Here We Go Again…Trial By Media

Between 1996 and 2011, eighteen dead bodies were found in Gilgo Beach, a state park on the south side of New York’s Long Island, including one of a man (wearing women’s clothing) and another of a child. Four sets of human remains were found in December 2010 and six more the following year. Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello became known as the Gilgo Four.

It may be that not every body found was that of a murder victim; sometimes people commit suicide in strange ways and older people especially can literally drop dead while out walking somewhere, but these women were definitely murdered. On July 12, 2011, a 48 Hours documentary called Long Island Serial Killer posed the question was there a serial killer at large on Long Island? This concerned the disappearance of Shannan Gilbert, who was described by the Internet Movie Database as an escort, a common euphemism for prostitute. There was some speculation that her disappearance was not related to the aforementioned four victims, and indeed her body, which was not found for another five months, was dumped on Oak Beach, around seven and a half miles away.

On November 30, 2011, the New York Post reported that “Five of the victims have been confirmed as hookers who plied their trade on Craigslist.” No euphemisms there! 

The only good thing that can be said about serial killers is eventually they slip up, either that or a Venn diagram of increasing complexity will eventually narrow down the list or range of suspects to such a degree that they can be investigated and eliminated individually until only one remains.

Last week, Manhattan architect Rex Heuermann was arrested on suspicion of being the Long Island Serial Killer and has now been charged with three murders. This arrest was anything but a sudden development, it is clear from the pronouncements of the authorities that he had been under observation for some considerable time; they even knew what he had been searching for on-line.

If they have all that evidence, this begs the question why bother with a trial? At a press conference, the Police Commissioner no less described Rex Heuermann as “a demon that walks among us, a predator that ruined families”. 

Shocking isn’t it? But many people make that grammatical mistake; what he should have said was “a demon WHO walks among us, a predator WHO ruined families”. 

Or maybe he should have kept his big mouth shut. Sadly, he was in good company, pundits on Fox News and elsewhere have already pronounced this guy guilty, the same way they have Bryan Kohberger. In the UK, any police officer who made such inflammatory pronouncements on the guilt of a suspect would be sacked, and any media outlet that entertained them would face prosecution for contempt of court. 

The reader is invited to contrast this inflammatory language with the extremely carefully worded statement of a senior detective investigating one of the most sickening hoaxes ever foisted on the British public. He made these remarks shortly after the arrest of Eleanor Williams, against whom the evidence was equally compelling. 

Grandiose statements about suspects being demons do not belong at post-arrest or pre-trial press conferences, and many would argue they don’t belong in the courtroom either.