The Long Island Ripper

[Aethelwulf]

In Gilgo Beach Killings, an Arrest Bears Out a Decade-Old Prediction https://nyti.ms/3rwFIEV

Article about the 2011 profile of the LISK, noting the current suspect ticked many boxes for traits listed for the unsub.

Most people on here seem to chuck a hissy fit whenever the ripper FBI profile is mentioned. Seems that not all FBI profiles are rubbish...

[Pcdunn]

In Gilgo Beach Killings, an Arrest Bears Out a Decade-Old Prediction https://nyti.ms/3rwFIEV

Article about the 2011 profile of the LISK, noting the current suspect ticked many boxes for traits listed for the unsub.

[curious]

It's interesting that we might have multiple killers. I read through this thread last night, and noted there was a discussion as to whether the Long Island murders and the Atlantic City ones were linked or by separate killers.

The suspect's home seems at odds with the man's job as an architectural rules expert. Neighbors said it was old and overgrown. The suspect sometimes returned casual greetings with scowls while chopping wood in the yard.

They do seem to have evidence linking this suspect to the taunting phone calls to a victim's 16 year old sister (the'"halfbreed" slur and an eventual admission to killing the victim). Not sure if anger over the loss of the money was a motive or he's just a bigot.

At his age . . . well surely he didn't start in his mid 40s. Maybe Atlantic City murders were when his family was home as the Gilgo Four were when Heuermann's family was gone.

Well, he's a researcher, someone who can walk the paperwork through all the roadblocks. A little at odds perhaps, but not everyone uses their homes to "show out" I think I'm surprised to learn that he's married and the wife was ok with the house and property. Or maybe their priorities simply spent their money in other areas.

Well, he's definitely cruel. So whether or not he's a bigot or simply using hurtful words to inflict pain we can't be sure. What about the "anger over the loss of the money was a motive" ? Did he lose money with Barthelemy too? Wasn't it her sister who received calls? Wasn't it Amber Lynn Costello who is supposed to have cheated him one night then went back to meet him the next? (huge no-no there! She knew how big he was, surely he was mad even if he pretended too dumb to understand what had happened.) He got lucky and Costello was never reported missing. I'm wondering about a lot of that story and how much is hindsight once the focus landed on Heuermann.

This is sure to be interesting. Also, it's reassuring to know how detailed LE is being in this investigation and surely the other victims too.

[Abby Normal]

Briefly, I was wondering if his age might mean Heuermann had been arrested for what they could prove and suspect him for the other bodies. But something I read says they believe there's more than one killer. Also, a taskforce for just these 4 appears to have been formed in 2022. So much hinges on WHEN something became known. For instance It was Amber Lynn Costello's friends who saw "the Ogre" and the vehicle. HOWEVER, she was the one who was never reported missing. Apparently she and her roomies were drug addicts and remember tricking Heuermann out of his money one night and then she went to meet him again the next night. I gotta wonder how much of that will actually hold up if this goes to trial.
While I do find it interesting that more than one person would use the same stretch of highway to dump bodies, still there are areas in many locations that have a notorious reputation for cars being rolled into "insurance hole" and bodies being rolled down a mountain along a desolate stretch of road. Bitrolf may very well turn out to be involved in some of the Long Island bodies. But do you consider it likely that Heuermann started killing in his 40s?

he probably started killing earlier, or at least had otjer related serious crimes. i dont know enough about him at this point... need to find out more about him before i can form a conclusion on that.

[Abby Normal]

I watched the press conference and holy **** was the DA a self-congratulatory blowhard. If he's actually the one trying the case it's going to be a miserable slog to watch.

uggg. typical DA. not only a blow hard but taking credit for work he didnt even do. and prosecutors are generally cowards..plea dealing ad nauseum, scared to charge....anything than actually going to trial.

[curious]

Briefly, I was wondering if his age might mean Heuermann had been arrested for what they could prove and suspect him for the other bodies. But something I read says they believe there's more than one killer. Also, a taskforce for just these 4 appears to have been formed in 2022. So much hinges on WHEN something became known. For instance It was Amber Lynn Costello's friends who saw "the Ogre" and the vehicle. HOWEVER, she was the one who was never reported missing. Apparently she and her roomies were drug addicts and remember tricking Heuermann out of his money one night and then she went to meet him again the next night. I gotta wonder how much of that will actually hold up if this goes to trial.
While I do find it interesting that more than one person would use the same stretch of highway to dump bodies, still there are areas in many locations that have a notorious reputation for cars being rolled into "insurance hole" and bodies being rolled down a mountain along a desolate stretch of road. Bitrolf may very well turn out to be involved in some of the Long Island bodies. But do you consider it likely that Heuermann started killing in his 40s?

[Abby Normal]

I had not yet arrived at "he took the victims into his home" explanation. It does make sense. Is he still married? I'm trying to imagine how a wife would react to this . . . On another tact: I was talking about the discussion about john Bittrolff, who was, I was told, "in jail for the murder of two prositutes who were also dismembered and found alongside a road in LI. they eventually traced back to him through dna" Is he still a suspect for some the Long Island murders as Heuermann appears to be being charged with only 4? Also, since Heuermann is 59, he would have been in his 40s (sorry math eoesn't always work for me) isn't that unusually older than normal for serial killers? Does he have a long, as-yet undiscovered, list of victims? OR, perhaps, because of available evidence of cell phones and Internet usage which isn't as plentiful for the earlier murders, they're proving what they can and hoping the aftermath will clear up the others?

hi curious
bitrolf was a suspect in at least one or two of the other gilgo murders according to the prosecutor. but does anyone know if those are now attributed to huerrman?

bitrolf is in jail for the murder and dismemberment of two prostitutes found in suitcases along side of a nearby highway. alot of things tie him to the gilgo beach killings and they stopped when he was arrested for the his previous murders. id be really surprised if he wasnt respinsible for some of the gilgo beach murders.

