An unexpected discovery changed the direction of the case against Rex Heuermann, as police uncovered chilling new evidence and have connected the architect to two additional murders, one dating back more than 30 years. Police released new details that show the alleged serial killer’s meticulous planning, including lists of problems that could trip him up and how to effectively dispose of his victims. NBC New York’s Greg Cergol reports.
The New York City architect arrested last year in connection with a string of cold case bodies found on Long Island's Gilgo Beach has been charged with murder in the deaths of two more victims, according to a superseding bail application.
Sandra Costilla, 28, was allegedly murdered by Rex Heuermann in the fall of 1993, investigators say. She was a native of Trinidad and Tobago but had been living in New York when she disappeared around November. Two hunters found Costilla's body in a wooded area of Southampton, the bail application detailed. She had not been named until Thursday but she would have been the earliest known victim of the alleged serial killer.
The court document detailed how a female hair found on Costilla's mutilated body “share a common base at all compared positions" to a witness who once lived at Heuermann's residence in Massapequa.
The other alleged victim of the 59-year-old is Jessica Taylor. Parts of her remains were found in the vicinity of Mill Road in July 2003 and again in March 2011.
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Following Heuermann's arrest, investigators searched his residence numerous times and discovered over 350 electronic devices that contained a "significant collection" of violent pornography dating back to 1994, according to the bail application. The obscene images allegedly accessed by Heuermann notably coincided with how the remains of Costilla, Taylor and another young woman, Valerie Mack, were discovered.
Heuermann has not been charged with Mack's murder. So far, he's accused of killing six women, including Maureen Brainard-Barnes in 2007, Melissa Barthelemy in 2009, Megan Waterman in 2010 and Amber Costello in 2010. See the timeline of the investigation here.
Among electronic data being combed through by investigators, they found a Word Document apparently dated back to the year 2000. It appears to be the alleged serial killer's planning document that listed "PROBLEMS" he is expected to run into, "SUPPLIES" to commit the murders, and a "DS" column that listed Mill Road as a possible dumpster site.
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Read the full bail application below:
