Gilgo Beach murders – live: Rex Heuermann’s wife files for divorce as work at NYC Trump Building emerges
Rex Heuermann’s wife has filed for divorce just six days after New York police arrested her husband over the notorious Gilgo Beach murders.
Court records show that Asa Ellerup – the accused serial killer’s wife of two decades and mother of his children – filed a matrimonial complaint in Suffolk County Supreme Court on Wednesday.
His family are said to have been left “shocked” and “disgusted” after the Long Island native, 59, was arrested on Thursday and charged with the murders of three women.
It has now also emerged that his Manhattan-based architecture company was once hired for a project at the Trump Building in New York City.
New York City Department of Buildings records obtained by real state publication The Real Deal show Mr Heuermann’s firm was hired by a third party for a $200,000 plumbing job on 40 Wall Street in 2018.
“Mr Heuermann has never worked for the Trump Organization in any capacity,” a spokesperson for the Trump Organization told the outlet. “He was hired by a third-party tenant, who vacated years ago, to perform minor architectural work in their individual space.” It’s unclear whether Mr Heuermann ever visited the building.
Key points
Rex Heuermann’s wife files for divorce from accused serial killer
Gilgo Beach murder suspect’s company was hired for work at Trump Building
Las Vegas and South Carolina police probe suspect’s possible ties to unsolved cases
Evidence that led Long Island police to catch suspect
Police ‘confident’ Heuermann will soon be charged with fourth murder
ICYMI: Everything we know about the Gilgo Beach murders
13:00 , Andrea Blanco
While Rex Heuermann has pleaded not guilty and broke down in tears while protesting his innocence, investigators have painted him as a warped individual who systematically preyed on his victims, obsessively following police efforts to catch him online and potentially posing a threat of striking again.
But who are his alleged victims?
The Independent’s Joe Sommerlad reports:
What we know about the Gilgo Beach murder victims
What have Long Island police found at Rex Heuermann’s home?
12:30 , Rachel Sharp
Reporters on the scene of Rex Heuermann’s home on Wednesday revealed that investigators tried to block their view as some items were being seized.
This has raised speculation as to what evidence may have been found inside his family home in Massapequa Park.
Right now at #RexHeuermann's home, police are beginning to reposition their vehicles, I believe in an attempt to obstruct our view. It tells me they have found something big and have been waiting to bring it out. I asked a detective, he told me, "no comment." #LISK pic.twitter.com/bUUbAZZF7k
— Alex Caprariello (@alcaprari23) July 19, 2023
Attorney for victims’ families shares suspicions of an accomplice in murders
12:00 , Andrea Blanco
Attorney John Ray represents the families of Gilbert and Jessica Taylor, whose remains were among those found during the 2010 probe. Mr Ray told The Independent on Tuesday that he has long suspected that a woman may have helped the killer lure the victims.
“We have a number of reasons to think a woman may have been involved. Nothing is certain here, [I want] to emphasise that, but there was some evidence that a woman was involved,” Mr Ray said.
The attorney said that some of the evidence that could suggest a woman was involved in the killings is the way a “baby Doe’s” body was found.
The child’s mother, dubbed “Peaches” for a tattoo on her torso, was found in Nassau County in 1997. Additional remains and those of her child were found years later, and the murders have been linked to the Gilgo Beach case.
“The baby was wrapped in a blanket of some kind. And that’s something, you know, if you’re a depraved murderer, as a man ... Would you take the time to do that?” Mr Ray said. “But a mother might do that. That’s just one I use that as one of several reasons why we think that, but we don’t have any dispositive evidence that it was so.”
WATCH: Former escort recounts chilling date with accused Gilgo Beach serial killer
11:30 , Rachel Sharp
WATCH: Neighbour claims he confronted suspected killer for leering at his wife
11:00 , Andrea Blanco
Gilgo Beach murder suspect’s company was hired to do work at Trump Building in Manhattan
10:30 , Rachel Sharp
New York City Department of Buildings records unearthed by The Real Deal on Wednesday show that Mr Heuermann’s firm RH Architecture was hired by a tenant at the Trump Building on 40 Wall Street.
The job was completed in 2018 and Mr Heuermann’s firm was paid $200,000 to complete it.
The Trump Organization said in a statement that it has never hired Mr Heuermann’s services and it was a third-party tenant who employed the now suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer.
“Mr Heuermann has never worked for the Trump Organization in any capacity,” a spokesperson told TRD. “According to our records, he was hired by a third-party tenant, who vacated years ago, to perform minor architectural work in their individual space.”
It’s unclear whether Mr Heuermann ever visited the building as part of the job he was hired to do. The Independent has reached out for comment.
Manhattan architect, family man and accused serial killer: Who is Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann?
10:00 , Andrea Blanco
A Manhattan architect and father-of-two has been arrested in connection to one of the most infamous unsolved serial killer cases along the East Coast.
So who really is Rex Heuermann?
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:
Rex Heuermann: Who is serial killer suspect in Gilgo Beach murders
Rex Heuermann’s wife files for divorce
09:30 , Rachel Sharp
Rex Heuermann’s wife has filed for divorce just six days after New York police arrested her husband over the notorious Gilgo Beach murders.
