The Long Island Ripper

[Pcdunn]

Very interesting. Thanks for the heads up on the documentary; Bonestrewn.

[bonestrewn]

Not sure if anyone is still following this case or thread...

A new documentary was recently released (available on Peacock in the US) called "The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets." It features up-to-date info on the case, including the 7 women Heuermann is charged with killing, as well as interviews with his wife and his daughter.

I grew up and live on Long Island, and have family in the area where Heuermann lived. The big landmarks of the case are very well known to me as I've also had job roles where I traveled by commuter rail into Midtown. There's something weirdly "intimate" about seeing LI dissected and talked about, especially because it seems most people not from the area don't really understand Long Island (one of the talking heads in the documentary referred to it as an "isolated island"--the boros of Queens and Brooklyn are ON Long Island! LOL!).

Does anyone have thoughts or opinions on the latest evidence and items of interest?

The big one for me, shown in the documentary I mention, was the discovery on Heuermann's computer of a deleted file called "HK", which they believed stood for "Hunt/Kill," where he laid out very plainly a step-by-step plan for conducting murders, including preliminary sweeps of the dump site, the equipment he would need for the murders, and how to treat the bodies after death (removing marks of torture, removing identifying tattoos). This document apparently related to his earlier kills, with his MO changing as he got older.

They also found his wife's and daughter's hairs on different victims, which they tied to them solidly with nuclear DNA. The suggestion is Heuermann/his implements picked up the hairs from the family home and then distributed them onto the bodies accidentally. I have a strong impression that the older he got and the more the investigation into his crimes failed, the sloppier Heuermann became.

[curious]

Well, I found a good laugh in my post:
"I'm guessing he does not live there. I think he is too savvy." "there" was Massapequa, so clearly my crystal ball was not working that day. It does raise the question though: Did the taskforce go back to those photos once they had Rex Heuermann in their sights and look for him?

[The Rookie Detective]

So, the killer made a call from Massapequa? then from very busy areas in Manhattan so that even though the authorities got security surveillance tapes there were too many people on the phone to be able to narrow it down?

So, question No. 1:

Did the newspapers print that Melissa called from Massapequa? And the killer perhaps then went there to make a call because he read the papers and knew she had called from there? Or did he pick her up there and returned there for the call?

I'm guessing he does not live there. I think he is too savvy.

The great part is, though, that the authorities do have pictures of people on telephones. So, when they get suspects, they can check to see if that person is on one of the security tapes from around Times Square or Madison Square Garden or wherever the calls originated.

Those security cameras might eventually seal the killer's doom, even though right now the authorities say that with nearly 1,000 people on the phone it is no help.

Somehow, I wonder if the trip to the event in New Jersey has not narrowed the suspects down enough that they know who, but just don't have the evidence for an arrest and conviction yet? Perhaps the killer has enough clout that they are going to have all their I's dotted and T's crossed before making a move.

Officially, the authorities are saying the New Jersey murders are no connection, but I wonder . . . .

Dark Passenger, why do you think the killer called only Melissa's sister and doesn't appear to have used the other victims' phones?

Not as savvy as he thought it would seem.

The proven link between Massapequa and the centre of NYC, from where the dodgy calls to the victim's sister were traced meant that the killer must have had a physical connection to both locations.

A "seasonal" killer would signify a married man; or one with family commitments.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing of course, but it shouldn't have taken so long to find him based on the spectrum of info they had on the killer.


One of the biggest hindrances in a case like this, is when the police do not approach things in the correct way and lack the competency and integrity to push it through.

The same could likely apply to the JTR case as a whole.




RD

[The Rookie Detective]

Yes, having checked my facts the Massapequa call was by Melissa to her voicemail.

But there is still that connection. She was there because she was meeting the killer, and checking voicemail is something you do to pass time while you're waiting.

But according to this link;
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/arc.../t-159991.html
One of the calls was indeed linked to Massapequa, as well as her voicemail checking.

So it seems she was in Massapequa on 9th July, then again on 12th July when she vanished. Both times she checked her voicemail while waiting for her client. And if one of the killer's calls did come from Massapequa it's possible he lives or works nearby.

Bingo DP

Detective work at its finest

I knew nothing whatsoever of this case and had never heard of it until yesterday when reading the first few pages of this thread.

I was thinking... the killer must live or work in Massapequa; the location from which the alleged victim had called from on 2 separate occasions.


After 10 minutes of reading this case cold; I believed that Massapequa was the key (based on this excellent thread)

And it would appear that is correct.

What took years of dodgy and inept police investigation was achieved in the same time as it took to drink my tea.

Fine work from Dark Passenger and Curious; a most excellent thread indeed.



RD

[caz]

Yes, back in 1888 they either had to catch such killers in the act, or while trying to escape with incriminating evidence on their person.

