Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann is expected to appear in court next week as speculation continues to grow that he will be charged with a fourth murder.
The 60-year-old has already pleaded not guilty to murdering three sex workers whose remains were found scattered across Long Island more than a decade ago.
He was officially named by police as a suspect in the murder of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose body was found along with the other three in December 2010.
Although it has not been confirmed why the disgraced architect is facing a new trial date, prosecutors had previously said a special jury was only assigned to consider an indictment in the killing of 25-year-old Brainard-Barnes.
Newsday reports that Heuermann is scheduled to appear before Judge Timothy Mazzei in Suffolk County Superior Court on Tuesday morning.
Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann is expected to appear in Suffolk County Superior Court on Tuesday amid speculation he could be charged with a fourth murder
Prosecutors had previously announced that a grand jury would be tasked with considering whether to file a murder charge in the killing of 25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose remains were discovered along with those of three other sex workers Heuermann was accused
The women known as the Gilgo Four were discovered near Heuermann's home on Long Island. However, other bodies – including those of sex workers – were also found in the area
The married father of two was scheduled to return to court on February 6 for a conference on the original six-count indictment.
His early return to court has fueled speculation that prosecutors could bring more separate charges against him.
Heuermann has been held without bail since his arrest for the murders of Megan Waterman, 22, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, and Amber Lynn Costello, 27.
All four women were among 11 women found between 2010 and 2011 on the remote stretch of coast near Heuermann's home on Long Island.
All of the victims worked as escorts who advertised on Craigslist.
Their remains were found on a stretch of beach, wrapped in camouflage sacking and tied with belts or red tape.
Heuermann was linked to the killings through DNA found on the burlap used to transport the body. These were compared to samples of pizza crust and a napkin discarded outside his architectural office in Manhattan.
The samples showed an agreement of 99.96 percent.
The first victim, 24-year-old Melissa Barthelemy, was discovered by Suffolk County police on December 11, 2010. The body of 22-year-old Megan Waterman of Maine was found two days later
Heuermann is charged with the murder of Amber Costello (left) and is only linked to the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes (right).
DNA found on the burlap wrapped around Waterman's body was a 99.96 percent match with samples from a discarded pizza crust and a napkin in a trash can outside Heuermann's business
Before the DNA test, police officers were alerted to Heuermann as a potential suspect after a witness linked Heuermann's Chevrolet Avalanche to Costello's murder.
The car was then linked to Heuermann's cell phone records, which allegedly linked him to locations related to the murders.
The indictment states that Heuermann contacted each of his victims via different burner phones.
Police also accused Heuermann of using Barthelemy's phone to make taunting calls to her family from his office.
In October it was announced that Heuermann was being investigated for the murder of two other sex workers.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison confirmed that he had assigned additional investigators to the case of two other women, Valerie Mack and Karen Vergata.
At the alleged time of the murders, Heuermann's now ex-wife Asa Ellerup was not at home. She filed for divorce less than a week after her husband's arrest.
The couple has two children – daughter Victoria Heuermann, 26, who worked in her father's company; and son Christopher Sheridan, 33.
Ellerup sparked controversy when it was revealed that she had accepted a $1 million documentary deal with Peacock in which crews would film her husband's trial.
The police are now investigating 59-year-old Rex Heuermann for his possible involvement in the deaths of Vergata and Mack. Heuermann was charged with the killings of three other women on Long Island
Police confirmed they were investigating Heuermann's possible connection to the murders of two other sex workers: Valerie Mack, 25, who went missing around the summer of 2000. Her remains were found in September, and more remains were discovered nearly 11 years later
The family's Massapequa Park home was torn apart by authorities as they searched the property for evidence
The deal was condemned as “evil” by the families of Gilgo Beach victims, with relatives claiming it would “re-victimize” and “re-traumatize” them.
According to Ellerup, the family's Massapequa Park home was raided by police during a search as officers dismantled their greenhouse and ripped up their couch.
In September, Heuermann fought to ensure that at least 50 illegal weapons were not handed over to investigators.
According to court documents, the stash included “at least 26 unregistered handguns, 15 unregistered assault weapons and 10 high-capacity magazines that were apparently possessed.”
He had previously been placed on suicide watch but was recently described as “emotionless”.