Here’s what his wife knew.
New charges have been filed against accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann. These charges include the alleged murder of a fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose body was found near the other three victims Heuermann was previously accused of killing: Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. Together, these four victims make up the “Gilgo Four,” a group of women who worked as sex workers and were all murdered, at different times, then bound with belts or tape, wrapped in burlap, and left in the same quarter-mile stretch of area at Long Island’s Gilgo Beach over a decade ago.
Heuermann was originally arrested in July and charged with the murder of three of the four victims. Prosecutors say they were able to tie him to the murders via DNA on pizza slices and burner phone evidence. On Tuesday, at the hearing where he was charged with the murder of the fourth victim, Heuermann’s lawyer said the accused killer “has maintained his innocence from day one.”
“He’s looking forward to fighting these charges and we’re doing that,” attorney Michael Brown said. “We’re going to continue to prepare.”
The deaths of the “Gilgo Four” have confounded investigators since the disappearance of a woman in 2010 led to the discovery of at least 10 sets of human remains. Here’s what we know about the case — and Heuermann — so far.
A discovery that shook Long Island
This horrifying case began in 2010, when a police officer and his dog discovered the remains of 24-year-old Barthelemy on Gilgo Beach, on the South Shore of Long Island. Barthelemy, a sex worker, had last been seen in July 2009, when she’d told a friend she was meeting a client.
In the next 48 hours, police discovered the remains of Costello, Waterman, and Brainard-Barnes — all, like Barthelemy, formerly sex workers. Over the following weeks, six other bodies, belonging to four women, an unidentified man, and a 2-year-old girl were found, and a massive 12-year investigation was launched.
Police suspect Rex Heuermann killed victims in his family home
Investigators are operating on the theory that Heuermann committed at least one of the killings in his family home. A source who spoke to CNN said that this looks possible because the victims went missing during periods when his wife and children were out of town.
According to CBS, New York investigators are also coordinating with police in Atlantic City to work out whether Heuermann might be connected to unsolved crimes there as well. Heuermann reportedly had links to South Carolina and Las Vegas, and search warrants have been executed in those areas.
Suspect Rex Heuermann followed the Gilgo Beach murders case “obsessively”
Per CNN, investigators feared that Heuermann would flee the country if he caught wind that prosecutors were preparing charges. Heuermann, who’s now on suicide watch, apparently followed the case of the “Gilgo Four” obsessively, with his internet history revealing hundreds of searches for information.
Rex Heuermann’s wife “didn’t know” about her husband’s alleged crimes
Heuermann’s wife Asa Ellerup was likely unaware of her husband’s alleged crimes, authorities say. “If you ask me, I don’t believe, that they [his family] knew about this double life that Mr. Heuermann was living,” Suffolk County police commissioner Rodney Harrison told CNN.
Ellerup, who’s been married to Rex Heuermann for 27 years, reportedly filed for divorce on Wednesday. Her lawyer Bob Macedonio reportedly told Fox News that the investigation “is still a whirlwind” for Ellerup and their children.
Asa Ellerup’s DNA helped link Rex Heuermann to the murders
Per CNN, Ellerup’s DNA helped link Heuermann to the crimes. Strands of her hair were apparently discovered on or close to three of the victims — but she was out of town when the murders occurred.
“It’s very significant in as much as it then limits it down to him,” criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson told CNN’s Jake Tapper about the finding. “If the suspect’s wife is out of town, then why would her hair be there if he’s in town?”
Authorities haven’t ruled anything out, however. Police are continuing to collect information “to see if the family might have known exactly what Mr. Heuermann was up to,” Harrison told CNN’s Erica Hill.
