Residents of Massapequa were left in shock as news broke that a former Berner High School classmate of actor Billy Baldwin was taken into custody as a suspect in the Gilgo Beach serial killings. The accused, 59-year-old Rex Heuermann, lived with his wife and two children in the very Massapequa Park home where he grew up.
Rex Heuermann, a seemingly average man known for his quiet demeanor and family-oriented lifestyle, graduated from Berner High School in Massapequa back in 1981. However, his life took a dark turn when he was apprehended near his office on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Friday, July 14.
The revelation sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community, including actor Billy Baldwin, who took to social media to express his disbelief at the situation. "Woke up this morning to learn that the Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect was my high school classmate Rex Heuermann," Baldwin wrote on the fateful day. "Married, two kids, architect. Average guy… quiet, family man. Mind-boggling… Massapequa is in shock."
According to reports by The New York Times, some individuals who attended school with Heuermann recalled a troubling past. As a sixth-grader, he was reportedly subjected to verbal taunts, but over the years, he grew larger and more intimidating during high school.
"I was really scared of him," one of Heuermann's former classmates told The Times. "He was the type of guy if he snapped he could really hurt you. He was disillusioned and he was misguided. You had to be very careful."
The developments surrounding Rex Heuermann have left the community grappling with a mix of emotions. Authorities are actively investigating the Gilgo Beach serial killings, a case that has long haunted Long Island. As the investigation unfolds, more details about the suspect's past and potential motives are likely to emerge.
For now, the residents of Massapequa and beyond continue to come to terms with the unsettling reality that the alleged perpetrator of the Gilgo Beach murders was once a familiar face among them during their school days at Berner High School.