So I'm not sure what Michael means, because there was no way for anyone to 'figure out' after the event who was responsible for any of these murders. They couldn't have been solved by a detective using his wits - while wearing a deerstalker and smoking a pipe.

Love,

Caz
X

[Duran duren]

I feel the only way LE could have caught the killer in 1888 was in the act itself, or that was their best chance.

[Michael W Richards]

The current methodology when assessing whether a serial killer is on the loose is basically scientific. Matching threads, hairs, prints, MO...etc. But in 1888 in London, they didnt even have fingerprinting let alone any real scientific means to link the killer by the crimes. So, after Annies murder they tried to create a generic profile of someone they thought would fit the circumstances of the crimes...someone who knew the area, someone who could locate specific organs in near dark conditions...someone who could use a very sharp knife with ease and accuracy, someone who street women wouldnt fear even while the "spree" was ongoing....

Would that non-scientific approach ever have caught someone like this Long Island Killer? Probably not...which is why they likely didnt figure out who done it in 1888.

[Pcdunn]

Thanks for adding to this thread, Barnaby. He sure sounds like sadistic SOB!

[Barnaby]

Thought it might be time to revive this thread given the two new indictments. The Sandra Costilla murder may have parallels to JTR given she is an early victim whose breasts and genital region were attacked repeatedly by a knife. I'm not sure from the report if these injuries were pre- or post-mortem. I don't want to go too far with the parallels because - victimology aside - this is a sexual sadist who tortured his victims.

Some general points of interest are the change in m.o., the fact that he was reading stuff like John Douglas's Mind Hunter and - who knows - possibly this thread, and the increasing likelihood that he could be one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history. Scary stuff. I don't know how bad this is going to get before all is known.

[Pcdunn]

<iframe loading='lazy' width='560' height='315' src='https://www.nbcnews.com/news/embedded-video/mmvo193938501716' scrolling='no' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>

This video report on the Gilgo Beach murder suspect states investigation is widening as new bodies are found. He's charged with three murders, suspected in a fourth. Says he spends 2 to 3 hours daily in jail reviewing the evidence against him. Lawyer refutes his client's guilt, on basis of his being a family man and a productive member of society; also refutes the connection of the hair to his client. Report mentions the wife and family members attended a recent court hearing, but declined to comment.

[Abby Normal]

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/04/us/in...ers/index.html

Murder victim from 1996 previously known as "Fire Island Jane Doe" identified and attributed to Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect.

thanks for posting this pc

but am i missing something?the article dosnt say the police are atributing this victim to huermann or even as any part of series, only that tje remains were ided, no?

also, lets just keep all future discussion of this to this thread, no need to have two concurrent threads on the same thing, and just saying the same thing.

[Pcdunn]

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/04/us/investigation-update-gilgo-beach-murders/index.html

Murder victim from 1996 previously known as "Fire Island Jane Doe" identified and attributed to Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect.

[Pcdunn]

Gilgo Beach killer hunt slowed by infighting between prosecutors, police

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/08/01/gilgo-beach-serial-killer-rex-heuermann/

Article about how detectives working on the Gilgo Beach murders in 2021 basically objected to the lead detective's handling until he was removed. Meanwhile, a clue about a pickup truck went ignored. It turned out to belong to the suspect in custody.

[Indian Harry]

I think that many of the indicators that profilers use to 'predict' a serial killer have to be updated. I think historically the indicators had merit in that they could probably apply to people born prior to world war II, but enough changes have occurred in the intervening years to justify a revision.

Profilers have the default position that serial killers are white. The explosion of serial killers in the 20th century coincides with car ownership. The automobile is the greatest tool in a serial killer's arsenal. Similarly owning property or having access to a private dwelling is another aspect of life that benefits a serial killer. As imperfect as society is today in the last generation or so more visible minorities have entered the middle class and have access to cars and homes, so the whole 'white male' cliche is largely a thing of the past.

Absent father.... at one time there was a social stigma if you were born outside of wedlock. As the kid grows up he will often be ostracized, judged and teased. Also, in earlier periods there were less employment opportunities for women so the child would grow up in poverty and suffer its inherent hardships. In short I think the impact of these secondary factors are stronger contributors than the simple absence of a father.

Abusive home life..... I think this was actually a good predictor in the days of Albert Fish when most people left school before reaching high school. I think that the present serial killers have suffered more from their peers during the ages of 12 to 18. The exclusion, rejection, isolation and general cruelty that some people have to endure in this period of their life can be excruciating. Fortunately the majority, even if they continue to carry the emotional scars, don't become killers. In many ways I would say that a good portion of the serial killers from the last 50 years are 'proto-incels' and their experiences during high school strongly contributed to their broken psyche and later crimes.