Serial killer who murdered eight women in US imprisoned for life

'Get him out of here': Judge sends Gilgo Beach killer to prison for rest of life 1 hour ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Sakshi Venkatraman Long Island James Carbone/Pool via REUTERS Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann stands and speaks in court June 17 at his sentencing on Long Island in New York. Rex Heuermann, known as the Gilgo Beach serial killer, who admitted to brutally murdering eight women, received the maximum sentence on Wednesday. He will serve three life sentences for first-degree murder, plus 25 years to life on four second-degree murder charges, all running consecutively. The sentencing in New York followed a series of angry, poignant statements, as victims' family members described how the brutal losses created "lifelong devastation" for them. In April, Heuermann confirmed that he strangled and bound his victims before scattering their remains along Long Island's remote beaches. Watch: Key moments in the Gilgo Beach serial killings case "You are a disgusting and despicable, small man, if you're a man at all. And you're a coward," said Judge Timothy Mazzei as he handed down the sentence in a Riverhead, Long Island courtroom. "Get him out of here." The courtroom erupted in cheers. Heuermann, who appeared in a dark suit, blue shirt and grey tie, gave a brief statement before the sentence, claiming responsibility, then acknowledged that at this point, his words had "no meaning." When asked by the judge if he was "a little bit sorry", he replied, "yes". The murders took place between 1993 and 2010, but the case took over a decade to solve. After initially pleading not guilty, Heuermann ultimately admitted to the murders of: Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Megan Waterman, 22; and Amber Costello, 27; Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25; Jessica Taylor, 20; Valerie Mack, 24; Sandra Costilla, 28; and Karen Vergata, 34. After the hearing, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney praised the families of the victims. "I want them to get their revenge by going on to have wonderful lives…now it's time for them to heal," he said. James Carbone/Pool via REUTERS Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann is escorted away after being sentenced by Judge Timothy Mazzei. Heuermann's defence attorney Michael Brown said he spoke to his client after the hearing briefly and that he will be visiting him in prison. "From his standpoint, we saw the writing on the wall. He wanted to spare his family the ordeal of going to trial," said Brown. The hearing started with fiery statements from victims' family members. Amanda, sister of Barthelemy, described to the court the phone calls Heuermann made to her family after killing her sister, detailing how he was letting her sister's body "rot" and how he raped her. "I was 15," she said. She addressed him directly: "You can look at me when I'm talking to you. It's been 17 years since we last spoke." For the first time, Heuermann, who had been staring straight ahead blankly, turned towards the podium, then immediately back. "The thing