.com/MISSING⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Check out Mint Mobile: ⁠⁠⁠⁠mintmobile.com/missing⁠⁠⁠⁠. Main podcast theme by Kevin Macleod. Check out his work at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://incompetech.com/⁠⁠⁠. Additional music by David Williams. See his work at⁠ ⁠⁠http://williamsflutes.com⁠⁠⁠. Follow Missing: IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/MissingCSM/⁠. Youtube:⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/missingcsm⁠⁠. FB:⁠ https://www.facebook.com/MissingCSM⁠. X:⁠ https://twitter.com/MissingCSM⁠. Spotify:⁠ https://open.spotify.com/show/0yRXkJrZC85otfT7oXMcri⁠. Apple:⁠ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/missing/id1006974447⁠. Follow Crawlspace: IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/Crawlspacepodcast⁠. TT:⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@crawlspacepodcast⁠. FB:⁠ https://www.facebook.com/Crawlspacepodcast⁠. X:⁠ https://twitter.com/crawlspacepod.⁠ Spotify:⁠ https://open.spotify.com/show/7iSnqnCf27NODdz0pJ1GvJ⁠. Youtube:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/crawlspace⁠. Apple:⁠ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crawlspace-true-crime-mysteries/id1187326340⁠. Check out our entire network at⁠ http://crawlspace-media.com/⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How the FBI BAU interviews serial killers and gets admissions, and confessions  How does the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit interview a serial killer? In this episode of Police Off the Cuff, retired NYPD Sgt. Bill Cannon breaks down the BAU method, with retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente — how profilers study control, manipulation, behavior, and the hidden patterns killers reveal when they think they are in control. This is a practical true-crime breakdown of the tactics, psychology, and interview strategy behind some of the most important serial killer interrogations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rex Heuermann has pleaded guilty — and now the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit may get the chance to study the mind of the Gilgo Beach killer up close. In this episode of Police Off the Cuff, retired NYPD Sgt. Bill Cannon is joined by retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente to break down what the BAU will look for next: offender traits, organized behavior, modus operandi, psycho-sexual motivations, and whether Heuermann could be pushed to admit to other murders. This is a true-crime behavioral analysis of Rex Heuermann, the Gilgo Beach murders, and the next major phase of the investigation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rex Heuermann Guilty — BAU Next: Will He Admit to More Murders? In this episode of Police Off the Cuff, retired NYPD Sgt. Bill Cannon is joined by retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente, former member of the Behavioral Analysis Unit, to break down Rex Heuermann's guilty plea and what happens next. With Heuermann now expected to be studied by the BAU, we examine how profilers analyze an organized offender, his modus operandi, psycho-sexual motivations, offender traits, and the possibility that investigators may push for admissions to other crimes. This is a true-crime detective breakdown of one of the biggest developments in the Gilgo Beach murders, with real law-enforcement and behavioral analysis insight. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For years, the Long Island Serial Killer case remained one of the most disturbing unsolved mysteries in modern American crime. Between 1993 and 2010, the remains of multiple women were discovered along Ocean Parkway in Long Island, New York. The case went cold for over a decade, with investigators struggling to identify a suspect despite clear patterns emerging across the victims.That changed in 2023 with the arrest of Manhattan architect Rex Heuermann. Prosecutors allege that DNA evidence, phone records, witness descriptions, and a pattern of digital behavior all connected him to the murders of multiple women, including Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. A key breakthrough came from forensic genealogy and DNA recovered from discarded evidence, which ultimately led investigators to Heuermann's doorstep. Inside his home, authorities also reportedly discovered disturbing materials and documents that they say outlined methods consistent with how the victims were killed and disposed of.In a major development, Heuermann later pleaded guilty to the murders of seven women and admitted responsibility for an eighth victim, while also agreeing to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. Investigators hope his cooperation will shed light on his motivations, methods, and possible additional victims. Though he claims responsibility only for the known cases, prosecutors say the investigation remains open. With his guilty plea, one of the most infamous serial killer cases in U.S. history may finally be reaching its conclusion.