Court records show that Asa Ellerup – the accused serial killer’s wife of two decades and mother of his children – filed a matrimonial complaint in Suffolk County Supreme Court on Wednesday.
The case – Asa Ellerup v Rex Heuermann – is listed as “uncontested”.
His family are said to have been left “shocked” and “disgusted” after the Long Island native, 59, was arrested on Thursday and charged with the murders of three women.
Long Island police reveal how Rex Heuermann’s family reacted to his arrest for Gilgo Beach murders
09:00 , Andrea Blanco
Mr Heuermann’s bombshell arrest last sent shockwaves across the shoreline community of Gilgo Beach in Long Island following 13 years of unanswered questions over a trail of bodies found in the area.
The married father-of-two is facing six charges over the murders of Amber Castello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy — all sex workers in their 20s whose bodies were found during a missing persons investigation in 2010.
He is also the prime suspect in the murder of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard- Barnes, with authorities saying more charges are expected. The Suffolk County Police Department is also probing potential ties to the other six bodies linked to the Gilgo Beach case, as well as other murders nationwide.
Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told CNN that Mr Heuermann’s family reacted with shock to his arrest and are now cooperating with the investigation. Before being taken into custody, Mr Heuermann, 59, had outwardly led a normal life, working as an architect in Midtown Manhattan and making very little impression on his neighbours in Massapequa Park.
“They were disgusted. They were embarrassed,” Mr Harrison said. “So, if you ask me, I don’t believe they knew about this double life that Heuermann was living.”
Did ‘serial killer’ Rex Heuermann strike beyond Gilgo Beach? Police probe links to unsolved cases across US
08:00 , Andrea Blanco
Investigators are exploring the possibility that suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann could be responsible for other murders all across America, following his sudden arrest last week.
Former NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told ABC’s Good Morning America on Tuesday that the 59-year-old suspect is now being looked at in connection to missing persons cases and murders far beyond the shores of Long Island – across the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and even nationwide.
“I made some phone calls yesterday to see what they were doing. They’re looking at all missing persons who have never been found and see if they can put those together,” he said.
“Not just in Suffolk, but throughout the tri-state area to see what they can put together. There’s also the FBI looking at national issues as well.”
Mr Boyce pointed out that Mr Heuermann had been “free” for many years – as the accused killer continued his daily life for 13 years after the bodies were first discovered in 2010.
Read more:
Did serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann strike beyond Gilgo Beach?
Woman describes eerie Rex Heuermann ‘date’
07:00 , Andrea Blanco
Long Island resident and former escort Nicole Brass has since come forward with claims that she went on a date with Mr Heuermann sometime between 2014 and 2016.
Ms Brass, 34, first claimed in a TikTok video that she had met Mr Heuermann at a seafood restaurant in Port Jefferson and he then decided to bring up the Gilgo Beach murders while trying “to make it look just like someone who was very interested in the case”.
“It didn’t seem like somebody who feels bad when he talked about the victims. It seemed like somebody who really wanted to brag about what they did, but couldn’t,” Ms Brass told the Daily Beast.
“His body language shifted, and it seemed like he was having fun ... It was almost like he was visualising it in his head and getting off to what he was saying.”
The evidence that sealed Rex Heuermann’s arrest: Pizza crust, burner phones and his wife’s hair
06:00 , Andrea Blanco
It’s taken 13 years but Suffolk County Police finally say they’ve caught the serial killer who dumped his victims along the shores of Gilgo Beach – thanks to a pimp’s tip about his pickup truck, a stash of burner phones, his wife’s hair and a pizza crust.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:
How pizza crust, burner phones and wife’s hairs led police to Gilgo Beach suspect
Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann’s neighbors describe him as ‘reclusive’
05:00 , Andrea Blanco
Speaking to The New York Times, Massapequa Park resident Frankie Musto said the Heuermanns were “reclusive” and kept to themselves. Ms Musto said her daughter grew up with Mr Heuermann’s daughter, who would often ask her friend to come over.
“I didn’t want her in that house,” Ms Musto told the Times.
How the Gilgo Beach serial killer turned the Long Island shore into a graveyard
04:00 , Andrea Blanco
More than a decade after 11 bodies were found dumped in Long Beach, married father of two and Manhattan-based architect Rex Heuermann is under arrest. Does this mean the hunt for the Gilgo Beach serial killer is finally over?
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:
How the Gilgo Beach serial killer turned the Long Island shore into a graveyard
Gilgo Beach murders arrest renews hopes for Shannan Gilbert and Jessica Taylor’s families
03:00 , Andrea Blanco
Attorney John Ray represents the families of Shannan Gilbert, whose case led to the discovery of 10 bodies, and Jessica Taylor, whose remains were among those found during the 2010 probe.
Mr Ray said his clients have welcomed news of the arrest and now hope their loved ones’ killer or killers will also face the criminal system.
