Rex Heuermann was sentenced to consecutive life terms for the murders of eight women over seventeen years. Judge Timothy Mazzei called him a disgusting and despicable small man, a coward, and ordered officers to remove him from the courtroom. The families chanted ogre as he was led away. But inside the plea deal is a detail most coverage never touched. Melissa Barthelemy’s sister picked up a ringing phone after Melissa disappeared. The caller was the man who had just killed her — and he described what he had done. Heuermann confessed in open court to killing Karen Vergata — a woman he was never charged with killing. He brought her up during a confidential proffer session. He wanted credit for cooperating. The sentence looks like closure. Three life terms. A hundred years. No appeal. But the judge said “eight that we know of,” and the question this episode asks is what Heuermann got away with by pleading guilty in the one state that cannot execute him — while women disappeared near his properties in South Carolina and Nevada. A look back at the most compelling stories of the week. Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod 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. #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #GilgoBeachKiller #LISK #HiddenKillers #MelissaBarthelemy #KarenVergata #SuffolkCounty #TrueCrime #FBI