At the heart of the case against the man accused of the Gilgo Beach killings is DNA evidence — but the novel way that evidence was tested may now determine whether prosecutors can use it against their prime suspect,

A judge allowed key DNA evidence to be used in Rex Heuermann’s trial in the Gilgo Beach case. It’s a significant advancement for criminal forensic testing.

Prosecutors say the new technique is reliable and helped link Heuermann to victims whose bodies were discovered along Ocean Parkway in 2010