Exclusive: Never-before-seen photos show Rex Heuermann around the time of the Gilgo Beach killings
A spokesperson for the Peconic River Sportsman’s Club confirmed to Team 12 Investigates that Heuermann was not a member, but that he did participate in a few high-powered rifle events.
Top Stories
News 12 has exclusively obtained never-before-seen photos of Rex Heuermann around the time of the Gilgo Beach murders. Law enforcement sources confirm they have the photos, which were taken at a public event at the Peconic River Sportsman’s Club in Manorville.
After each event, Heuermann allegedly added more victims to his roster.
Some of the photos are from an event open to the public in May 2006 where Heuermann appeared to be a normal gun enthusiast. He is pictured talking with other attendees at the club’s Small Arms Firing School (SAFS) program. In another picture, he is photographed alone holding a soda.
About one year later, in July 2007, Heuermann allegedly went on to kill Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
The sportsman’s club is located just a few miles from where police initially found the partial remains of Gilgo Beach victims Valerie Mack and Jessica Taylor. Their torsos were discovered near Halsey Manor Road in 2000 and 2003.
“It’s good for our courtroom testimony,” said Michael Alcazar, a retired NYPD detective and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “We have his DNA. Now, we have images of him in Manorville. That’s very damning information that they can present to the jury.”
A spokesperson for the Peconic River Sportsman’s Club confirmed to Team 12 Investigates that Heuermann was not a member, but that he did participate in a few high-powered rifle events.
The events were specific safety programs, called SAFS, that focus on gun safety and marksmanship for legal competition. They are sanctioned by the Civilian Marksmanship Program, a club spokesperson said.
The club confirmed Heuermann attended a competition in April 2009. About three months later in July 2009, he allegedly killed his fourth Gilgo Beach victim, Melissa Barthelemy.
More photos show Heuermann back at the club for another SAFS event in April 2010. In June and September of that year, police said he killed two more women—Megan Waterman and Amber Costello.
“This is his mask,” Alcazar said. “This is his mask of sanity that he was able to hide from society and I think very often a lot of psychopaths have that ability.”
News 12 reached out to Heuermann’s defense attorney, Michael Brown, about his client’s ties to the club around the time of the murders. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
