Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
Judge Sets Rex Heuermann Trial Date Two Years in the Making: "Come Hell or High Water" | Crime Alert 6AM 01.23.26
23 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. Crime Alert, hourly update, breaking crime news now. Accused serial killer Rex Heuermann's lawyer reprimanded by a New York judge over motions that would further delay the trial. Michael Brown, the lawyer, challenging evidence in 20 search warrants carried out by L.E. law enforcement, frustrating the judge.
This case has been dragging through the system over two years. According to Mazai, the judge, the trial will begin after Labor Day, come hell or high water.
Chapter 2: What recent developments occurred in the Rex Heuermann trial?
Okay, Judge, that's a promise, right?
I'm Sydney Sumner. Justice Tim Mazzei was very clear he expects trial to begin as scheduled, despite the challenges on several key pieces of evidence. Heuermann's main argument stems from the piece of pizza crust connecting him to the murders of six women between 1993 and 2010. Heuermann claims investigators violated his right to privacy, rifling through his trash for possible DNA.
Experts call the argument far-reaching, explaining that by discarding an item, you are essentially giving up any rights associated with the item. A similar argument failed before the Koberger case went to trial, the last nail in the coffin before changing his plea to guilty.
Attorney Michael Brown is also challenging the evidence tying Heuermann to a seventh victim, Sandra Castillo, a single piece of hair found on her shirt when her body was discovered in 1993.
Chapter 3: How is the evidence from the 20 search warrants being challenged?
Brown wants the entire indictment thrown out, claiming the hair is insufficient evidence to charge Heuermann with Castillo's murder. The defense plans to pin Castillo's murder and several others on already convicted killer John Bittrolf. Bittroff was found guilty of killing sex workers Rita Tangretti and Colleen McName. Tangretti was found dead on November 2, 1993, in Suffolk County.
McName was found naked in the woods of Shirley, New York, beaten and strangled. Bittroff was previously a suspect in the Long Island serial killings. Two of the victims Heuermann is now accused of murdering found just three miles from Bittroff's home. The victims were partially dismembered, and friends of Bittroff claimed he once cut the heart out of a deer he shot and ate it raw.
When Heuermann was named a suspect, Bittroff requested DNA testing of evidence in the Tangretti and McName cases, but Heuermann was ruled out as a DNA contributor, and Bittroff remains behind bars.
Meanwhile, on the state side, District Attorney Ray Tierney shares Judge Mazzei's frustration, telling the court his team is not contributing to the delays and is prepared to go to trial after Labor Day. Tierney did comment he can't blame Brown for his strategy, saying the motions filed come with the nature of the business.
Tierney refused to comment on the possibility of a plea deal, claiming prosecutors are only focused on preparing for trial. Heuermann's family did not appear at his latest hearing, commenting only they are looking forward to resolution in the case one way or another. Heuermann has staunchly maintained his innocence since his arrest in 2023, 30 years after the first murder he stands accused of.
Heuermann will be back in court March 1st to hear arguments on the challenges. More crime and justice news after this. A Port Authority police officer shot and killed his sister and critically wounded their mother before killing himself on Thursday.
New York police responded to the Bronx apartment Thursday morning after someone at the reception desk called 911 and reported hearing gunshots at about 8 a.m. Officers found the 55-year-old man and his 59-year-old sister dead with gunshots to the head. They rushed their 86-year-old mother, who was shot in the face, to a hospital. Police said they found two firearms in the apartment.
Law enforcement sources said the killer had worked for the Port Authority for 20 years, most recently at LaGuardia Airport. Police have not released the identities of any of the people involved. The killer was found in a hallway, a firearm in his Port Authority police identification next to his body. The sister was found in a bedroom, and the mother was found in another room.
She was said to be in critical but stable condition. Neighbor Jane Burbank says the 59-year-old woman had lived in the apartment for years and that her mother had recently moved in with her. She had nieces and nephews. She had a big family. She was a wonderful person.
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of the pizza crust evidence in the Heuermann case?
She was full of life. She loved to dance. She loved to get people together. She loved to cook. She loved to travel and was looking forward to her retirement so she could travel more. A missing Arizona woman's boyfriend was arrested last week for stealing and damaging her car, which was reportedly discovered with blood in it.
Avondale police said Isabella Comas, 21, was last seen leaving a friend's home on January 11th. Not only was Comas' phone discovered at a recycling center a day after her disappearance, her car was also found in Phoenix on January 13th. On January 15th, Tommy Rodriguez, 39, was arrested upon returning from a trip to California.
Rodriguez allegedly admitted to arguing with Comas a day before she vanished, but police noted other inconsistencies with his claims. Detectives said license plate readers and surveillance footage showed Rodriguez driving Comas' car on Jan. 12. They also claimed that a passenger seat and trunk lining were missing from Comas' vehicle, which was covered in blood.
There were also gas canisters, trash cans, and a tarp found inside the car. Authorities also stated that a tracking application on Comas' phone was manually turned off shortly after she vanished. While police said Rodriguez could not explain where Comas was, he has not been charged in connection with her disappearance.
Rodriguez has a lengthy criminal history, which includes a prison sentence for second-degree murder. He's also on probation for a 2020 incident in which he stalked an ex-girlfriend and threatened her with a hammer and machete. Comas was described as standing 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing about 110 pounds, and having brown eyes and pink hair.
She was last seen wearing a baggy navy blue shirt, blue pants with a white stripe down the side, and sandals. Anyone with information regarding Comas' whereabouts is asked to call the Avondale Police Department at 623-333-7000. For the latest crime and justice breaking news, be sure to follow the Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcast app. With this Crime Alert, I'm Sydney Sumner.
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