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Also serving Farmingdale, Massapequa, Massapequa Park and Plainedge
Local Veterans column Page 3 VOL. 74 NO. 27
Massapequa Chamber president’s column Page 4 JUNE 25 - JULY 1, 2025
Security Dodge opens new service center Page 12 $1.00
Adult care facility in Massapequa gets a boost from LIA By KEPHERD DANIEL AND CAROLYN JAMES kdaniel@liherald.com, cjames@liherald.com
Courtesy James Carbone
Alleged serial killer Rex Heuermann is escorted into court in Riverhead for continued hearings
DA Tierney challenges DNA expert at Gilgo Beach murders hearing By LUKE FEENEY lfeeney@liherald.com
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney spent two days cross-examining a defense witness last week in the case against alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann. He challenged the credibility and conclusions of Nathaniel Adams, a systems engineer with Forenic Bioinfirmatic Services in Fairborn, who refuted the reliability of forensic DNA testing methods used by a California lab linking Heuermann to the victims. The hearing was before Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei in New York State Supreme Court, Riverhead. Between June 17 and 18, Adams testified that DNA evidence in the case failed to meet at least 21 nationally accepted verification and validation standards. The DNA findings are critical in the case against Heuermann, which is expected to come to trial early next year. Adams claimed that the lab lacked the necessary framework to verify the reliability of its DNA software and noted that testing
plans, records and results did not exist. “It’s unreliable,” Adams said during direct examination by defense attorney Danielle Coysh. During cross-examination, Tierney focused on Adams’ qualifications and testimony history. He noted that Adams, 38, has a record of disputing various DNA testing methods, including those widely accepted by courts and the broader scientific community. “You reject almost every modality of DNA testing, including those deemed widely admissible by the courts in this country,” Tierney said. Adams acknowledged that he has testified in about 30 state and federal cases, always on behalf of the defense. Tierney challenged the depth of Adams’ analysis of Astrea’s work, comparing Adams’ several pages of notes with the 28 terabytes of data he said the lab provided to prosecutors. “Your review of terabytes of data only generates seven pages of notes,” Tierney said. He further criticized Adams by referencing a 57-slide PowerPoint presentation the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
A sign on the wall of the welcoming entryway at TrueCare reads, “Do small things with great love.” It’s a fitting message for the adult day care facility, which offers services and socialization for seniors with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. “I am a woman of faith and I love what I do,” said Carol Bottiglieri, owner and operator of TrueCare, which has locations in Massapequa and Seaford. “When people come here, I want them to feel like it’s their second home.” The Massapequa center, located at 187 Veterans Blvd., is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and features warmly decorated rooms with comfortable furniture. A central kitchen offers a space for clients to enjoy meals and coffee breaks. However, one feature the facility lacks, Bottiglieri said, is easy access to its spacious backyard — a challenge she now plans to resolve thanks to a small-business grant she received from Optimum Business and the Long Island Association Foundation. TrueCare will use the funding to install a ramp from the rear door to the yard and add fencing and security gates. “Right now we have this lovely outdoor space, but because of a
9-inch step from the back door to the yard, the residents can’t use it,” she said. “This grant gives us the chance to make our facility safer and more accessible for our clients, who rely on us daily.” The funding was announced June 18 at the second annual Small Business Summit, which recognized 40 recipients of the L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grant program. Each awardee received $5,000 in funding, as well as access to mentorship and networking opportunities designed to support long-term growth. “So much crazy stuff is going on in the world today that people forget what makes everyday life work is small businesses,” said U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi. “Most of the jobs in America are created by small businesses.” This year’s program awarded a total of $200,000 to businesses across Nassau and Suffolk counties. Since launching the initiative, Optimum has invested nearly $500,000 to support a wide range of small enterprises, including those in childcare, massage therapy and promotional services. Beyond financial awards, the summit offered participants access to business tools and community resources through Optimum and the LIA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Long Island Association. “We had hundreds of appliCONTINUED ON PAGE 2