Gilgo Beach Killer's 'Unusual' Deal Could Help Solve Other Murders

Source: New York Times

Gilgo Beach Killer's 'Unusual' Deal Could Help Solve Other Murders

Rex Heuermann agreed to talk to behavioral analysts at the F.B.I. when he pleaded guilty. The unit has interviewed Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and Richard Speck.


"They're going to hopefully gain insight into the things that created him, that drove him, what causes this?" the Suffolk County district attorney, Raymond A. Tierney, said. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Associated Press

By Ed Shanahan
April 8, 2026
Updated 8:58 p.m. ET

When Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty (1) on Wednesday to murdering eight women, he did more than admit that he was the Gilgo Beach killer. He also took a step that could help investigators hunt down others with similarly violent minds.

Raymond A. Tierney, the Suffolk County district attorney, said at a news conference that the plea agreement called for Mr. Heuermann to be interviewed by the F.B.I.'s Behavioral Analysis Units about "his motivation, his background."

"It's sort of an academic exercise," Mr. Tierney said, describing the interviews as clinical rather than investigative in nature. Referring to the F.B.I. analysts in comments to several reporters after the news conference, he added, "They're going to hopefully gain insight into the things that created him, that drove him, what causes this."

The F.B.I. declined to comment on Mr. Heuermann's plea agreement, but said in a statement that the bureau's "researchers and analysts routinely conduct interviews with incarcerated offenders, including individuals convicted of serial homicide, to deepen the F.B.I.'s understanding of violent criminal behavior."

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Corey Kilgannon, William K. Rashbaum and Nate Schweber contributed reporting.

Ed Shanahan is a rewrite reporter and editor covering breaking news and general assignments on the Metro desk.



Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/nyregion/fbi-behavioral-analysis-unit-gilgo-beach.html