“Both families are very happy that this man was caught and they’re happy for the other family members of the other victims,” Mr Ray said. “But the murderer of their loved ones has not been found. And even if it turns out to be this Tyrannosaurus Rex monster, there’s no solace in the end. Justice is an idea, but it’s not a feeling in a sense, and their feelings and their senses are still hurt and this resurrected those feelings. So it’s a bittersweet condition.”
Mr Ray said that his law firm is joining efforts with the Suffolk County Police Department’s investigating team.
Commissioner Harris has said in the aftermath that they’re probing any links Mr Heuermann may have with the Gilgo Beach bodies.
Murder probes expands to Las Vegas, officials confirm
02:00 , Andrea Blanco
Mr Heuermann, 59, is now being looked at in connection to missing person cases and murders far beyond the shores of Long Island, where he stands accused of murdering three women before dumping their bodies across the community of Gilgo Beach more than a decade ago.
His bombshell arrest on Friday was a major breakthrough after a 2010 investigation led to the gruesome discovery of at least 10 bodies now linked to the Gilgo Beach murders case.
In the aftermath of his arrest, it has emerged that Mr Heuermann, who has pleaded not guilty to the crimes, has ties to both South Carolina and Las Vegas, owning properties in both locations.
In a statement to The Independent on Tuesday, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed that the department is probing a link between Mr Heuermann and unsolved cases in the area.
“We are aware of Rex Heuermann’s connection to Las Vegas. We are currently reviewing our unsolved cases to see if he has any involvement,” a spokesperson said.
Rex Heuermann is ‘traumatised’ by Gilgo Beach murders arrest, attorney says
01:00 , Andrea Blanco
Attorney Michael Brown told ABC News that he met the accused serial killer for the first time on Friday when he was arraigned on charges for murdering three women and dumping their bodies along the shores of Long Island.
He said that Mr Heuermann seemed normal in the meeting but was “traumatised” by the fact he had been taken into custody over the unsolved killings.
Read more:
Rex Heuermann is ‘traumatised’ by Gilgo Beach murders arrest, attorney says
Attorney John Ray says he hopes new task force reviews evidence in Shannan Gilbert’s case
Thursday 20 July 2023 00:00 , Andrea Blanco
Gilbert’s body was found in December 2011. Suffolk County authorities have previously said that they don’t believe Gilbert was a victim of the Gilgo Beach serial killer, or even that she was a victim of homicide.
However, an independent autopsy commissioned by her family ruled that she died by strangulation.
“We’ve insisted that she was murdered. We have overwhelming evidence that that is true,” John Ray, an attorney for the Gilbert family, told The Independent. “The police had taken bizarre position that she died of natural causes.”
He added: “We’re hoping now with the new task force with these great guys and new brains and excellent work of the District Attorney and the new Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison.
“We’re hoping that they’re going to give it a look, a new look at the evidence with Shannan and investigate it as a murder.”
Gilgo Beach murder suspect’s company was hired to do work at Trump Building in Manhattan
Wednesday 19 July 2023 23:35 , Andrea Blanco
New York City Department of Buildings records unearthed by The Real Deal on Wednesday show that Mr Heuermann’s firm RH Architecture was hired by a tenant at the Trump Building on 40 Wall Street.
The job was completed in 2018 and Mr Heuermann’s firm was paid $200,000 to complete it.
The Trump Organization said in a statement that it has never hired Mr Heuermann’s services and it was a third-party tenant who employed the now suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer.
“Mr Heuermann has never worked for the Trump Organization in any capacity,” a spokesperson told TRD. “According to our records, he was hired by a third-party tenant, who vacated years ago, to perform minor architectural work in their individual space.”
It’s unclear whether Mr Heuermann ever visited the building as part of the job he was hired to do. The Independent has reached out for comment.
Officials are ‘confident’ that Mr Heuermann will soon be charged with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes
Wednesday 19 July 2023 21:59 , Andrea Blanco
Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann is now expected to be charged with a fourth murder – as tips and evidence pour in following his shock arrest last week.
The 59-year-old married father-of-two – who has lived on Long Island his entire life and runs an architecture firm in Manhattan – was arrested on 13 July and charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello.
He is also the prime suspect in the murder of a fourth woman Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who was last seen alive in New York City in early June 2007.
All four women – known as the “Gilgo Beach Four” – worked as sex workers and vanished after going to meet clients.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said on Monday that officials are “confident” that Mr Heuermann will soon be charged with the murder of Brainard-Barnes.
“We feel we can prove these three murders,” Mr Tierney told CNN.
“We’re also confident that we’re going to be able to eventually charge that fourth murder.”
Rex Heuermann’s client reveals his ‘chilling’ comments about Gilgo Beach serial killings
Wednesday 19 July 2023 21:20 , Andrea Blanco
A woman who worked with the Gilgo Beach murders suspect has revealed a chilling interaction she had with him last year.
Rex Heuermann, 59, was arrested last week in connection with the murders of Amber Costello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy, whose remains were found along with seven other bodies in the shoreline community of Gilgo Beach in December 2010.
He is also the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, with authorities saying they’re confident more charges loom ahead.
Mr Heuermann lived in Massapequa Park, near the sites where some of the victims were last seen, and has an architecture business in Midtown Manhattan.
