Gilgo Killer's Former Assistant Recalls His Fatal Pizza Crust Habit
Donna Sturman, the former office manager and personal assistant to convicted serial killer Rex Heuermann, was present in a Suffolk County courtroom this week as her ex-boss pleaded guilty to eight murders. In an exclusive interview, she shared chilling details about the man she once knew, including a seemingly trivial quirk that ultimately helped seal his fate.
The Mundane Routine of a Monster
Sturman, 74, began working for Heuermann in 2017, handling everything from his daily breakfast orders to managing his Manhattan architecture practice. She describes him as a "schlubby" and deeply awkward individual with few social graces, yet he maintained a professional reputation for meticulous work. Despite his intimidating demeanor with others, Heuermann never spoke disrespectfully to Sturman and appeared devoted to his family.
"He was like a dumb, goofy kid in many ways," Sturman recalled, noting his disorganized nature and lack of friends. "I never suspected anything. He just seemed like a mess, not a monster."
The Pizza Crust That Cracked the Case
Among Heuermann's many peculiarities was his habit of leaving pizza crusts uneaten. Sturman would frequently remind him to finish the crust, insisting it was the best part, but he consistently discarded them. This seemingly insignificant behavior proved crucial when investigators, who had identified Heuermann as a suspect in the long-unsolved Gilgo Beach murders, followed him to a pizza parlor in 2023.
After Heuermann finished his meal, detectives retrieved his discarded crust from a garbage can and swabbed it for DNA. The Suffolk County Crime Lab matched this DNA to a hair found on one of the victims, providing key evidence that linked Heuermann to the crimes. "I used to always tell him, eat the crust," Sturman said, reflecting on the grotesque irony. "Now I see it as the flaw that helped catch him."
A Guilty Plea and Gruesome Revelations
In court, Heuermann pleaded guilty to strangling and dismembering seven sex workers between 1993 and 2010, whose remains were discovered near Gilgo Beach. He also confessed to an eighth murder, that of Karen Vergata, for which he was not separately charged. Sturman expressed shock at seeing Heuermann in court, noting his unchanged size despite imprisonment.
The victims included Jessica Taylor, Megan Waterman, Valerie Mack, Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amber Lynn Costello, and Sandra Costilla. Sturman struggled to reconcile the penny-pinching man she knew with the ogre-ish murderer convicted of these heinous acts. "It doesn't gel in my mind," she admitted. "How do you feel like you really know anybody after this?"
Uncovering the Double Life
Sturman first learned of Heuermann's arrest while browsing news online, initially skipping past headlines before connecting the dots. Police investigations later revealed Heuermann's online searches for violent torture porn, rape videos, and tips on body disposal, along with regular checks for updates on the Gilgo Beach investigation.
"It was almost like an out-of-body experience," Sturman described, still visibly traumatized. She noted that Heuermann displayed no apparent sexuality in her interactions with him, making the revelations even more jarring.
Family Dynamics and Final Acts
Heuermann's defense attorney, Michael Brown, stated that the guilty plea provided his client with a "sense of relief" and aimed to spare both the victims' families and his own family from a trial. Sturman recalled that Heuermann was "crazy about" his daughter Victoria and very protective of her, suggesting the plea deal might have been a final act of protection.
Sturman ultimately left Heuermann's practice over payment disputes, having helped streamline his business operations. "I organized his life so much that he had more time to kill," she remarked, perhaps only half-jokingly. Heuermann is scheduled for sentencing on June 17 and is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison.
