Major development in Gilgo Beach murders investigation coming Wednesday, sources say

The architect suspected of murdering more than a half-dozen women and dumping many of their remains on a remote stretch of parkway near Long Island’s Gilgo Beach over a decade is expected to change his plea to guilty as early as Wednesday, two sources close to the case say.

The expected plea, according to sources, would put a cap on a 15-year investigation that captivated New Yorkers and the country starting in late 2010. It’s unclear if Heuermann would make a statement. It also wasn’t clear if he was expected to plead guilty in all the deaths in which he is accused.

He previously pleaded not guilty in the deaths of seven women dating back to 1993.

The sources on the expected plea change said in late March that the development may come at Heuermann’s next court appearance, which is scheduled for Wednesday.

Heuermann, a Manhattan architect who lived on Long Island, was arrested on July 13, 2023 and charged in the murders of Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy. In Jan. 2024, he was charged in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, and less than five months later, was charged with murdering Sandra Costilla and Jessica Taylor.

In Dec. 2024, an indictment was unsealed, charging Heuermann in the death of Valerie Mack. Her son has now filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the case.

Remains of most of the victims were found on an isolated stretch of a shoreline parkway not far from Heuermann’s home, authorities said.

The trial was set to begin in September.

Prosecutors claim Rex Heuermann, the lead suspect in the Gilgo Beach serial killings case, made hundreds of calls to sex workers in the years before his arrest. NBC New York’s Greg Cergol reports.