Shocking identity of 'friend' who told Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann to change his plea... as their secret messages are revealed
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Notorious serial killer Rex Heuermann brought his reign of terror to a close on Wednesday after finally pleading guilty to butchering eight women.
And it was one of America's most infamous men who claims he ultimately convinced the Gilgo Beach killer to finally face the music.
The Daily Mail can exclusively reveal that Oregon serial killer Keith Jesperson, better known as the 'Happy Face Killer', advised Heuermann to concede defeat.
Jesperson told the Daily Mail in messages from behind bars that he told Heuermann 'not to go to trial' convincing him to spare the legal system the trouble and admit he was the so-called Gilgo Beach serial killer.
Heuermann had previously pleaded his innocence before abruptly admitting his guilt on Wednesday.
Jesperson revealed he told his fellow serial killer that it was time to bite the bullet in a series of jailhouse letters.
'He was done,' Jesperson said. '(I told him) that his best way forward was to make a deal to plead guilty in exchange for a better place to do his life - what life he has left.'
Jesperson has been locked up at Oregon State Penitentiary since 1995 after pleading guilty to murdering eight women while working as a trucker.
Notorious serial killer Rex Heuermann brought his campaign of terror to a close this week after finally pleading guilty to butchering eight women
Oregon serial killer Keith Jesperson, better known as the 'Happy Face Killer' (pictured in court in 1995), advised Heuermann to admit he was in fact the Gilgo Beach serial killer
Jesperson, 70, earned his chilling nickname for drawing eerie smiley faces on taunting letters he wrote to police and the media.
He says he told Heuermann to try to serve his sentence at his same Oregon prison, feeling it was 'the best time he could do' for his impending life behind bars.
Speaking with the Daily Mail on Wednesday before Heuermann pleaded guilty in court, the serial killer said he was watching the case intently.
'I wonder if he will mention my letters to him telling him how to settle his cases?' he questioned in one message.
Jesperson has claimed to have committed as many as 160 murders, but authorities have only verified eight victims across six states from 1990 to 1995.
Asked if he feels a sense of kinship with Heuermann, Jesperson said he often tries to help 'people who find themselves in a situation like I had gone through.'
It comes as Heuermann finally pleaded guilty to murdering eight women in court, bringing some closure to the case that has terrorized Long Island for more than three decades.
Standing inside Suffolk County Court, the hulking architect, husband and father finally admitted to killing Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, Amber Costello, 27, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Jessica Taylor, 20, Sandra Costilla, 28, Valerie Mack, 24, and Karen Vergata, 34, during a reign of terror between 1993 and 2010.
The 62-year-old appeared to smirk through the proceedings as he casually uttered the words 'guilty' to seven murder charges and admitted his guilt to an eighth.
When asked one by one how he killed the victims, he simply uttered: 'Strangulation.'
The 62-year-old Heuermann appeared to smirk through the proceedings on Wednesday as he admitted his guilt
Jesperson has been locked up at Oregon State Penitentiary since 1995 after pleading guilty to murdering eight women. He says he told Heuermann to try and be sentenced at his same Oregon prison, feeling it was 'the best time he could do' for his impending life behind bars
Jesperson has claimed to have committed as many as 160 murders, but authorities have only verified eight victims across six states from 1990 to 1995
Jesperson said he tried to help his fellow serial killer handle his court cases, telling Heuermann 'that his best way forward was to make a deal to plead guilty in exchange for a better place to do his life - what life he has left'
By pleading guilty, Heuermann agreed to serve three life sentences without parole and up to four more life sentences for four of the murder charges.
He has also agreed to waive all rights to appeal and will not face any additional charges over the eight murders.
The sudden change in plea marks the first time that Heuermann has confessed to being the infamous serial killer. It is also the first time victims' causes of death have been revealed.
The longevity of his activity, the brutality of the killings and the long-term evasion and taunting of law enforcement cement him as one of the country's most notorious serial killers.
He will return to court on June 17 for his sentencing.
His victims had all been working as sex workers when they suddenly vanished.
Their remains - some of them mutilated and dismembered - were found dumped in remote areas of Long Island.
After evading capture for years - during which time he raised a family in Massapequa Park and ran an architecture firm in the heart of Midtown Manhattan - Heuermann was arrested in July 2023.
Heuermann's victims clockwise from left: Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla
In the latest twist, Heuermann also pleaded guilty to the murder of an eighth victim, Karen Vergata
Heuermann was initially charged with the murders of Barthelemy, Waterman, Costello and Brainard‑Barnes, who together were known as the 'Gilgo Four.'
Authorities later linked him to the killings of Sandra Costilla, Valerie Mack and Jessica Taylor - bringing the total to seven women.
For the past three years, he has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty and fighting tooth and nail against the charges.
Now, in a stunning reversal, he has admitted not only to the seven murders he is charged with - but to the murder of an eighth victim, 34-year-old Karen Vergata.
Heuermann's defense attorney Michael Brown said after the hearing that his client decided he wanted to accept responsibility and not proceed to trial, though he did not say why.
But Brown admitted that the evidence against him was overwhelming, saying the state 'did a great job.'
When asked if Heuermann was sorry, Brown replied: 'I would hope so.'
Brown said he believes it was a 'sense of relief' to Heuermann to plead guilty today and he expects the serial killer will make a statement at his sentencing.
He explained the deal not to bring more prosecutions only includes the eight women - not other potential victims out there yet to be found.
There have been other victims linked to the Gilgo Beach murders, but Heuermann claims he has no other victims.
