"There Are No Words I Can Say": Rex Heuermann at His Sentencing, CBS News, 2026
A CBS News report on the day Rex Heuermann was sentenced to life without parole, with his brief statement to the court and the Suffolk County District Attorney's remarks to reporters afterward.
- Subject
- Rex Heuermann
- Recorded
- June 17, 2026
- Runtime
- 3:10
Content warning: Concerns the murders of eight women; no graphic detail.
The Report
This is a three-minute CBS News report from June 17, 2026, the day Rex Heuermann was sentenced in Riverhead, New York, for the Gilgo Beach murders. Correspondent Shanelle Kaul describes the day in court and the victim impact statements from the women's families. The report then plays Heuermann's short statement to the judge before sentence, about 15 seconds long, and a clip of Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney speaking to reporters outside the courtroom. Heuermann's statement is the only part of the video in which he is heard.
Historical Context
Beginning in December 2010, the remains of several women were found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach on Long Island. Rex Heuermann, an architect from Massapequa Park, was arrested on July 13, 2023. On April 8, 2026, he pleaded guilty to seven murders and, as part of the plea, admitted an eighth, the 1996 killing of Karen Vergata, for which he had never been charged.
Circumstances of the Statement
The sentence had been agreed at the plea: three consecutive terms of life without parole followed by four consecutive terms of 25 years to life. At the sentencing, relatives of the victims gave impact statements before Judge Timothy Mazzei imposed the sentence. According to Kaul, Heuermann kept his head down while they spoke; she reports that family members called him "a coward, a monster, an ogre, a demon". He was then given the chance to address the court.
What the Report Covers
In his statement Heuermann says: "There are no words I can say. I'm responsible for what was said in this room today. And the words I would say have no meaning. And I'm going to leave it there at this time." Outside court, Tierney tells the families he wants them to "wreak their revenge by going on and having great lives". Kaul recalls that the case was broken when investigators took DNA from a discarded pizza crust and traced it to Heuermann.
What Makes the Recording Significant
This report preserves, in his own voice, the few sentences Heuermann chose to say to the court before he was sentenced, set beside the District Attorney's message to the families.
Archival Importance
The report records the close of the Gilgo Beach case: the sentence, the families' response and Heuermann's brief statement to the court, as broadcast on the day.
Important Caveats
The statement shown here is brief and is edited into a news report; it is not the full sentencing hearing. Press reports describe exchanges not shown here: the judge ordered Heuermann to stand while he spoke, and when asked whether he was sorry he replied "Yes I am" (ABC7). The District Attorney's remarks were made to reporters outside the courtroom, not in court. The account of the pizza-crust DNA is the correspondent's summary.
Anchor: [Begins mid-sentence] life in prison in the case of the Gilgo Beach murders out of New York. So let's break down how that came about. Let's go live to our newsroom in New York and CBS News correspondent Shanelle Kaul. So, Shanelle, catch us up on this case, if you will.
Narrator: Well, Reed, this really marks an end to one of the most chilling murder cases in New York history. Today, 62-year-old Rex Heuermann was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole. And that sentence today capping off quite an emotional day inside the courtroom. Reed, we heard, before that sentence was given out, some of the victim impact statements from family members of some of the women who were murdered by Rex Heuermann. Just to sum it up here, some of the family members who were there called him a coward, a monster, an ogre, a demon, so many of them breaking down in tears. Obviously a really difficult, a really emotional day for them inside the courtroom.
Narrator: What you're looking at here is 62-year-old Rex Heuermann right after that sentence was handed down. The 62-year-old sort of kept his head down while those emotional victim impact statements were read aloud. And then, right before the sentence was given out, he had a chance to make a statement. So first you'll hear what he said to the judge before the sentence was given out, and then afterwards you'll hear from the Suffolk County District Attorney, who spoke to reporters outside the courtroom. Take a listen.
Rex Heuermann: There are no words I can say. I'm responsible for what was said in this room today. And the words I would say have no meaning. And I'm going to leave it there at this time.
Raymond A. Tierney: I want to say one thing to, you know, the victims, if I could. I want them to have to, to wreak their revenge by going on and having great lives, by being happy, by being fulfilled, by being satisfied that they stood by their loved ones and did a wonderful job. And now it's time for them to heal, and to go on and realize the tremendous potential that they all have, because they're absolutely extraordinary people.
Narrator: And Reed, this sentencing, I should note, comes about two months after Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty in court to killing eight women. This was of course a long and winding case that spanned decades, and it very much haunted the Gilgo Beach community during those years in which this case was unresolved. You'll remember, finally, when investigators made a break in the case, it was over a discarded pizza crust, and they were able to use the DNA on that pizza crust to trace the case back to Rex Heuermann, who was ultimately today sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole.
Narrator: Today belongs to the victims and their families and the people of Gilgo Beach. May the healing start today.
Anchor: Shanelle Kaul, thank you so much. Good to see you. ---