'I Miss How She Called Me 'Mommy': Family Of Gilgo Victim Speaks

LONG ISLAND, NY — After the stunning news Thursday that accused Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann had been charged in two additional murders, bringing the total to six, the families of the young women whose lives were taken gathered to speak from their hearts about how deeply they have been missed, for so many long years.

Heuermann was charged Thursday in the deaths of Jessica Taylor, 20, and Sandra Costilla, 28.

Attorney Gloria Allred said that she represented the families of Taylor, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes.

Last July, Heuermann was indicted on three counts of first-degree murder charges and three counts of second-degree murder charges in the deaths of sex workers Barthelemy, Waterman and Amber Costello, whose remains were found along Ocean Parkway in 2010.

Heuermann pleaded not guilty to those charges. A total of 11 sets of remains were found in the Gilgo Beach murders, which rocked Long Island. The remains included that of a toddler and an Asian male. Heuermann was also charged with the murder of a fourth woman, Brainard-Barnes, in January; he pleaded not guilty to that charge, as well.

New DNA evidence helped connect Heuermann to all six of the deaths, said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, who is prosecuting the case.

Allred said family members of some of the young women had gathered in support of Jessica's family. Jessica's mother Elizabeth Baczkiel, as well as her cousin Jasmine Robinson, had statements prepared. Jessica's cousin Violet Swager was also present.

Their words gave heartfelt testimony to Jessica, a young woman who was a daughter, a cousin, a friend, and so deeply loved.

Reading Baczkiel's statement, Allred said. "Jessica was my daughter. She was loving, and compassionate and so funny. She loved to make people laugh. She could always make people laugh. She tried very hard in school."

Jessica, she added, had two brothers, and they would always play together. "She and her brothers were very close. Jessica loved riding her bike. She loved playing board games — Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders, Candyland. She loved playing cards, especially spades and rummy. She loved cartoons."

Her daughter, Baczkiel said, loved to sing. She sang along with the radio and was in the choir at church.

Standing with a walker, her face lined with tears and the long years without her girl, Baczkiel listened as Allred spoke her words: "She loved to cuddle with me and her brothers when she was younger. They would pile on the couch and watch TV."

Her mother added, the pain shimmering in her words: "I miss how she called me 'mommy' and 'mama.' It’s a tragedy she never had children. Jessica would have made a great mother. She loved kids and loved working with them. She worked in the inner city with the kids in summer camp as an aide. She loved supporting kids and helping to take care of them."

She added that her family and she would like to thank law enforcement and the District Attorney's Office for all their hard and diligent work on Jessica's case.

"Jessica, my darling daughter, you will never be forgotten. You will always be missed. You will forever be in our hearts."

Allred then showed two photos of Jessica, one from her childhood, and one, her mother's favorite, taken when she was 16.

]asmine Robinson, Jessica's cousin, also read a statement: "Jessica was a beautiful person," she said. "Simple memories such as sitting down to dinner together, drawing pictures, dancing, jump rope, and sleepovers with her and my sister are memories that I cherish. I was lucky to share my childhood with her, and I wish every day that we got the chance to create more memories."

She added: "When I think of her, I see her smile first. Big and bright, lighting up her face, beaming through her beautiful eyes. Jess was somebody that I looked up to. She was a force, one of the strongest women that I know, with a heart of gold. She was, and still is, loved immeasurably. When her life was stolen, a light went out. She is forever missed."

This year marks 21 years "since she was taken from us — longer than the chance she got to be alive," Robinson said. "I can't express what this day means after waiting and hoping for answers."

She, too, expressed gratitude to the Gilgo Beach homicide task force. "I have full faith that they will continue to provide answers for the other victims and their families."

Allred added: "They've been waiting 21 years for answers and they're hoping justice is on its way," she said.

She added, of how difficult it was, for the family members to see Heuermann in court: "They reached down inside themselves and found the courage to be there. They are the voice of Jessica. They have the memories that they carry of Jessica — and they want to be there for Jessica."

At a press conference after the court proceedings, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney also thanked the families: "This is what this case is about. This case is about the victims and their families — and hopefully, providing them with that small measure of closure," he said.