Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei ruled prosecutors may use Astrea Forensics’ whole‑genome analysis of rootless hairs, marking a first for New York after Frye hearings. Prosecutors say the testing links hairs found with six of the seven victims to Rex Heuermann or his household, while the defense challenges the method’s reliability. Workers near Jones Beach’s East Bathhouse uncovered women’s and girls’ clothing, purses, a blood‑covered work glove and a leather strap, which police collected for forensic testing; results have not been disclosed. Prosecutors note Heuermann worked at Jones Beach in the early 1980s; he remains jailed and has pleaded not guilty to seven murder counts tied to bodies found near Gilgo Beach. A Sept. 23 hearing will address whether to try all counts together, and the defense has separately moved to bar Astrea’s work under New York public‑health licensing rules as prosecutors tout the method’s potential in cold cases.
