Kriti Mehrotra
As a three-part documentary series living up to its title in every way conceivable, Netflix’s ‘Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer’ revisits one of the most harrowing cases in recent years. It truly follows the case of the Gilgo Beach killings from the perspective of the victims as well as their loved ones, all the while giving us an insight into the investigations of the matter. Therefore, of course, there is a significant focus on Thomas Spota III, the former District Attorney of Suffolk County, New York, where some of the bodies were recovered in 2010 and 2011.
Thomas Spota Was Once a Well-Respected Attorney and Politician
It was reportedly back when Thomas Spota was just a young man growing up in New Hyde Park, Long Island in New York, that he knew he wanted to fulfill his parents’ dreams and attend college. So, as soon as he graduated from Chaminade High School in the late 1950s, he enrolled at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut, which is where he found his path. Thus, upon graduating in 1963, he attended St. John’s University School of Law in Jamaica, Queens, New York, from where he earned a Juris Doctorate (JD) in 1966.
Thomas passed the bar too, following which he began serving as an assistant prosecutor under Suffolk County District Attorney Patrick Henry, where he loyally remained throughout the 1970s and 1980s. However, it is imperative to note that during this period, he had reportedly even enlisted in the United States Marine Corps before being honorably discharged. Furthermore, he was a proud volunteer firefighter – he served in the Garden City Park Fire Department from 1963 to 1971 and the Mount Sinai Engine Company until the mid-1970s.
According to reports, Thomas evolved from an assistant prosecutor to the District Attorney in the early 2000s after turning Democrat and defeating his opponent by a landslide in votes. Then, he was re-elected in 2005 as well as 2009 without any major contest since he visibly battling the widespread distribution of child pornography on the internet and protecting the locals. It was only in the early 2010s that the public’s view of him began wavering a little owing to his stand on the numerous homicides having been uncovered in his county.
Thomas Spota Was Criminally Convicted in an Unrelated Matter
While it’s true that Thomas maintained his public standing that there is a possibility the killings were not all done by the same person, he did have a reasoning behind it. While the first four bodies were found intact and with burlap around their remains, the others were dismembered and scattered across two different areas without any trace of a cover. So, he wanted to ensure to the public that all avenues were being covered, which is true, leading him to keep getting re-elected. After all, it was under these efforts and leadership that they were able to solve two unrelated murders. John Bittrolff was convicted of two homicides in 2017 – Rita Tangredi and Colleen McNamee, sex workers whose bodies had been found in the South Shore beaches area in 1993 and 1994.
However, it was the same year that Thomas resigned from office – November 10, 2017. As per reports, a 2012 case involving Thomas’ mentee and former police captain James Burke resulted in a federal inquiry into the levels of corruption in both the police department and the District Attorney’s office. This investigation revealed that the former chief had allegedly assaulted a suspect in police custody, covered up the matter, and coerced witnesses. He later pleaded guilty to reduced charges, but things were different for Thomas. It came to light that he obstructed justice by interfering in James’ case for police brutality, resulting in him being convicted of obstruction, witness tampering, and conspiracy charges in December 2019. Until his trial, he was free on a $500,000 bond.
Having Been Released From Prison, Thomas Spota is Now Leading a Quiet Life
Once Thomas was convicted of the federal charges against him, he was disbarred for good on June 10, 2020, meaning he could no longer practice law in any capacity, anywhere. He was supposed to be sentenced around the same time, but it kept on being postponed until he was eventually handed down five years in federal prison with a fine of $100,000 on August 10, 2021. He was subsequently incarcerated at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, where he remained until the summer of 2024.
He was actually released to “community confinement” upon serving less than three years, which means he was either transferred to a halfway home or allowed to complete the rest of his term at home. From what we can tell, he has completed his term and has not been under supervision since March 13, 2025. Therefore, today, it appears as if the 83-year-old is leading a quiet life in Mount Sinai, New York, where he is surrounded by his wife, Mary Spota, and three adult children.
Read More: Where is James Burke Now?
