Gilgo Beach suspect & disgraced police chief both went 'cruising' in same area

04 September 2023 , 14:41

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This booking image provided by Suffolk County Sheriff's Office, one run by James Burke, who was recently arrested 'gay cruising' in the same area as Rex Heuermann likely used (Image: AP)

It has emerged that the Gilgo Beach suspect, Rex Heurermann, and disgraced Suffolk former police chief James Burke, may have crossed paths as they were 'cruising for sex' in the same area around the same time.

A lawyer representing the family members of two of the women found dead in Long Island, John Ray, says that he's been contacted by a slew of people who claim to have met Heuermann "gay cruising" in the months and years preceding his arrest.

Burke was arrested last week at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park in Farmingville as part of a sting operation. The former police chief of one of the most powerful law enforcement agencies in the country is accused of exposing himself to an undercover ranger and saying he was interested in oral sex, according to an arrest report obtained by the Associated Press.

Disgraced Suffolk county police chief, James Burke, seen leaving jail after being arrested on multiple sexual misconduct charges (John Roca / SplashNews.com)

For those unfamiliar, the term 'cruising' in the queer community refers to the act of going to a known gathering place and soliciting one-time, quick, anonymous sex. There are several areas known around the area where Heurerman lived, and now that court documents have revealed the man spent much of his time looking for sex and sex workers, it's likely that this is one of the areas he frequented.

Cruising zones, otherwise referred to as "pickle parks," exist across Long Island and include Brady Park and Massapequa Preserve, just blocks away from the home of Rex Heuermann and a roughly 40-minute drive away from Farmingville, where Burke lives.

Speaking to the Sun, Ray said that posts on local cruising websites detail illicit sexual activity at Brady Park and Massapequa Preserve dating back decades. "I have several people who contact me because they don't want to talk to the police, and they have real fears and they don't want their families to know, but they've shared with me that [Rex Heuermann] is a cruiser," Ray told The U.S. Sun. "Obviously, it's all word of mouth, and evidence is hard to come by, but I've had several people tell me the same thing."

Rex A. Heuermann, the architect accused of murdering at least three women near Long Island's Gilgo Beach (AP)

While the investigation into the extent of Burke's wrongdoing is ongoing, it's not his first brush with the law. Burke and a few associates were already in court following allegations of corruption in 2015. Ex-District Attorney Thomas Spota and his former top deputy, Christopher McPartland, are facing jail time for conspiring to cover up a high-profile police beating involving Burke.

The former officer was recently freed from a 46-month sentence for conspiring to obstruct justice and violating a victim's civil rights in a separate case that infamously exposed his misdeeds and corrupt conduct, which caused him to give up his position in 2015. Burke and Huererman are familiar with each other either way - as one of the scandals around Burke involved his botching of the Gilgo Beach murder investigation.

Burke reportedly refused the help of the FBI, setting the case back for years. Many believe that Burke's incompetence single-handedly delayed the investigation until recently. Heuererman, who was quite obsessed with himself according to his internet search history, kept tabs on any officers associated with his case - bringing these two together full circle.

Long Island architect Rex Heuermann, 59, has been charged with the murders of three of the women who became known as the 'Gilgo Four' after their bodies were discovered along a stretch of Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach in Long Island in 2010. Prosecutors said they've given Heuermann's lawyer at least 8 terabytes of material - equivalent to around 2,500 pages of records, along with about 100 hours of surveillance video recorded outside Heuermann's home and office prior to his arrest on July 13.

Mr Tierney said it's just a fraction of the evidence amassed since the bodies were found in 2010. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Amber Lynn Costello, 27, from North Carolina, Megan Waterman, 22, from Maine, and Melissa Barthelemy, 24, from New York State. He is also the prime suspect in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, from Connecticut. He is due back in court on September 27.

Yelena Mandenberg