About 33 years since he claimed his first victim, Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday as part of a court hearing that represented the end of a long road.

The killings of primarily young female sex workers on Long Island, New York, took place between 1993 and 2010, and Heuermann was arrested in 2023 and earlier this year pleaded guilty to seven of the killings and admitted to an eighth.

Family members of victims who had waited years to confront the killer stood up and spoke about their loved ones, their emotional and psychological challenges, and their disgust for Heuermann, who in April admitted he fatally strangled eight women and discarded their remains.

“For so many years, this case has been a weight I carried every single day,” said Liliana Waterman, the daughter of victim Megan Waterman.

“Today’s proceedings do not erase what happened, and nothing ever will. But today brings accountability.”In 2010, Waterman was among the four women whose remains were found on an isolated stretch off Ocean Parkway in Gilgo Beach, earning them the nickname the “Gilgo Four.” That gruesome discovery set off a wider search, and investigators ultimately found at least 10 sets of human remains.

“He took my sense of safety, he took my peace of mind,” said Melissa “Missy” Cann, the sister of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, another of the Gilgo Four. “In many ways, I became one of his victims, too.”

Here are a few takeaways from the sentencing hearing, including Heuermann’s muted statement, the heartfelt and emotional speeches from victims’ families and the next steps on the road to justice.