Real state agent Jeffrey St Arromand, who worked with Mr Heuermann on a Brooklyn brownstone project last year, told The New York Post that the now alleged serial killer had a bizarre conversation with one of their shared clients.
The female client, who spoke to the Post under the condition of anonymity, said that Mr Heuermann was in charge of renovations to her Crown Heights home, which she was looking to sell at the time.
During one of those exchanges, the woman claims Mr Heuermann brought up the Gilgo Beach slayings.
“I was only with him in my home to review the scope of work,” she said. “I even gave him a ride to his home in Long Island from Brooklyn. At one point on the drive, we talked about the Gilgo Beach murders — we even discussed the burlap and why someone would use that. In retrospect, thinking about that conversation, it’s just bone-chilling.”
Costello, Waterman, Barthelemy and Brainard-Barnes were found within one-quarter mile of each other.
They were bound by belts or tape and some of them were wrapped in burlap.
How Long Island police tied Rex Heuermann to the Gilgo Beach murders
Wednesday 19 July 2023 20:50 , Andrea Blanco
It’s taken 13 years but Suffolk County Police finally say they’ve caught the serial killer who dumped his victims along the shores of Gilgo Beach – thanks to a pimp’s tip about his pickup truck, a stash of burner phones, his wife’s hair and a pizza crust.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:
How pizza crust, burner phones and wife’s hairs led police to Gilgo Beach suspect
Where exactly were the Gilgo Beach murder victims found?
Wednesday 19 July 2023 20:20 , Andrea Blanco
Mother of Gilgo Beach murders victim hopes suspect ‘suffers at hands of other inmates’
Wednesday 19 July 2023 19:48 , Andrea Blanco
Rex Heuermann, 59, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree and three in the second degree over the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello.
The women are among the “Gilgo Four” whose bodies were found along a stretch of Ocean Parkway in Long Island in 2010.
“I’d like him to suffer at the hands of other inmates,” Lynn Barthelemy told NBC News on Friday. “Let him receive what the girls received.”
And she added: “Death is too good for him. It’s too easy.”
Court documents state that Mr Heuermann is also the “prime suspect” in the murder of the fourth woman in that group, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, though he is not facing charges related to her death.
Mr Heuermann, a Manhattan architect who lives in Massapequa Park in Long Island’s Nassau County, was arrested on Friday.
This booking image provided by Suffolk County SheriffâÂÂs Office, shows Rex Heuermann, a Long Island architect who was charged Friday, July 14, 2023, with murder in the deaths of three of the 11 victims in a long-unsolved string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders.
He was taken into custody more than a decade after the first set of remains was discovered on Gilgo Beach in Suffolk County.
The remains of 11 victims have so far been discovered, including Ms Barthelemy’s 24-year-old daughter, Melissa.
“Our family has suffered every day,” added Ms Barthelemy, who lives in upstate New York.
Former escort describes eerie Rex Heuermann ‘date’ where he obsessed over Gilgo Beach murders
Wednesday 19 July 2023 19:24 , Andrea Blanco
Thirteen years after a trail of bodies were discovered in the shoreline community of Gilgo Beach, the Suffolk County Police Department made a long-awaited arrest in the case last week. Rex Heuermann, 59, was taken into custody and charged with the murders of Amber Costello, Melissa Barthelemy and Megan Waterman.
Long Island resident and former escort Nicole Brass has since come forward with claims that she went on a date with Mr Heuermann sometime between 2014 and 2016.
Ms Brass, 34, first claimed in a TikTok video that she had met Mr Heuermann at a seafood restaurant in Port Jefferson and he then decided to bring up the Gilgo Beach murders while trying “to make it look just like someone who was very interested in the case”.
The Independent reports:
Former escort claims Rex Heuermann obsessed over Gilgo Beach murders on ‘date’
WATCH: Neighbour claims he confronted suspected Gilgo Beach killer for leering at his wife
Wednesday 19 July 2023 18:48 , Andrea Blanco
Rex Heuermann was ‘awkward in many ways,’ former colleague says
Wednesday 19 July 2023 18:07 , Andrea Blanco
In the aftermath of Mr Huermann’s arrest last week, 62-year-old design director Niv Miyasota, who worked with the alleged murderer for years, told DailyMail.com that Mr Heuermann “seemed to have no empathy.”
“We used to butt heads sometimes,” Mr Miyasota told the Mail. “I’m a creative so I wanted to maintain my creative position, and he would bring things back to reality.”
“He was socially awkward in many ways ... guess the word for it is, he just didn’t seem to have empathy.
“He was sort of like a cipher, like, what is this person? I didn’t get angry, kind or sad from him. I just got blank. I didn’t get his deal.”
WATCH: Law enforcement brands Rex Heuermann ‘demon who walked among us'
Wednesday 19 July 2023 17:37 , Andrea Blanco
Rex Heuermann’s neighbors describe him as ‘reclusive’
Wednesday 19 July 2023 17:07 , Andrea Blanco
Speaking to The New York Times, Massapequa Park resident Frankie Musto said the Heuermanns were “reclusive” and kept to themselves. Ms Musto said her daughter grew up with Mr Heuermann’s daughter, who would often ask her friend to come over.
