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American murderer and suspected serial killer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Bittrolff (born July 1, 1966) is an American convicted murderer and former suspect in the Gilgo Beach serial killings case. In July 2014, he was charged with the murders of Rita Tangredi and Colleen McNamee. He was also a suspect in the murder of a third woman, Sandra Costilla, prior to the capture of alleged serial killer Rex Heuermann.[2][3][4][5][6][7] Bittrolff became a suspect in the unsolved murders after his brother, Timothy Bittrolff, was partially matched to DNA found on the bodies in 2013. Timothy Bittrolff submitted the sample after violating an unrelated order of protection, in 2013.[8]
John Bittrolff | |
|---|---|
Suffolk Co. Police Dept. 2014 mugshot | |
| Born | July 1, 1966 New York, U.S. |
| Status | Incarcerated |
| Conviction(s) | Second degree murder (2 counts)[1] |
| Criminal penalty | 50 years to life in prison |
| Details | |
| Victims | 2 confirmed |
Span of crimes | 1993–1994 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | New York |
Date apprehended | July 21, 2014 |
| Imprisoned at | Clinton Correctional Facility |
On July 5, 2017, Bittrolff was found guilty of the second degree murders of Tangredi and McNamee.[9] He was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison on September 12, 2017. He is imprisoned at Clinton Correctional Facility. His department identification number is 17A3925.
Bittrolff was convicted of killing two women and was a suspect in the death of a third.
Tangredi was found dead on November 2, 1993, in Suffolk County, New York. Tangredi lived in East Patchogue and was known by police to be a sex worker.[10]
McNamee's body was found on January 30, 1994, in Shirley, New York, also in Suffolk County. Believed by authorities to be a sex worker, she was beaten, strangled to death and left naked in the woods, near the William Floyd Parkway.[11][12]
Costilla's body was found on November 20, 1993, in North Sea, New York.[13] On June 6, 2024, Gilgo Beach serial killings suspect Rex Heuermann was charged with Costilla's murder.[14]
After Bittrolff's sentence, the case's prosecutor announced that Bittrolff was also a suspect in at least one of the 10 murders attributed to the Long Island serial killer in New York's Suffolk and Nassau counties. Suffolk County District Attorney's office prosecutor Robert Biancavilla released a statement noting that Bittrolff was likely responsible for the deaths of other women, and that, "There are remains of the victims at Gilgo that may be attributed to the handiwork of Mr. Bittrolff, and that investigation is continuing".[15][16]
Bittrolff was a carpenter who lived in Manorville, where the torsos of Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack were recovered. The remains were discovered roughly three miles away from Bittrolff's home. He also reportedly once "cut out the heart of a deer he had just shot and ate it raw in the woods."[17][18]
The adult daughter of Bittrolff victim Rita Tangredi was reportedly "best friends" with Melissa Barthelemy, one of the first victims discovered at Gilgo Beach. Barthelemy's mother also reported that Melissa "had a lot of calls to Manorville from her phone" at the time.[19][20]
On July 13, 2023, another man, Rex Heuermann, a long-time resident of Massapequa Park on Long Island, was arrested and subsequently charged with six murders attributed to the Long Island serial killer, including for the murders of Melissa Barthelemy and Sandra Costilla.
On June 6, 2024, the prosecutors revealed in a news conference that the death of Sandra Costilla followed a blueprint found at Heuermann's home, more securely assuring that John Bittrolff was innocent of killing Costilla. They also confirmed that the deaths of the other Long Island victims followed this same blueprint.
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