Serial killer Rex Heuermann has been transferred to the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, a maximum-security prison often referred to as "Little Siberia" due to its remote location and harsh climate.
Heuermann, who pleaded guilty to the murders of eight women, will join other high-profile inmates at the facility, which opened in 1845. State prison spokesman Thomas Mailey confirmed Heuermann's transfer as part of the classification and assessment process.
Clinton Correctional Facility is the largest maximum-security prison in New York, with cells measuring approximately 6 by 8 feet. It has housed some of the state's most notorious killers, including Joel Rifkin, who is serving a sentence for 17 murders, and Heriberto Seda, known as the "New York Zodiac Killer," convicted of three murders.
Another serial killer, Altemio Sanchez, also known as the "bike path rapist" for his crimes between 1990 and 2007, died at the facility in 2023. Former NYPD officer Michael Valva, convicted in the 2020 death of his young son, is also incarcerated at Clinton.
Notorious Jailbreak and Hollywood Portrayal
The prison gained significant notoriety in 2015 for an elaborate jailbreak orchestrated by inmates David Sweat and Richard Matt. Aided by a prison employee, they escaped their cells and navigated through the facility's infrastructure, leading to a widespread manhunt. Matt was killed by authorities, and Sweat was captured. The incident was later dramatized in the 2018 miniseries "Escape at Dannemora."