Heuermann (62) told a judge in Riverhead, New York, that he strangled the women, most of whom were in their twenties, and dismembered some of them before discarding their bodies wrapped in burlap bags, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office said. He was charged with seven murders committed between 1993 and 2010, with a trial scheduled for the fall. During his appearance on Wednesday, he also admitted to an eighth murder that was not included in the indictment.
He is expected to receive a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole when he reappears in court in June, prosecutors stated.
The "Gilgo Beach murders" gained national attention after police discovered multiple human remains along a remote stretch of Gilgo Beach in 2010 and 2011, about 30 miles east of New York City and near Heuermann's home. The investigation, which for years failed to identify a suspect, inspired films and documentaries. Investigators were able to link Heuermann to the case partly through DNA evidence collected from a pizza crust he discarded while under surveillance by a team in Manhattan.
Heuermann's attorney, Michael Brown, told reporters after the hearing that his client's decision to plead guilty was made to spare the victims' families, as well as his own family, from going through a trial. The guilty plea also includes a cooperation agreement with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.
"I think today, hopefully, has brought some peace and closure to this chapter for the family members," Brown said.