Prosecutors have revealed new charges in the long-standing case of three young women who disappeared in the early 1990s on Long Island. The bodies of the victims were found strangled, beaten, and left in similar poses in the Long Island brush. Rex Heuermann, already accused in the Gilgo Beach serial killings, is now implicated in the death of one of the women, Sanda Costilla. This development suggests that Heuermann may have started targeting victims more than a decade earlier than previously believed.
The new charges have raised questions about the conviction of John Bittrolff, who is currently serving time for the murders of the other two women, Rita Tangredi and Colleen McNamee. Bittrolff's defense team has criticized the forensic evidence used in his conviction and argues that the new charges against Heuermann further support Bittrolff's claim of innocence.
The trio of killings from the early 1990s remained unsolved for years until a breakthrough in 2014 when DNA evidence linked Bittrolff to the murders of Tangredi and McNamee. Despite being incarcerated, Bittrolff's lawyers have maintained his innocence, pointing to the lack of conclusive evidence tying him to Costilla's death.
Prosecutors have cited forensic testing linking hairs found on Costilla's body to Heuermann. The timing of Costilla's murder coincided with a period when Heuermann had increased freedom to carry out his plans, according to authorities.
The case against Bittrolff was marred by allegations of police and prosecutorial misconduct, including the accidental destruction of key evidence and mishandling of investigative files. Defense attorneys have raised concerns about the validity of the forensic evidence presented at trial, particularly regarding sperm density analysis.
With the recent developments in the case, legal experts and advocates are calling for a reexamination of the Bittrolff conviction. The ethical duty of prosecutors to revisit the case has been emphasized, given the new information that has come to light.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the community awaits further updates on these complex and intertwined cases that have gripped Long Island for decades.
