The suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer is almost certainly the one authorities have been seeking for years — this according to prosecutors, who now say the proof is in the pizza.
Rex Heuermann appeared in court Wednesday for a status hearing … and prosecutors announced a couple of big developments in the case — including their claim Heuermann’s recently collected DNA (via cheek swab) does in fact match the DNA profile they found on a discarded pizza crust … which was the key to cracking this whole thing.
As a refresher … cops went through Heuermann’s trash in search of DNA and say they found some on the pizza which they later concluded matched DNA from a hair follicle discovered in a burlap sack that contained remains from one of the 4 victims.
Now, in the wake of further testing … the D.A.’s office is saying there’s no doubt the DNA they found on the pizza belongs to Heuermann. Essentially, they’re declaring they have their man.
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While prosecutors insist the pizza DNA matches … Heuermann’s defense team made sure to emphasize in court the hair follicle DNA isn’t quite so clear … arguing that the hair could belong to other people, even though law enforcement has alleged 99.96% of the North American population can safely be excluded as a match.
Another nugget of info that surfaced during Wednesday’s appearance … Heuermann told the judge he’d been going over evidence in his jail cell — explaining he’d been dedicating 2-3 hours a day, on average, to review materials provided by the prosecution.
Prosecutors say they’ve forked over at least 10 terabytes worth of info to Heuermann and his legal team — so there’s a lot to pore over, and there may be more to come.
No word on a trial date yet … considering the scope of the investigation, it might be a while.