{"id":1228,"date":"2026-06-04T18:08:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T18:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1228"},"modified":"2026-06-04T18:08:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T18:08:31","slug":"gilgo-beach-serial-killer-rex-heuermanns-ghoulish-killer-pen-pal-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1228","title":{"rendered":"Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann’s ghoulish killer pen pal revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

They\u2019re birds of a feather.<\/p>\n

Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann has found a sympathetic ear while he awaits a life sentence behind bars at a Long Island lockup \u2014 the notorious Happy Face Killer. <\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Hell on wheels\u2019 killer Mackenzie Shirilla confessed to murders \u2014 and kept twisted scrapbook, ex-inmate claims<\/a><\/p>\n

Keith Jesperson, a truck driver who got the moniker for signing taunting letters to cops and media outlets with a smiley face, was arrested in 1995 and confessed to killing eight women between 1990 and 1995 in California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Nebraska and Wyoming.<\/p>\n

That makes the ghoul an ideal but pal for Heuermann, a Massapequa Park architect who pleaded guilty in April to brutally killing eight sex workers between 1993 and 2010 and dumping them in remote areas.<\/p>\n

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon told The Post in April that Heuermann, who is in solitary confinement at the Riverhead jail awaiting sentencing, had a pen pal \u201cout in the west\u201d \u2014 but didn\u2019t say who. <\/p>\n

On Thursday a source confirmed that it was none other than Jesperson, who is locked up at the Oregon Correctional Facility serving a life sentence. <\/p>\n

Read more John Gotti\u2019s grandson arrested for choking girlfriend weeks after begging judge to go easy on him<\/a><\/p>\n

He was first ID\u2019d as a Heuermann pen pal by the Daily Mail in April \u2014 when Jesperson reportedly told the outlet he advised his fellow killer \u201cnot to go to trial\u201d and waste time going such a high-profile circus.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Heuermann seems to have taken the advice and copped a plea to the strangulation deaths of Valerie Mack, 24, Jessica Taylor, 20, Megan Waterman, 22, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Amber Lynn Costello, 27, and Sandra Costilla, 28.<\/p>\n

In a surprise development, the hulking architect also confessed to the murder of Karen Vergata, a sex worker who had not been previously linked to the accused killer.<\/p>\n

Read more Jury selection in Karmelo Anthony murder case delivers major blow to defense as trial begins<\/a><\/p>\n

He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rex Heuermann has formed a bond with another notorious prison inmate — and it makes sense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1227,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nGilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann's ghoulish killer pen pal revealed - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1228\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann's ghoulish killer pen pal revealed - Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rex Heuermann has formed a bond with another notorious prison inmate -- and it makes sense.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1228\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-04T18:08:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1228#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1228\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"headline\":\"Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann’s ghoulish killer pen pal revealed\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-04T18:08:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1228\"},\"wordCount\":343,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1228#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/4b28b133b9915092f432a98b620b97c6.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Metro\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1228#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1228\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1228\",\"name\":\"Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann's ghoulish killer pen pal revealed - 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