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Investigation into Rex Heuermann, the Gilgo Beach murders suspect, expands to Nevada, South Carolina

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Investigation into Rex Heuermann, the Gilgo Beach murders suspect, expands to Nevada, South Carolina


(CNN) —  Probes into Gilgo Beach serial killings suspect Rex Heuermann now reach across the country as investigators are examining his connections to Las Vegas and South Carolina, where the suspect has owned property.

Police in Las Vegas are sifting through their roster of unsolved cases for any sign Heuermann may have been involved, a spokesperson for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed in a statement.

Though Heuermann lived on Long Island, New York, he and his wife had purchased two timeshare condos in Las Vegas between 2003 and 2005, according to property records obtained by CNN. The couple has since sold the first property, the records show, and it is unclear whether they still own the second.

The 59-year-old architect and father of two was arrested last week in New York City and charged with the murders of three of the “Gilgo Four,” a group of four women whose remains were found along a short stretch of Long Island’s Gilgo Beach in 2010.

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Heuermann has pleaded not guilty in the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. He remains the prime suspect in the killing of the fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, but has yet to be charged in the case.

As authorities scour Heuermann’s home, office and storage unit, they are operating under the assumption that the suspect may have continued his alleged killing spree after the bodies of the Gilgo Four were discovered, a source familiar with the case told CNN.

Who is Rex Heuermann? What we know about the Gilgo Beach murders suspect

The sheriff’s office in northern South Carolina’s Chester County, where tax records show Heuermann owns four large parcels of land, says it has been gathering evidence for the Gilgo Beach investigative task force since before the suspect’s arrest.

Authorities were seen towing a truck belonging to Heuermann’s brother late last week, according to neighbor Steve Caston, who lives down a gravel road from the brother and adjacent to land owned by Heuermann. Caston described deputies lined up with “assault rifles” and “the whole nine yards,” as the vehicle was being seized but he said the scene was “fairly quiet” with “no screaming, no yelling.”

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A Chevy Avalanche truck seized from the property is being combed for evidence, sources told CNN.

FBI investigators were also seen talking to neighbors in the rural South Carolina neighborhood on Tuesday. As a CNN crew was speaking to Caston at his home, he was approached by two men in plainclothes who identified themselves as FBI agents and asked the neighbor to contact them later that day.

The multi-agency cold case task force is “actively investigating” whether Heuermann may have had more alleged victims as they pore over a flood of tips and new evidence, Suffolk County Deputy Police Commissioner Anthony Carter said Monday.

Heuermann’s family was stunned when authorities informed them of the harrowing allegations against him, Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said Monday. “They were disgusted. They were embarrassed,” he said.

“So, if you ask me, I don’t believe they knew about this double life that Heuermann was living.”

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Long-dormant investigation gets flood of evidence

As investigators pore over Heuermann’s home, they are primarily focused on gathering forensic evidence but are also searching for things that could be souvenirs kept from the killings, including items that are hidden or stashed where family members wouldn’t find them, according to a source with knowledge of the case.

Any found items will then need to be shown to victims’ family and friends, a process that could take some time, the source said.

The search of the home has so far revealed a cache of between 200 and 300 firearms hoarded in a vault behind a locked metal door – far more than the 92 firearms authorities knew Heuermann had registered in the state, the source said.

Prosecutors have detailed a trove of evidence used to connect Heuermann to at least three of the Gilgo Four killings, including credit card bills, cell phone data and DNA evidence.

The four women’s bodies were among a string of 11 sets of human remains found scattered along Long Island’s South Shore between 2010 and 2011, sparking what police have called “one of the most consequential homicide investigations” in the island’s history.

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Striking similarities soon emerged between the cases of the four women. Each of the remains had been bound in camouflaged burlap and hidden along the same quarter-mile stretch of Ocean Parkway, authorities said. The women – who disappeared between 2007 and 2010 – all worked as escorts and advertised their services on Craigslist, according to police.

But it took more than a decade for investigators to match DNA from a male hair found on the burlap wrapping to a sample of Heuermann’s DNA surreptitiously collected from a pizza crust the suspect threw away after the cases were reopened, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.

