Why Did Rex Heuermann's Defense Finally Run Out Of Room?

**Tony Brueski** (0:00)
This is Hidden Killers' half year in review. A look back at some of the most compelling cases of 2026 so far.
This is Hidden Killers Live with Tony Brueski and Robin Drake.

**Tony Brueski** (0:15)
There's one more case we're going to talk about here today because there's some big stuff that's about to go down with it. Seven women allegedly killed over a span of roughly seven years. A case that went cold for over a decade. A suspect to maintain his innocence for nearly three years behind bars. And now reportedly it's time to say, It's me, Rex Heuermann is expected to do a guilty plea.
It doesn't just close a legal chapter. It may be opening up a whole different kind of wound for families who were bracing for a trial, preparing to sit in that courtroom and hear every detail laid bare. What does it mean when the fight just stops? Bob Motta, criminal defense attorney, host of the podcast Defense Diaries is with us. Bob, well, we're expecting to hear Rex Heuermann plea on the 8th.

**Tony Brueski** (1:05)
Tomorrow.

**Tony Brueski** (1:06)
Tomorrow or today depending on when you're watching this or yesterday or years ago.

**Tony Brueski** (1:10)
Whenever you're watching this.

**Tony Brueski** (1:11)
Ten years ago he did this.
2026, the 8th of April is supposedly the date. Why now?

**Bob Motta** (1:20)
Look, when this happens in a case and this thing has been going for nearly three years, you know, it's not a single conversation that takes place. It's a process, you know, that builds up over months. And, you know, the reality is that the defense in this particular case had some pretty hefty challenges as to the DNA evidence. You know, I mean, they put up a pretty hellacious fight, you know, to where a lot of people were really nervous about that DNA evidence being excluded. When the judge denies those motions and the DNA evidence is coming in, you know, you're sitting there as the attorney, you're like, okay, well, we're in deep, deep shit, right? You know, that's what you're telling your client, you're saying, look, we tried to fight it on this end in terms of Fourth Amendment violations, and we didn't prevail on it, it's coming in. The reality is, is that, you know, you're going to get convicted on this. You know, I mean, there is very, very, very minute chance that the state's going to screw up to the extent where a jury is going to find you not guilty.
You're talking about seven victims.
You're talking about they have the hard drive so they also tried to keep excluded, which is coming in, which wasn't just like a, like I mean, it was the do and don't do.
You know, it was literally his brain on paper talking about, okay, I did this and I don't want to do that again, because that can be the thought.

**Tony Brueski** (2:59)
How to be the Gilgo Beach killer for dummies, basically. Yeah, exactly.

**Bob Motta** (3:03)
You know, so T, I mean, like in terms of Heuermann reaching the conclusion that I might as well just plead it out is interesting in the sense that New York does not have the death penalty. That's the part that's kind of fascinating to me. Like with Heuermann, it's a different set of circumstances than it was with Kohbeger. With Kohbeger, as soon as Bill Thompson, who was the prosecutor in that case, took the death penalty off the table as a carrot to get Kohbeger to bite, and Kohbeger did, that made sense. Kohbeger chose his life over going to trial.
I'm sure he was having a lot of conversations with Ann Taylor about the strength of the evidence in that case. Ann Taylor, I'm sure, was pragmatic in saying, look, they have some powerful evidence. We've got these theories of you're a stargazer, and you like to drive at night, and whether or not a jury is going to buy that. When coincidentally four kids lost their lives at the same time, that you were out driving and stargazing, and your phone wasn't hooked up, and then it was, and then you're driving. All those things that were out there, there's a car that's driving by in the neighborhood that looks exactly like your car. All those things you're talking to your client about. Kohbeger, I think that that was a no-brainer with Heuermann, where they didn't have, because I've had this conversation recently about Heuermann. Like the state, I'd be stunned if this is a plea, meaning there's, because like a plea agreement between the state and Heuermann, because Ray Tierney is not offering that guy anything.