NEW YORK — A New York architect accused of the Gilgo Beach murders will be back in court this week after an investigation searched his suburban home And combed a wooded area elsewhere on Long Island.
Rex Heuermann, who has pleaded not guilty to the death of four women whose remains were found along a remote beach road will appear in state court in Riverhead on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office confirmed. He was previously scheduled to return to court for a status hearing on June 18.
The new court date comes two weeks after investigators returned to Heuermann’s one-story home in Massapequa Park, where they recovered a cache of weapons during an initial search after his arrest last summer. A date for Heuermann’s trial has not yet been set.
During the most recent searchthat lasted several days, investigators placed paint chips and other materials in evidence bags and removed a large rectangular object covered with a blue cloth.
A spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service would not say whether the upcoming hearing is related to the renewed search efforts.
In April, authorities involved in the investigation also spent more than a week searching a wooded area in Manorville, fueling speculation that they were looking for new evidence linked to some of the six additional sets of remains that were discovered along Gilgo Beach more than a decade ago. .
Heuermann, 60, was arrested in July for the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. He was charged in January in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
His lawyer, Michael Brown, has said his client maintains his innocence. He declined to comment on the nature of Thursday’s hearing.
The case had vexed investigators since the remains of 11 people, most of whom were young women who were sex workers, were found on a stretch of Gilgo Beach in 2010 and 2011. Authorities say the investigation into the other victims is ongoing.
Robert Macedonio, an attorney for Heuermann’s estranged wife, said the most recent search of the Massapequa Park home focused primarily on the basement. He said the family was out of state when the search was conducted.
He declined to say what was taken from the home, saying the family has not yet received a search warrant affidavit detailing the reasons for conducting the search.
During the initial search in July, authorities tore up a wooden deck and using an excavator to excavate the backyard, which they scanned for buried objects using specialized equipment.
The most recent search was much less disruptive, according to Macedonia.
Vess Mitev, a lawyer for Heuermann’s two adult children, said the family was closely monitoring developments.
“The hearing is another milestone in this macabre saga, in which they remain unfortunate bystanders,” he said in a text message.