[Indian Harry]

Also, since Heuermann is 59, he would have been in his 40s (sorry math eoesn't always work for me) isn't that unusually older than normal for serial killers? Does he have a long, as-yet undiscovered, list of victims? OR, perhaps, because of available evidence of cell phones and Internet usage which isn't as plentiful for the earlier murders, they're proving what they can and hoping the aftermath will clear up the others?

I too found it notable that he would have been in his mid 40s during these murders. Usually waning libido and the natural tendency to become more adverse to risks as you age usually means that serial killers hang it up by then. Dennis Rader, for instance, in his middle age was content to bask in the psychological aspects of his crimes by writing letters and keeping the story alive. He was not committing the rapes and murders anymore. So, yeah an overweight 45 year old wouldn't have been my first guess. I have since heard that none of the Gilgo Beach victims were deposited any further than 25 feet from the road. I guess that part lines up with an out of shape middle aged man.

[Pcdunn]

It's interesting that we might have multiple killers. I read through this thread last night, and noted there was a discussion as to whether the Long Island murders and the Atlantic City ones were linked or by separate killers.

The suspect's home seems at odds with the man's job as an architectural rules expert. Neighbors said it was old and overgrown. The suspect sometimes returned casual greetings with scowls while chopping wood in the yard.

Parents warned children to avoid going there on Halloween. One father who did take his kids to the door, was surprised when the strange neighbor handed out plastic pumpkins overflowing with candy. (When the wife of the neighbor found out where it came from, she threw it out as suspicious.)

People who knew him from his workplace generally praised his subject knowledge and attention to details. Some considered him "goofy", but appreciated his hard work. He was described as friendly and cracking jokes only a day before his arrest. (They discovered later that he had searched for and viewed a story about The Long Island serial killer case.)

They do seem to have evidence linking this suspect to the taunting phone calls to a victim's 16 year old sister (the'"halfbreed" slur and an eventual admission to killing the victim). Not sure if anger over the loss of the money was a motive or he's just a bigot.

We'll likely hear more developments in this case as time goes by. The suspect, of course, denies he is the serial killer.

[curious]

I had not yet arrived at "he took the victims into his home" explanation. It does make sense. Is he still married? I'm trying to imagine how a wife would react to this . . . On another tact: I was talking about the discussion about john Bittrolff, who was, I was told, "in jail for the murder of two prositutes who were also dismembered and found alongside a road in LI. they eventually traced back to him through dna" Is he still a suspect for some the Long Island murders as Heuermann appears to be being charged with only 4? Also, since Heuermann is 59, he would have been in his 40s (sorry math eoesn't always work for me) isn't that unusually older than normal for serial killers? Does he have a long, as-yet undiscovered, list of victims? OR, perhaps, because of available evidence of cell phones and Internet usage which isn't as plentiful for the earlier murders, they're proving what they can and hoping the aftermath will clear up the others?

[Indian Harry]

Finding hairs from the suspect's wife with 3 of the 4 they believe tie to the suspect tops my list for unusual details. And, after rereading part of the thread, it appears to me the cases have been separated into groups that have different killers. It was easy to see from the ages of the cases and the differences in the victims-- but just how weird that multiple killers chose the same location to hide bodies.

My apologies for jumping into speculation territory here but when you combine the hairs from his wife with reports that his family was away during the murders it really makes me think that he brought the victims home. And that, I believe, is how the wife's long hair got transferred to the victims. Whether or not the other murders are linked to him later on remains to be seen. Wouldn't that be something though if multiple killers used the same general area to dispose of the bodies.

[curious]

There are certain details in the investigation that are unusual, to say the least.

Finding hairs from the suspect's wife with 3 of the 4 they believe tie to the suspect tops my list for unusual details. And, after rereading part of the thread, it appears to me the cases have been separated into groups that have different killers. It was easy to see from the ages of the cases and the differences in the victims-- but just how weird that multiple killers chose the same location to hide bodies.

[Pcdunn]

There are certain details in the investigation that are unusual, to say the least.

DNA recovered from a discarded pizza crust was matched to evidence recovered from three of the nine victims. They're hoping to link a fourth to the suspect.

Apparently, he used victims' phones to call new prospects. At least one phone was used to call a dead woman's family and taunt them.

The astonishing thing to me upon seeing this man in handcuffs was not only his towering size, but the ugliness of his visage. Not a Ted Bundy type, here.

[Indian Harry]

Seems like a white collar Gary Ridgeway if we discount his large physical stature. All the neighbors say he was quiet and agreeable, in short a good neighbor and family man. He is a contradiction though in more ways than the obvious. Professionally he is an architect and it is reported that he took up his late father's hobby of cabinet making. Then you look at his house and it's the smallest and roughest looking home in the whole neighborhood. He has his own architectural firm in Manhattan with 4 other employees including his daughter. His niche seems to be patiently plowing through the red tape involved in the New York building code rather than amassing a portfolio of prestige projects. The other notable thing reported is that at one point he was behind in income tax to the tune of $400,000. So he has measurable signs of success but also enough turmoil and troubles that could have acted as stressors. Of course by now I know that serial killers kind of blend into the background and come from all walks of life, but I certainly wasn't expecting the culprit to be a Manhatten architect.

[Ally]

I watched the press conference and holy **** was the DA a self-congratulatory blowhard. If he's actually the one trying the case it's going to be a miserable slog to watch.