“I didn’t want her in that house,” Ms Musto told the Times.
Shanna Gilbert’s family react to news of Rex Heuermann’s arrest
Wednesday 19 July 2023 16:20 , Andrea Blanco
The sister of Shannan Gilbert, whose disappearance in May 2010 led to the discovery of a string of human remains, also spoke out about the arrest.
“I am overwhelmed but relieved that they finally caught him. It’s been a long time coming and I never gave up hope that one day justice would be served,” Sherre Gilbert said in a statement to NBC News.
“The suspect (Rex) deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life. He destroyed many lives so while it won’t bring our loved ones back, it does help that one less monster is off the streets and he can’t ever hurt anyone else!”
These are the women Suffolk County PD believes were murdered by Rex Heuermann
Wednesday 19 July 2023 15:42 , Andrea Blanco
Mr Heuermann, a 59-year-old father of two, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three of second-degree murder over the deaths of slain sex workers Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello and Megan Waterman. He has pleaded not guilty.
Mr Heuermann has not been charged with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes but is the prime suspect in the investigation.
Eerie Google Street View appears to capture Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann chatting to woman near office
Wednesday 19 July 2023 15:12 , Andrea Blanco
An eerie Google Street View image has appeared to capture Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann chatting to an unidentified woman close to his Midtown Manhattan office.
The Independent’s Maroosha Muzaffar reports:
Eerie Google Street View appears to capture Gilgo Beach suspect chatting to woman
Bryan Kohberger’s criminology professor weighs in on Rex Heuermann’s arrest
Wednesday 19 July 2023 14:42 , Andrea Blanco
Prior to his arrest, Mr Heuermann, 59, had outwardly led a normal life, working as an architect in Midtown Manhattan and apparently making very little impression on his neighbours in Massapequa Park.
Renowned forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland, who has interviewed the BTK serial killer Dennis Rader and taught criminal justice graduate Mr Kohberger at DeSales University, said that she wasn’t shocked by the suspect’s lifestyle.
Read more:
Bryan Kohberger’s criminology professor weighs in on Rex Heuermann’s arrest
Las Vegas police investigating potential ties between Mr Heuermann and unsolved cases
Wednesday 19 July 2023 14:00 , Andrea Blanco
Authorities in Las Vegas are reviewing local cold cases for potential links to alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann.
Mr Heuermann, 59, is now being looked at in connection to missing person cases and murders far beyond the shores of Long Island, where he stands accused of murdering three women before dumping their bodies across the community of Gilgo Beach more than a decade ago.
His bombshell arrest on Friday was a major breakthrough after a 2010 investigation led to the gruesome discovery of at least 10 bodies now linked to the Gilgo Beach murders case.
In the aftermath of his arrest, it has emerged that Mr Heuermann, who has pleaded not guilty to the crimes, has ties to both South Carolina and Las Vegas, owning properties in both locations. In a statement to The Independent on Tuesday, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed that the department is probing a link between Mr Heuermann and unsolved cases in the area.
“We are aware of Rex Heuermann’s connection to Las Vegas. We are currently reviewing our unsolved cases to see if he has any involvement,” a spokesperson said.
Gilbert and Taylor families ‘content’ over Rex Heuermann’s arrest
Wednesday 19 July 2023 13:00 , Andrea Blanco
Attorney John Ray represents the families of Gilbert and Jessica Taylor,
Mr Ray said his clients have welcomed news of the arrest and now hope their loved ones’ killer or killers will also face the criminal system.
“Both families are very happy that this man was caught and they’re happy for the other family members of the other victims,” Mr Ray told The Independent.
“But the murderer of their loved ones has not been found. And even if it turns out to be this Tyrannosaurus Rex monster, there’s no solace in the end. Justice is an idea, but it’s not a feeling in a sense, and their feelings and their senses are still hurt and this resurrected those feelings. So it’s a bittersweet condition.”
Long Island police reveal how Rex Heuermann’s family reacted to his arrest for Gilgo Beach murders
Wednesday 19 July 2023 12:00 , Andrea Blanco
The family of Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann was disgusted and shocked to learn about the damning evidence linking him to at least three murders, according to law enforcement.
Mr Heuermann’s bombshell arrest last sent shockwaves across the shoreline community of Gilgo Beach in Long Island following 13 years of unanswered questions over a trail of bodies found in the area. The married father-of-two is facing six charges over the murders of Amber Castello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy — all sex workers in their 20s whose bodies were found during a missing persons investigation in 2010.
He is also the prime suspect in the murder of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard- Barnes, with authorities saying more charges are expected. The Suffolk County Police Department is also probing potential ties to the other six bodies linked to the Gilgo Beach case, as well as other murders nationwide.
Everything we know about Gilgo Beach murder victims
Wednesday 19 July 2023 11:00 , Andrea Blanco
Court records show that Mr Heuermann was further linked to the mystery through DNA obtained from a discarded pizza box, the records relating to a trove of burner phones he allegedly used to contact the murdered women and his wife’s hair being found on one of the victim’s bodies.
