A convicted murderer is release a review of his case after accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann was charged with a similar murder.
According to Newsday, John Bittrolff was convicted in the early 1990s murders of Rita Tangredi and Colleen McNamee. He was also suspected, but never charged with the of Sandra Costilla, Now that Heuermann has been charged with Costilla’s death, Bittrolff’s lawyer is pushing for his exoneration.
“All three women — Sandra, Rita and Colleen — were all killed within the same time frame … all three women were found in a wooded area, their legs were spread apart, their hands were above their head, they were each missing one shoe,” attorney Lisa Marcoccia, from the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County, said.
“Colleen and Sandra both had their shirts pulled up over their faces, and the DA’s [office] has also claimed that there were wood chips on all three bodies … any logical person [would believe] one person was responsible for all three murders.”
Marcoccia subsequently requested the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office release forensic evidence from the Costilla case and conduct mitochondrial DNA testing on previously untested hairs from the Tangredi and McNamee cases, according to letters obtained by Newsday.
District Attorney Ray Tierney reportedly declined her requests.
“I’ve looked at those cases,” he reportedly said. “If I thought there was a problem with them, I would do something.”
Marcoccia said the defense repeatedly requested the Costilla file from police and prosecutors before and after Bittrolff’s trial. On June 18, after no response, she sent a follow-up letter to Conviction Integrity Bureau Chief Craig McElwee, asking for mitochondrial DNA testing and DNA-related files from the Tangredi and McNamee cases.
Assistant District Attorney Guy Arcidiacono denied the request on June 20, stating there was “no legal or factual basis” to release the materials, according to court records.
Heuermann’s attorney, Michael J. Brown, declined to comment. Tierney stated he will meet all legal obligations as the serial killer case progresses.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. revealed to Newsday that since Heuermann’s arrest last year, they have interviewed 298 sex workers housed in correctional facilities in Suffolk and Nassau Counties. Toulon said they also plan to interview sex workers at Rikers later this month.
In July 2023, police arrested Heuermann in Manhattan for the 2009 and 2010 murders of three women at Gilgo Beach on Long Island. Heuermann is charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Megan Waterman, 22; and Amber Lynn Costello, 27. The following January, he was charged with also killing 25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Barthelemy, Waterman Costello, and Brainard-Barnes were reportedly wrapped in burlap and buried next to each other on Gilgo Beach.
In July 2024, Suffolk County prosecutors charged Heuermann with murdering Jessica Taylor and Costilla.
Bittrolff maintains his innocence for the murders of Tangredi and McNamee.
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[Featured image: Sandra Costilla/Suffolk County PD]