Rex Heuermann married Asa Ellerup in April 1996. According to the Suffolk County DA, he also strangled and dismembered Karen Vergata that same month. He admitted to it in open court during his guilty plea — an eighth killing he was never formally charged with. The confession was part of the deal: admit to Karen's murder, never face prosecution for it. Seven indictments. One admission. Eight women dead.The final episode of “The Seven.” Karen Vergata was 34, living in Hell's Kitchen, working as an escort, battling addiction. Her sons had been taken by child welfare services four years earlier. She called her father on Valentine's Day 1996 — his birthday — from behind bars. That was the last time anyone in her family heard from her. Weeks after the alleged killing, her legs were found in a garbage bag on Fire Island by two brothers searching for driftwood. She became Fire Island Jane Doe. Her skull was found near Gilgo Beach in 2011. She was Jane Doe Number Seven until genetic genealogy identified her in 2022.Her father Dominic searched for decades. Hired a PI. Was turned away by the NYPD when he tried to report her missing. Filed to have her declared dead. Was told in October 2022 that his daughter had been identified. Died two months later at 87. Never saw accountability.Karen's case fills the gap between Sandra Costilla (1993) and Valerie Mack (2000), and adds Fire Island as a new dump site — expanding the geography of Heuermann's admitted crimes beyond Manorville, Ocean Parkway, and Southampton. As part of the plea, Heuermann agreed to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. His attorney said the plea brought his client a “sense of relief.” Karen's full story, the evidence trail, and what it means to be the uncharged name in an eight-victim confession — all covered here.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#KarenVergata #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #LISK #FireIsland #JaneDoe #GilgoBeachKiller #LongIslandSerialKiller #TheSeven #TrueCrime

Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty in Suffolk County Court to seven counts of murder — three first-degree and four second-degree — in connection with the Gilgo Beach serial killings spanning 1993 to 2010. He also admitted under the plea agreement to intentionally causing the death of Karen Vergata, an eighth victim whose killing was not separately charged. Prosecutors dismissed three doubled-up murder charges in exchange for the plea. Heuermann faces consecutive sentences of life without parole for the first-degree murder convictions, plus a consecutive term of one hundred years to life for the second-degree convictions. Sentencing is scheduled in Suffolk County Court.The case against Heuermann was built on DNA evidence recovered from a legally obtained abandonment sample — a discarded pizza crust collected from a Manhattan sidewalk after months of surveillance. That sample matched a male hair found in the burlap wrapping around the remains of Megan Waterman, one of the four victims originally discovered along Ocean Parkway in 2010. The DNA match provided the probable cause for warrants that led to Heuermann's residence and electronic devices, which prosecutors allege contained checklists, planning documents, and instructions related to evidence destruction.Heuermann admitted to killing Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amber Lynn Costello, Sandra Costilla, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, Megan Waterman, and Karen Vergata. He confirmed in his allocution that all eight women were killed by strangulation. As part of the plea agreement, Heuermann is required to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit — a condition his defense attorney described as an obligation to be "truthful, accurate, and complete." This week's coverage examines the full evidentiary chain from DNA recovery through prosecution, the plea mechanics, the FBI cooperation framework, and expert analysis from Robin Dreeke and Eric Faddis on what the documented methodology reveals about the case.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #GuiltyPlea #LISK #DNAEvidence #MeganWaterman #TrueCrime #TrueCrimeToday #SerialKiller #GilgoFour

He ate pizza on a Manhattan sidewalk and threw the crust in a public trash can. Investigators were watching. That discarded crust — legally recovered as an abandonment sample — carried DNA that matched a male hair found in the burlap wrapping around Megan Waterman's body on Ocean Parkway. Months of surveillance, one piece of garbage, and the entire Gilgo Beach case broke open.Megan was 22. A mother from Scarborough, Maine, who called her three-year-old daughter every single day. When those daily calls stopped in June 2010, her family reported her missing within two days. Surveillance footage from the Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge captured her walking out the door at 1:15 a.m. to meet a client. She was found six months later alongside Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, and Amber Lynn Costello — the Gilgo Four.Rex Heuermann stood in a Suffolk County courtroom and pleaded guilty to murdering all seven women he was charged with killing — Barthelemy, Brainard-Barnes, Costello, Sandra Costilla, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, and Waterman. He also admitted to intentionally causing the death of Karen Vergata, an eighth victim. He confirmed all eight were killed by strangulation. Prosecutors allege his electronic devices held checklists, methodology notes, and instructions for destroying evidence — a digital blueprint stored in a home he shared with his family. Every killing allegedly took place when his wife and children were away.His attorney described the plea as "relief." The deal requires Heuermann to cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. This week's coverage walks through Megan's life before she became a case file, the DNA chain that made the prosecution's case, the mechanics of the plea deal, and expert analysis from Robin Dreeke and Eric Faddis on what the behavioral evidence tells us about who Heuermann actually is.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #MeganWaterman #GuiltyPlea #GilgoFour #LISK #DNAEvidence #BehavioralAnalysis #HiddenKillers #SerialKiller