The Independent’s Joe Sommerlad reports:
What we know about the Gilgo Beach murder victims
Netflix 2020 documentary ‘Lost Girls’ delved into Gilgo Beach murders
Wednesday 19 July 2023 10:00 , Andrea Blanco
Most of the Gilgo Beach murders victims were young women who had been sex workers.
Their deaths long stumped investigators, and the mystery fueled immense public attention and led to a 2020 Netflix film, “Lost Girls.”
A two-hour documentary also aired on A&E that year, and the deaths were covered on CBS’ “48 Hours.”
This is what the Gilgo Beach mruders suspect asked police after his arrest
Wednesday 19 July 2023 09:00 , Andrea Blanco
Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann had just one chilling question for jail officials following his arrest last week, it has been revealed.
As the 59-year-old married father-of-two was processed into Suffolk County Jail on a string of murder charges, sources told CNN he was curious about his newfound notoriety.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:
Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect had one chilling question after his arrest
Officials are ‘confident’ that Mr Heuermann will soon be charged with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes
Wednesday 19 July 2023 08:00 , Rachel Sharp
Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann is now expected to be charged with a fourth murder – as tips and evidence pour in following his shock arrest last week.
The 59-year-old married father-of-two – who has lived on Long Island his entire life and runs an architecture firm in Manhattan – was arrested on 13 July and charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello.
He is also the prime suspect in the murder of a fourth woman Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who was last seen alive in New York City in early June 2007.
All four women – known as the “Gilgo Beach Four” – worked as sex workers and vanished after going to meet clients.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said on Monday that officials are “confident” that Mr Heuermann will soon be charged with the murder of Brainard-Barnes.
“We feel we can prove these three murders,” Mr Tierney told CNN.
“We’re also confident that we’re going to be able to eventually charge that fourth murder.”
The evidence linking Rex Heuermann to police
Wednesday 19 July 2023 07:00 , Andrea Blanco
It’s taken 13 years but Suffolk County Police finally say they’ve caught the serial killer who dumped his victims along the shores of Gilgo Beach – thanks to a pimp’s tip about his pickup truck, a stash of burner phones, his wife’s hair and a pizza crust.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:
How pizza crust, burner phones and wife’s hairs led police to Gilgo Beach suspect
Police believe suspect may have kept ‘trophy’ from crimes
Wednesday 19 July 2023 06:00 , Andrea Blanco
Suffolk Police Officers executed a search warrant at a single unit at Omega Self Storage in Amityville late on Sunday night, according to PIX 11.
Police confirmed to the local outlet that the search was part of the investigation into the Manhattan architect’s alleged murders of at least three women whose bodies were found dumped on the shores of Gilgo Beach over a decade ago.
The storage unit is just two miles from the married father-of-two’s home in Massapequa Park which investigators have been combing for evidence – and possible trophies and body parts – linking him to the slayings.
“He’s a monster,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told PIX 11. “It was a very cluttered house. He was like a pack rat.”
Mother of Gilgo Beach murders victim hopes suspect ‘suffers at hands of other inmates’
Wednesday 19 July 2023 05:00 , Graeme Massie
Rex Heuermann, 59, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree and three in the second degree over the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello.
The women are among the “Gilgo Four” whose bodies were found along a stretch of Ocean Parkway in Long Island in 2010.
“I’d like him to suffer at the hands of other inmates,” Lynn Barthelemy told NBC News on Friday. “Let him receive what the girls received.”
And she added: “Death is too good for him. It’s too easy.”
Court documents state that Mr Heuermann is also the “prime suspect” in the murder of the fourth woman in that group, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, though he is not facing charges related to her death.
Mr Heuermann, a Manhattan architect who lives in Massapequa Park in Long Island’s Nassau County, was arrested on Friday.
This booking image provided by Suffolk County SheriffâÂÂs Office, shows Rex Heuermann, a Long Island architect who was charged Friday, July 14, 2023, with murder in the deaths of three of the 11 victims in a long-unsolved string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders.
He was taken into custody more than a decade after the first set of remains was discovered on Gilgo Beach in Suffolk County.
The remains of 11 victims have so far been discovered, including Ms Barthelemy’s 24-year-old daughter, Melissa.
“Our family has suffered every day,” added Ms Barthelemy, who lives in upstate New York.
Who is Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann?
Wednesday 19 July 2023 04:00 , Andrea Blanco
A Manhattan architect and father-of-two has been arrested in connection to one of the most infamous unsolved serial killer cases along the East Coast. So who really is Rex Heuermann?
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:
Rex Heuermann: Who is serial killer suspect in Gilgo Beach murders
‘They’re going through utter hell:’ BTK Killer’s daughter sympathises with Gilgo Beach suspect’s family
Wednesday 19 July 2023 03:00 , Andrea Blanco
Kerri Rawson was just 26 when her father was unmasked in 2005 as the BTK predator who’d terrorised Kansas for more than three decades. Now a victim advocate and 45-year-old mother, she exclusively tells The Independent’s Sheila Flynn that she’s ‘heartbroken’ as another family comes to terms with a loved one’s arrest in the Long Island serial killer case.