ALSO SEE: Gilgo Beach Murders: Despite Rex Heuermann arrest, “no end in sight” for the investigation

Authorities have said the killer used burner phones to contact the victims and investigators were able to use cell phone and credit card records to identify several instances when Heuermann was in the general location when the phones were used to call the victims, according to a bail application.

Though prosecutors have said Heuermann is the prime suspect in the fourth killing of Brainard-Barnes, police commissioner Harrison said Monday that bringing a charge in that case may “take a little time.” A hair follicle investigators have as evidence needs to undergo DNA testing, but has been damaged, he said.

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Meantime, he said, “It’s a very good thing that we got this animal off the streets.”



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Nevada

Trump-aligned nonprofit pays $100k in legal fees for Nevada ‘fake electors’

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Trump-aligned nonprofit pays $100k in legal fees for Nevada ‘fake electors’


A nonprofit organization aligned with former President Trump paid $100,000 of legal fees for the six so-called “fake electors” in Nevada, according to people familiar with the payment. Personnel Policy Operations, or PPO, shelled out the fees to assist the Trump-supporting electors who faced charges for falsely claiming the former president won the state in the […]



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Everything You Need to Know About Nevada

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Everything You Need to Know About Nevada


Dear reader,

I hope you enjoyed the article you just read. It’s just one of the many deeply reported and boundary-pushing stories we publish every day at The Nation. In a time of continued erosion of our fundamental rights and urgent global struggles for peace, independent journalism is now more vital than ever.

As a Nation reader, you are likely an engaged progressive who is passionate about bold ideas. I know I can count on you to help sustain our mission-driven journalism.

This month, we’re kicking off an ambitious Summer Fundraising Campaign with the goal of raising $15,000. With your support, we can continue to produce the hard-hitting journalism you rely on to cut through the noise of conservative, corporate media. Please, donate today.

A better world is out there—and we need your support to reach it.

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Onwards,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation





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Nevada Judge Dismisses Case Against 'Fake Electors' Claiming Trump Won The State In 2020 Presidential Election

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Nevada Judge Dismisses Case Against 'Fake Electors' Claiming Trump Won The State In 2020 Presidential Election


On Friday, a Nevada judge dismissed a case against six individuals who falsely claimed that former President Donald Trump won the state in the 2020 presidential election.

What Happened: The case, dismissed by Clark County District Judge Mary Kay Holthus, was against six individuals called “fake electors.” They were charged with falsely claiming that Trump had won the state. President Joe Biden secured victory in Nevada in 2020 by over 33,000 votes.

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The judge ruled that the Nevada attorney general’s prosecutors had chosen the wrong venue to file the case. The trial, which was scheduled for January, has been called off, reported The Hill.

The defense attorneys argued that the case should have been filed in a northern Nevada city closer to where the alleged crime occurred. The Nevada Attorney General’s office has expressed disagreement with the judge’s decision and plans to appeal.

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See Also: In Trump Vs. Biden Race, Big Lead For One Candidate In Iowa Seen As ‘Bad Sign’ For The Other In Key Battleground States: Poll

“We disagree with the judge’s decision and will be appealing immediately,” stated John Sadler, a spokesperson for the Nevada attorney general’s office.

Following the judge’s decision, the defense attorneys stated that the case was “done” as the three-year statute of limitations on filing charges expired in December. This means that the state is unlikely to bring the case to a grand jury in a different venue.

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Why It Matters: The six individuals, who are pro-Trump electors, were charged with a felony of offering a false instrument for filing and uttering a forged document. These charges carry penalties of up to five years in prison, the report noted.

Besides Nevada, pro-Trump electors have faced criminal charges in three other states: Michigan, Georgia, and Arizona.

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The case against the “fake electors” in Nevada is part of a larger trend. In May, it was reported that 84 Republicans across seven states falsely claimed to be Trump’s presidential electors in December 2020. However, their treatment has varied based on location, with some facing serious charges while others have been seen as unwitting participants.

The latest development comes amid a close race expected between Trump and Biden in the 2024 presidential election. Election polls of nationally registered voters show a close battle between the two in a rematch of the 2020 presidential election.

Read Next: Trump’s Niece Says Letting Her Uncle Back In White House In A ‘Life Or Death’ Election Is A Peril: ‘Serious National Security Threat To American People’

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo courtesy: Shutterstock



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