The Gilgo Beach Case: Killer of Maine Woman and Others Pleads Guilty

25 years after a Maine woman disappeared in New York, her killer has pleaded guilty to murdering her and many others.

Maine Victim of the Gilgo Beach Killer Last Seen on New York Hotel Surveillance Video

Megan Waterman of Scarborough was just 22-years-old when she vanished after leaving a New York hotel in June of 2010.

The last images of Megan were viewed many years later in a video from the hotel. Police believe when she left the hotel that day, she was going to meet the man who killed her.

Six months later, her skeletal remains were found along Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach on Long Island, as the police searched for another woman, Shannan Gilbert, who went missing in May.

New York Police Uncovered Multiple Remains of Murder Victims Along Gilgo Beach

That search led the police to uncover the remains of 7 women, one Asian male, and an unidentified toddler along that same stretch of road.

Waterman, and many of the other women, were working as escorts through Craigslist when they disappeared.

In July 2023, Rex Heuermann, an architect from Long Island, was arrested, suspected of being the Gilgo Beach Killer. Officials say he worked in Manhattan and lured his victims by hiring escorts.

Gilgo Beach Killer Pleads Guilty to Multiple Counts of Murder

On Wednesday, Heuermann brought closure to many families when he pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, and four of intentional murder.

WGME-TV reports that, although he wasn't charged with her death, Heuermann has admitted killing Karen Vergata in 1996. As part of a plea deal, he will not be charged with her murder.

The victims were strangled by Heuermann over a 17-year period and then buried in remote locations, including at Gilgo Beach.

According to NBC News, it's expected that Heuermann will receive a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole and three consecutive life sentences, followed by four sentences of 25 years to life.