Lawyers for the alleged Long Island serial killer want five separate criminal trials for the seven murders he’s accused of.
Rex Heuermann’s lawyer asked the Suffolk County judge presiding over the case to try four of the murders separately. The trial for the first three murder victims Heuermann was charged with would be grouped into one — Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello and Megan Waterman.
Heuermann was in court Wednesday, charged with killing seven women whose remains were found along Ocean Parkway and strewn around Long Island. He’s pleaded not guilty to all seven.
Heuermann’s lawyer said separating the cases will ensure he gets a fair trial.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said he’ll oppose that effort and wants to try all seven murders in one trial.
The attorneys continued to argue over the admissibility of the DNA evidence obtained by prosecutors during the investigation. The judge ordered Tierney's office to hand over the DNA evidence to Heuermann's lawyers to schedule a hearing date at the next court date, February 18.