Attorneys for the man accused of killing four women and dumping their bodies on Gilgo Beach on Long Island, New York, are pointing to an alternate suspect for the crimes.
The current suspect, who is not being named by The Daily Wire, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, and Amber Costello, who were found on a beach along the south shore of Long Island, New York, back in 2010. In January, the suspect was charged with the murder of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
On Tuesday, the suspect’s attorney, Mike Brown, said at a news conference that the previous district attorney was prepared to charge someone else for the murders, NewsNation reported. That suspect, Brown said, was from Massapequa, Long Island, which is also where the current suspect lived.
Defense attorneys are now looking through the nearly 3,000 police tips that came in during the search for the murderer to see if anyone else was implicated.
Meanwhile, the suspect now claims he is “depressed and lonely” in jail, the Independent reported. His attorney said at the hearing on Tuesday that the suspect is receiving counseling.
The suspect was arrested on July 13 for the murder of the three women. Six days after his arrest, his wife filed for divorce. She and other family members reportedly will receive $1 million for participating in a documentary series with Peacock. The project will follow the family’s lives as they cope with the upcoming trial and how it has uprooted their lives.
Police investigating the Gilgo Beach serial killings are operating on the theory that the suspect committed the murders in his own home, a source told CNN.
The theory is based on the repeated claim that the suspect’s family was out of town during the murders, suggesting he may have lured the victims to his home, a source involved in the investigation told the outlet.
Authorities are operating under this theory, the source said, as they continue to search the suspect’s home for trace evidence of the victims. Killing them at his own home would have allowed him to control the environment while having easy access to the materials found along with the victims at Gilgo Beach, such as tape and burlap bags.
Four bodies were found within days of each other. The body of Barthelemy was found on December 11, 2010, during a police training exercise with a K9, according to a bail application obtained by the Daily Beast. Two days later, police searched the area and discovered the three other bodies.
If convicted, the suspect faces multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.