Rex Heuermann's guilty plea in Suffolk County Court carries legal implications that extend well beyond sentencing. The 62-year-old architect pleaded guilty to seven counts of murder and admitted to intentionally causing the death of Karen Vergata — an eighth victim he was never formally charged with killing. The plea agreement, accepted by Judge Timothy Mazzei, includes a waiver of Heuermann's right to appeal, a provision barring further prosecution related to the eight named victims, and a requirement that he cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.The procedural context matters. In September 2025, Judge Mazzei ruled whole genome sequencing evidence admissible — a significant evidentiary milestone that connected Heuermann to the killings through DNA technology his defense had argued was not yet scientifically accepted. The judge also denied the defense motion to sever the seven charges into separate trials. With both rulings in place and trial scheduled for September 2026, the defense had no remaining legal basis to contest the prosecution's core evidence.The inclusion of Karen Vergata in the plea raises distinct legal questions. Vergata, who disappeared from Manhattan in 1996 and whose remains were recovered from Fire Island and near Gilgo Beach years apart, emerged as a subject during a proffer session — a confidential evidentiary meeting between the defendant and prosecutors. Heuermann raised her name, and that disclosure initiated plea discussions according to the DA. By folding her admission into the plea, Heuermann avoided a separate prosecution while simultaneously gaining protection from future charges related to her death.The cooperation provision requires Heuermann to participate in interviews with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. The DA has characterized this as an academic exercise designed to advance behavioral understanding of serial offenders. Legal analysts have noted that the provision reportedly lacks enforceable penalties for noncompliance. Sentencing is scheduled for June, where Heuermann faces multiple life sentences without parole.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #GuiltyPlea #GilgoBeachKiller #KarenVergata #PleaDeal #SuffolkCounty #FederalCooperation #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

The guilty plea Rex Heuermann entered in Suffolk County Court did not come from a sudden crisis of conscience. It came from a legal defense that had exhausted every option and a defendant who chose to negotiate the terms of his surrender rather than sit through a trial he could not win. The mechanics of this deal — and what they reveal about Heuermann's calculus — deserve close examination.In September 2025, Judge Timothy Mazzei issued two rulings that effectively ended any viable defense strategy. First, he allowed whole genome sequencing evidence — a cutting-edge DNA technology that the defense argued had not been widely accepted by the scientific community. Second, he denied the motion to separate the seven murder charges into individual trials, meaning Heuermann would face a single jury hearing all seven cases together. Trial was scheduled for September 2026. The defense had nothing left.What happened next is where the case takes a turn. During a proffer session — a confidential meeting where a defendant provides information prosecutors agree not to use against him — Heuermann brought up Karen Vergata. She was a mother of two from Manhattan who disappeared in 1996. Her remains were found in pieces across Fire Island and near Gilgo Beach years apart. Heuermann was never charged with her murder. But he raised her name in that room, and that conversation opened the door to plea negotiations.The deal is structured to Heuermann's advantage in ways that matter. He pleaded guilty to seven murder counts and admitted to intentionally causing Vergata's death — no separate charge, no separate prosecution. He waived his right to appeal. The plea bars further prosecution on any of the eight named victims. And his required cooperation with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit reportedly carries no enforcement mechanism. The DA's office is reviewing hundreds of cold cases across Suffolk County. Heuermann's attorney says the number stays at eight. The investigation continues.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #GuiltyPlea #KarenVergata #GilgoBeachKiller #ProfferSession #WholeGenomeSequencing #SuffolkCounty #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

62-year-old architect, father and former husband Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to a series of murders that plagued Long Island for 2 decades. As victims’ families gathered in court, Heuermann detailed how he strangled and dismembered the women while hiding in plan sight, posing as a normal suburban Dad. As part of his plea deal, the Gilgo Beach serial killer will be interviewed by the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit to try and understand what drove him to become the monster he is today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

62-year-old architect, father and former husband Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to a series of murders that plagued Long Island for 2 decades. As victims’ families gathered in court, Heuermann detailed how he strangled and dismembered the women while hiding in plan sight, posing as a normal suburban Dad. As part of his plea deal, the Gilgo Beach serial killer will be interviewed by the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit to try and understand what drove him to become the monster he is today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

62-year-old architect, father and former husband Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to a series of murders that plagued Long Island for 2 decades. As victims’ families gathered in court, Heuermann detailed how he strangled and dismembered the women while hiding in plan sight, posing as a normal suburban Dad. As part of his plea deal, the Gilgo Beach serial killer will be interviewed by the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit to try and understand what drove him to become the monster he is today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

