India, April 8 -- Rex Heuermann, a former architect, confessed on Wednesday to the murder of eight women and the disposal of their bodies at Gilgo Beach in Long Island, over a decade after the discovery of human remains shocked the New York City suburb and captured national attention.

Heuermann, 62, altered his plea during a court appearance in Suffolk County on Wednesday regarding the murders that transpired over a span of 17 years. He entered a guilty plea to seven charges and acknowledged that he deliberately caused the death of Karen Bragata, leaving her remains behind.

As part of the plea agreement, Heuermann will not face charges for Bragata's murder, which remains uncharged. In court, he confessed to having met all eight women, s...