BTK Killer’s daughter sympathises with Gilgo Beach suspect’s family: ‘Utter hell’
Rex Heuermann’s lawyer says suspect is loving father and husband’
Wednesday 19 July 2023 02:00 , Andrea Blanco
Mr Heuermann, 59, was ordered held without bail on Friday after pleading not guilty to six counts of murder over the deaths of Gilgo Beach murder victims Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello and Megan Waterman.
He is also the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes. The women, all sex workers in their 20s, were found within one-quarter mile of each other in December 2010 during a separate missing persons investigation in the Long Island community of Gilgo Beach.
The married father of two lived in Massapequa Park, where the victims were last seen, while his architecture consulting firm is located near the area in Midtown Manhattan, where taunting calls were made to the women’s families. His wife’s hair and his DNA evidence matched evidence found at the crime scene, while forensic analysis of his cellphone records and chilling online searches have further tied him to the crime, police said.
But despite the damning evidence, Mr Heuermann’s defence attorney says that his client is nothing but a “loving husband” and “devoted father”, also suggesting that the Suffolk County task force leading the investigation is ignoring “stronger leads.”
“Rex Heuermann is 59 years old with no prior criminal history,” criminal defence lawyer Michael Brown said in a statement to News 12 Long Island. “He is a loving husband to his wife of over 25 years and an involved and dedicated father to his daughter and stepson.
“There is nothing about Mr Heuermann that would suggest that he is involved in these incidents.
“And while the government has decided to focus on him despite more significant and stronger leads, we are looking forward to defending him in a court of law before a fair and impartial jury of his peers.”
WATCH: Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann ‘a demon that walks amongst us’, police say
Wednesday 19 July 2023 01:00 , Andrea Blanco
Rex Heuermann’s string of car crash lawsuits and tax issues revealed
Wednesday 19 July 2023 00:00 , Andrea Blanco
In the aftermath of his arrest, court records have resurfaced indicating that Mr Heuermann has a history of filing lawsuits against several drivers. Mr Heuermann has filed at least four suits claiming to have been hit by vehicles, allegedly sustaining “serious and permanent personal injuries,” CNN reports.
Three of the lawsuits, filed since 2014, have been settled or discontinued. The most recent one, which was filed in 2022, remains ongoing.
Mr Heuermann is president of the architecture firm RH Consultants & Associates, a company he founded in 1994.
On his company website, Mr Heuermann boasted about working with the likes of Catholic Charities, NYC-DEP Sewerage Treatment and American Airlines and other major tenants at the JFK International Airport.
Records obtained by CNN show that one associate described his work as a “not a pleasant process” in a civil court hearing in 2018. The associate said that “[he didn’t] want to be Mr Heuermann in that respect for a minute.”
Rudy Giuliani sparks backlash with bizarre appearance at Gilgo Beach murder suspect’s home
Tuesday 18 July 2023 23:00 , Andrea Blanco
Rudy Giuliani stirred backlash with a bizarre appearance at the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer’s home.
The former New York mayor was driven up to the property of suspect Rex Heuermann on Long Island as investigators continued to comb through it and remove items on Saturday following his arrest two days earlier.
Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer sat in his car and chatted with police officers outside the property in the Massapequa Park neighbourhood before driving away.
A spokesperson for Mr Giuliani told The New York Post that he was there to cover the case as part of a new livestream show.
“Mayor Rudy Giuliani – one of the most effective federal prosecutors in American history – was on scene to cover this heinous crime as part of his hit new livestream show, ‘America’s Mayor Live’,” said Ted Goodman, Mr Giuliani’s political adviser.
“The mayor commends all involved in the case, but knows there is still work to be done in order to deliver justice.”
The drop-by visit drew confused reactions on social media, with users calling it “creepy” and “weird” that Mr Giuliani was inserting himself in the case.
Mr Heuermann, 59, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree and three in the second degree over the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello.
Shanna Gilbert’s family react to news of Rex Heuermann’s arrest
Tuesday 18 July 2023 22:12 , Graeme Massie
The sister of Shannan Gilbert, whose disappearance in May 2010 led to the discovery of a string of human remains, also spoke out about the arrest.
“I am overwhelmed but relieved that they finally caught him. It’s been a long time coming and I never gave up hope that one day justice would be served,” Sherre Gilbert said in a statement to NBC News.
“The suspect (Rex) deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life. He destroyed many lives so while it won’t bring our loved ones back, it does help that one less monster is off the streets and he can’t ever hurt anyone else!”
Las Vegas police investigating potential ties between Mr Heuermann and unsolved cases
Tuesday 18 July 2023 21:20 , Andrea Blanco
Mr Heuermann lived close to Gilgo Beach in Massapequa Park, Long Island, but worked in the heart of Midtown Manhattan where he runs an architecture firm. Some of the victims were last seen alive in the city.
Yet, Mr Heuermann also has ties to both South Carolina and Las Vegas, owning properties in both locations.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement to The Independent on Tuesday: “We are aware of Rex Heuermann’s connection to Las Vegas. We are currently reviewing our unsolved cases to see if he has any involvement.’