62-year-old architect, father and former husband Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to a series of murders that plagued Long Island for 2 decades. As victims’ families gathered in court, Heuermann detailed how he strangled and dismembered the women while hiding in plan sight, posing as a normal suburban Dad. As part of his plea deal, the Gilgo Beach serial killer will be interviewed by the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit to try and understand what drove him to become the monster he is today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you haven't been listening to Legal Briefs, check out a recent episode we did with Julia Cowley, FBI, Retired. Julia hosts The Consult: Real FBI Profilers and we discuss the Nancy Guthrie case with The Consult's Julia Cowley, a former member of the FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis Unit.Check out our new True Crime Substack the True Crime Times Get Prosecutors Podcast Merch Join the Gallery on Facebook Follow us on TwitterFollow us on Instagram Check out our website for case resources: Hang out with us on TikTokSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Julia Cowley is a retired FBI agent/profiler, who hosts The Consult: Real FBI Profilers podcast. The one on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist was fantastic! Cowley traces her path from chemistry and a forensic science master's to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, then the FBI, where she was assigned to bank fraud and later public corruption/civil rights in Boston while serving on the Evidence Response Team, before applying to and joining the Behavioral Analysis Unit during research into high-level white-collar offenders. They found some interesting similarities between serious violent offenders and white-collar criminals. Listen to The Consult: https://www.truecrimeconsult.com/

Every targeted abduction follows a cycle. Target selection. Surveillance. Planning. Deployment. The deployment is almost always the shortest phase. The surveillance — the watching, the pattern-building, the cataloging of vulnerabilities — is where the real crime takes shape.The disappearance of Nancy Guthrie reveals a sequence consistent with what the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit associates with planned abductions rather than impulsive crimes. Doorbell camera disconnected at 1:47 AM. A second camera detecting a person with no saved video at 2:12 AM. Pacemaker app losing connection at 2:28 AM. Every security system systematically neutralized. Floodlight destroyed. Blood confirmed as Nancy's DNA on the front porch. All belongings left inside.This episode breaks down how predators select targets through cold risk-benefit analysis — isolation, predictable routines, perceived vulnerability, security systems that look functional but aren't. We examine the insider threat pattern documented across hundreds of cases where perpetrators leverage someone with existing access to gather intelligence external surveillance cannot provide.Retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke then analyzes every forensic decision at the scene. Sheriff Nanos released it after one day, said it was "done," then admitted he "could have held off." Investigators returned four more times. A rooftop camera was missed for five days. Drone footage showed deputies probing a septic tank behind the property.Dreeke addresses the questions shaping this case: What does the systematic targeting of every camera suggest about the perpetrator's knowledge of the property? What does the septic tank search signal? Can the chain-of-custody breaks be recovered?The predator's greatest advantage has never been strength or speed. It's the fact that most people simply aren't paying attention.#NancyGuthrie #SavannahGuthrie #AttackCycle #RobinDreeke #FBI #TrueCrimeToday #PreAttackIndicators #ForensicEvidence #AbductionCase #SurveillanceDetectionJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

Ninety percent of abduction victims recalled noticing something suspicious before the crime happened. They saw the car that didn't belong. They noticed the person who lingered too long. And they let it go. That statistic, drawn from criminal planning research, sits at the center of a reality most people never confront until it's too late: targeted abductions don't begin with the taking. They begin with the watching.In this episode, we dissect the pre-attack indicators and surveillance behaviors that precede abduction cases, profiling the operational cycle that security professionals and the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit have identified across hundreds of kidnapping investigations. We examine how predators select targets — assessing isolation, routine predictability, physical vulnerability, and gaps in home security systems — and how hostile surveillance actually presents in real-world environments.We use the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie as a case study in what that operational planning may look like. The timeline released by the Pima County Sheriff's Office — a doorbell camera disconnected at 1:47 a.m., camera software detecting a person with no saved video at 2:12 a.m., a pacemaker app disconnection at 2:28 a.m. — describes a sequence consistent with the kind of pre-operational precision that behavioral analysts associate with planned abductions. No suspects have been identified in the case. But the indicators are there for anyone trained to read them.This episode also addresses the insider threat documented across FBI case reviews and what families with elderly relatives living independently need to understand about the compounding vulnerability profile of isolation, fixed routines, and security systems that exist in appearance only.#NancyGuthrie #SavannahGuthrie #TrueCrimeToday #PreAttackIndicators #TargetedAbduction #AttackCycle #FBIAnalysis #KidnappingPrevention #ElderSafety #SurveillanceDetectionJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.