ALLEGED serial killer Rex Heuermann was supported by his wife in court on Wednesday as his lawyer continued to point to a different suspect in the Gilgo Beach murders case.
Asa Ellerup showed up to her husband’s hearing in Riverhead, New York, as he awaits trial for the murders of the Gilgo Four.
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The bodies of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Lynn Costello, 27, were found between 2010 and 2011 but there was not a clear suspect at the time.
It wasn’t until 2023 that 60-year-old Heuermann was arrested and charged with targeting and murdering the sex workers.
Despite the horrifying accusations, Ellerup, who filed for divorce days after his arrest, appeared to support her estranged husband on Wednesday.
Ellerup wore a green floral jacket and dark sunglasses as she sat in the court gallery with her attorney, Bob Macedonio.
She declined to talk with reporters but previously said she didn’t think her architect husband was capable of the crimes he’s accused of.
“I will listen to all of the evidence and withhold judgment until the end of the trial,” Ellerup said in a statement last month.
“I have given Rex the benefit of the doubt as we all deserve.”
Michael Brown, who represents Heuermann, stressed again on Wednesday that the suspect insists he is not the killer.
“He maintains today he’s not the guy,” Brown said.
“The burden is on the prosecution to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
However, the prosecution believes they are building a strong case.
During the court hearing, they handed over more evidence including 388 leads, 422 electronic devices, and information Brown had requested after claiming there was another suspect with the initials “WH.”
The initials were found on a belt that was tied around Brainard-Barnes.
Prosecutors have previously said that they believe the belt belonged to Heuermann’s grandfather, William.
Brown has claimed that another suspect from Massapequa Park, Heuermann’s hometown, had the initials WH.
Brown also said on Wednesday that his team is seeking information about disgraced former Suffolk County Chief of Police James Burke.
Burke became the Chief of Suffolk County Police in 2012 and held the position for three years before he was arrested for brutally beating a suspect who stole sex toys and porn from his car.
He has long been accused of obstructing the Gilgo Beach investigation to conceal his own nefarious proclivities, which allegedly included patronizing sex workers and consuming hard drugs.
“Chief Burke has an extremely checkered history in terms of prostitutes and abuse,” Brown said on Wednesday.
“It seems contrary to common sense that Chief Burke wouldn’t let the FBI in to help with the investigation back then to help with their expertise.”
Burke’s attorney denied that his client was ever involved in the murders and said that his name had already been cleared.
Murder victims linked to the Long Island Serial Killer
The sleepy seaside community of Gilgo Beach in Long Island, NY, was horrified after the arrest of Rex Heuermann last year for a series of gruesome murders. Here is what we know about his alleged victims:
Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25 – Maureen was believed to be a sex worker based in Norwich, Connecticut. She went by the names “Juliana” or “Marie” and advertised her services on various platforms, including Craigslist and Backpage. She mostly worked out of hotels in Manhattan. On the day of her death on July 6, 2007, she took an Amtrak train from New London to Grand Central Terminal. She was reported missing eight days later, but it wasn’t until 2010 that her remains were found on the north side of Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach.
Melissa Barthelemy, 24 – Melissa was an aspiring hairstylist who was last seen alive on July 12, 2009. She worked as an online escort and lived in the Bronx, NYC, but primarily working out of hotels in Manhattan. She used sites such as Adult Friend Finder and went by either “Chloe” or “VerySexyChloe” online. After she disappeared, her sister revealed she had received calls from a stranger who admitted to killing her. Her body was found on Gilgo Beach on Dec 11, 2010.
Megan Waterman, 22 – Melissa was a single mother living in Scarborough, Maine, when she went missing. A sex worker who advertised her services on Craigslist and Backpage, she used the aliases “Lexxy” and “Sexy Lexi.” She vanished on June 6, 2010, after leaving a Holiday Inn hotel located in Hauppauge, Long Island. Two days later she was reported missing, and her body was found on December 13 of that same year.
Amber Lynn Costello, 27 – Amber lived in West Babylon, Long Island, at the time of her disappearance. She advertised on Craigslist and Backpage, reportedly to support her heroin addiction. She had entered a detox program shortly before his disappearance before relapsing. She was last seen alive on September 2, 2010, and her body was discovered on Ocean Parkway on December 13, 2010.
There have been several other murder victims tied to a Long Island Serial Killer but no connection has been found to Rex Heuermann and he is not a suspect in their deaths.
Valerie Mack, 24 – At the time of her disappearance, Valerie was working as an escort under the alias “Melissa Taylor.” She was last seen alive in the spring of 2000 in New Jersey, but her family didn’t report her missing. Parts of her body were discovered by hikers in September 2000 in the Long Island Pine Barrens, but she was not identified and was instead given the nickname “Jane Doe No. 6.” The rest of her remains were recovered on April 4, 2011, near Gilgo Beach.
Jessica Taylor, 20 – Jessica escort working in Brooklyn, New York when she was reported missing on July 15, 2003. She was reportedly spotted at the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan between July 18 and 21. On July 26, 2003, parts of her body were found in Manorville. More of her remains were discovered on March 29, 2011, during the search for Shannan Gilbert.
Karen Vergata, 34 – Karen was a sex worker living on West 45th St. in Manhattan at the time of her disappearance on Valentine’s Day, 1996. She had called her father that day to wish him a happy birthday. Parts of her body were found at Davis Park on Fire Island’s Blue Point Beach on April 20 that year, but at the time, she wasn’t identified and was known as “Jane Doe No. 7.” Her skull was found on Ocean Parkway on April 11, 2011.
Additional victims – Four other remains of possible victims were also recovered but have not been officially named.
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him and he will be back in court on June 18.
As of now, a trial date hasn’t been set and Brown said he’s in no rush to present his case.
“I’m not going to be rushed to go to trial,” he said. “The government has had this case since 2010. They made an arrest in 2023.”
Heuermann’s attorney also addressed his client’s life in jail as he awaits trial.
“You have to remember he’s not with the general population,” Brown said.
“He’s isolated in one jail cell. He has no interaction with any other inmates. I see him as frequently as once a week. He wants to get to a trial.
“He maintained from the beginning of this case, and still maintains today, he is not the guy. He said that over and over.”
ELLERUP’S PEACOCK DEAL
Ellerup was previously criticized for her $1 million documentary deal with NBC’s streaming service Peacock, which was revealed last year.
The deal led to outrage and lawmakers were looking to pass legislation to update the Son of Sam law to prevent families of criminals from profiting from crimes.
The law currently stops convicts from being able to profit from their crimes in any capacity.
Senator Kevin Thomas and Assembly Member Fred Thiele want to broaden the law to bar spouses, ex-spouses, and any other family members of convicts from seeing a payout from the crimes.
If passed, the legislation would take effect immediately and could stop Ellerup’s agreement with Peacock.
Her lawyer slammed the proposed law changes at the time as nothing more than a publicity stunt.
“It’s a sad day in America when people are willing to trample on the constitution to get press coverage,” Bob Macedonio wrote.
“The next thing they will attempt is to control media coverage.”
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