DNA evidence in Gilgo Beach murders case against Rex Heuermann ruled admissible — in massive victory for prosecutors

Long Island prosecutors have the green light to use crucial DNA evidence in their case against accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann, a judge ruled Wednesday.

The bombshell ruling by Judge Tim Mazzei marks a massive victory for Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, whose case against the hulking architect hinged almost entirely on DNA matches linking Heuermann to seven sex workers he is charged with killing between 1993 and 2010.

“The science was on our side and that’s why we won,” Tierney told reporters Wednesday, calling the case “strong” and “compelling.”

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“We now have nuclear DNA, we have mitochondrial DNA, we have phone records, we have witness statements, we have financial records, we have internet searches. we have phone activity, and we have other evidence as well,” the prosecutor said. 

Mazzei’s ruling represents the first time the high-tech DNA evidence will be used in a New York trial, officials said. 

The accused killer’s ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, was in court but did not comment after the ruling.

Heuermann, 61, was arrested outside his Manhattan office in July 2023 and charged with the murders of three sex workers whose bodies were dumped along desolate stretches of Long Island.

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He was eventually charged in the deaths of seven of the 11 bodies found, and is now accused of killing Valerie Mack, 24, Melissa Taylor, 20, Megan Waterman, 22, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Sandra Costilla, 28, and Amber Lynn Costello, 27.

All of the victims were sex workers in the New York Metro area.

Their deaths remained unsolved until Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison, a former NYPD chief, reopened the case in 2022. 

Investigators linked Heuermann to the bodies through hairs found on victims that tied to him or his family — including a hair found on a discarded pizza box and DNA drawn from a can his daughter threw into the trash.

Cops conducted two thorough searches of the Heuermann home in Massapequa Park, and said they found a sick “how-to” file on the killings.

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The file allegedly included a “Things to Remember” section and another titled “Lessons Learned,” according to prosecutors.

Investigators were aided by new technology that allowed “degraded” DNA samples, such as the hairs found on the victims, to be tested and linked to the crimes.

Heuermann’s attorney, Michael Brown, has been critical of the evidence, calling it “magic” — and said he disagreed with the judge’s DNA ruling.

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Stay up to date on the Gilgo Beach murders

• Gilgo Beach serial killer case could be test of advanced DNA evidence in criminal court
• Suffolk DA shoots down talk of plea deal in Gilgo Beach serial killings
• Gilgo Beach murders tied to Rex Heuermann by ‘unreliable’ DNA software that needed ‘updates’ due to glitches, expert testifies
• Gilgo suspect had a weird relationship with his mother — and likely targeted women who looked like her: pal
• Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann asks for multiple trials in killings of seven women

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“That’s his position; we accept it,” the lawyer said outside the courtroom. “We don’t like it, but he’s the umpire.”

Following the DNA ruling on Wednesday, Brown filed a motion arguing that Astrea Labs, the company that did the DNA testing, is not licensed in the Empire State and therefore using the results allegedly violates health laws.

Mazzei said he will rule on that claim on Sept. 26. 

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Asked if he was worried about the motion, Tierney quipped, “If I was running a blood bank, I’d be very nervous.”

He told The Post last month that there had been no plea negotiations in the case and that he would not cut a deal with Heuermann.

Tierney also said his office would not seek to link the architect to any more of the bodies found dumped along the shoreline — until after the trial.

“So first things first, let’s do that. And then we’ll prepare the case for trial, and once that process is completed, we’ll re-evaluate and go back to investigate.”

The Gilgo Beach case has captivated the nation and was the subject of a recent Peacock three-part series that includes exclusive interviews with Heuermann’s wife, Asa Ellerup, and his grown daughter, Victoria Heuermann.