Gilgo Beach murder suspect may have had female accomplice, attorney for victim families says
Tuesday 18 July 2023 20:50 , Andrea Blanco
“We have a number of reasons to think a woman may have been involved,” attorney John Ray tells The Independent.
Gilgo Beach murder suspect may have had female accomplice, attorney says
Defence claims Suffolk County Police is ignoring ‘stronger leads'
Tuesday 18 July 2023 20:20 , Andrea Blanco
Mr Heuermann lived in Massapequa Park with his wife of more than 25 years. His attorney said in a statement last week that Mr Heuermann is nothing but a “loving husband” and “devoted father and suggested that the Suffolk County task force leading the investigation is ignoring “stronger leads.”
“Rex Heuermann is 59 years old with no prior criminal history,” criminal defence lawyer Michael Brown said in a statement to News 12 Long Island. “He is a loving husband to his wife of over 25 years and an involved and dedicated father to his daughter and stepson.
“There is nothing about Mr Heuermann that would suggest that he is involved in these incidents.
“And while the government has decided to focus on him despite more significant and stronger leads, we are looking forward to defending him in a court of law before a fair and impartial jury of his peers.”
Mr Heuermann’s family cooperating with police
Tuesday 18 July 2023 20:10 , Andrea Blanco
Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told CNN that Mr Heuermann’s family had reacted with shock to his arrest and are now cooperating with the investigation. Before being taken into custody, Mr Heuermann, 59, had outwardly led a normal life, working as an architect in Midtown Manhattan and making very little impression on his neighbours in Massapequa Park.
“They were disgusted. They were embarrassed,” Mr Harrison said. “So, if you ask me, I don’t believe they knew about this double life that Heuermann was living.”
Rex Heuermann’s DNA has been entered into statewide databse
Tuesday 18 July 2023 19:53 , Andrea Blanco
An NYPD official told ABC News that the married father-of-two’s DNA has been entered into a statewide database and that his alleged MO is being compared to other cases across New York state – including those during the period he was allegedly active in Gilgo Beach.
Lawyer for family of Gilgo Beach murders victim shares suspicion woman may be involved
Tuesday 18 July 2023 19:21 , Andrea Blanco
Attorney John Ray represents the families of Shannan Gilbert and Jessica Taylor. Mr Ray told The Independent on Tuesday that he has long suspected that a woman may have helped the killer lure the victims.
“We have a number of reasons to think a woman may have been involved. Nothing is certain here, [I want] to emphasize that, but there was some evidence that a woman was involved,” Mr Ray said.
The attorney said that some of the evidence that could suggest a woman was involved in the killings is the way a baby Doe’s body was found.
The child’s mother, dubbed “Peaches” for a tattoo on her torso, was found in Nassau County in 1997. Additional remains and those of her child were found years later, and the murders have been linked to the Gilgo Beach case.
“The baby was wrapped in a blanket of some kind. And that’s something, you know, if you’re a depraved murderer, as a man ... Would you take the time to do that?” Mr Ray said. “But a mother might do that. That’s just one I use that as one of several reasons why we think that, but we don’t have any dispositive evidence that it was so.”
Young mothers, a recovering addict – and tragic disappearances: What we know about Gilgo Beach murder victims
Tuesday 18 July 2023 18:56 , Andrea Blanco
New York architect Rex Heuermann has pleaded not guilty after being charged with killing of three women found dead near Long Island seafront a decade ago.
The Independent’s Joe Sommerlad reports:
What we know about the Gilgo Beach murder victims
How many bodies were recovered in 2010?
Tuesday 18 July 2023 18:07 , Andrea Blanco
The Gilgo Beach murders stumped police in the gated community in Long Island for more than a decade. It began in May 2010 when Shannan Gilbert, a 24-year-old sex worker, vanished after leaving a client’s house and an investigation into her disappearance led authorities to a trail of young women’s remains.
Eleven bodies were recovered along a stretch of a remote highway, prompting fears of a serial killer terrorising the area. Some of the victims were identified, while the identities of a young Asian male, a female dubbed “Peaches” for a tattoo on her body, and her toddler remain a mystery to this day.
Last week, an interagency task force investigating the murders arrested 59-year-old Manhattan architect Rex Heuermann, reigniting hopes that the victims’ families might finally be able to obtain justice.
Mr Heuermann is only facing charges for the murders of three of the Gilgo Beach murder victims — Amber Costello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy. But authorities have revealed they’re confident further charges over the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes are pending, and haven’t ruled out the possibility that the disgraced architect could become the prime suspect in the other slayings.
Gilgo Beach murders were featured in 2020 Netflix documentary
Tuesday 18 July 2023 17:39 , Andrea Blanco
Most of the Gilgo Beach murders victims were young women who had been sex workers.
Their deaths long stumped investigators, and the mystery fueled immense public attention and led to a 2020 Netflix film, “Lost Girls.”
A two-hour documentary also aired on A&E that year, and the deaths were covered on CBS’ “48 Hours.”
