Rex Heuermann Married and Killed Karen Vergata the Same Month

Rex Heuermann married Asa Ellerup in April 1996. According to the Suffolk County DA, he also strangled and dismembered Karen Vergata that same month. He admitted to it in open court during his guilty plea — an eighth killing he was never formally charged with. The confession was part of the deal: admit to Karen’s murder, never face prosecution for it. Seven indictments. One admission. Eight women dead.

The final episode of “The Seven.” Karen Vergata was 34, living in Hell’s Kitchen, working as an escort, battling addiction. Her sons had been taken by child welfare services four years earlier. She called her father on Valentine’s Day 1996 — his birthday — from behind bars. That was the last time anyone in her family heard from her. Weeks after the alleged killing, her legs were found in a garbage bag on Fire Island by two brothers searching for driftwood. She became Fire Island Jane Doe. Her skull was found near Gilgo Beach in 2011. She was Jane Doe Number Seven until genetic genealogy identified her in 2022.

Her father Dominic searched for decades. Hired a PI. Was turned away by the NYPD when he tried to report her missing. Filed to have her declared dead. Was told in October 2022 that his daughter had been identified. Died two months later at 87. Never saw accountability.

Karen’s case fills the gap between Sandra Costilla (1993) and Valerie Mack (2000), and adds Fire Island as a new dump site — expanding the geography of Heuermann’s admitted crimes beyond Manorville, Ocean Parkway, and Southampton. As part of the plea, Heuermann agreed to cooperate with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. His attorney said the plea brought his client a “sense of relief.” Karen’s full story, the evidence trail, and what it means to be the uncharged name in an eight-victim confession — all covered here.

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

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