what to know
- The wife of a man accused of killing at least three women found dead on Long Island, New York, is living a “surreal nightmare.” That’s according to her lawyer, who spoke to reporters on Friday.
- Rex Heuermann was charged last month in the deaths of three women and is the prime suspect in a fourth.
- Lawyers for his wife, Asa Ellerup, say authorities left the family home “in ruins” while they searched for evidence in the case. The Suffolk County District Attorney said police followed standard procedure during their 12-day search of the home.
NEW YORK — The wife of Rex Heuermann, the man accused of killing at least three women and burying their bodies on a remote coastal road, is living a “surreal waking nightmare,” her lawyer said Friday, struggling to pay for the man’s treatment. cancer while living in a house vandalized by researchers.
At a news conference on Long Island, lawyers for Heuermann’s estranged wife, Asa Ellerup, and their two adult children complained that police left the house in ruins while they searched for possible evidence.
“Their valuables were smashed, their places were destroyed, the places where they laid their heads no longer exist,” said Vess Mitev, a lawyer who also represents Heuermann’s daughter, Victoria, 26, and Heuermann’s stepson. 34 years. Christopher Sheridan. “They are going through a horrible emotional time that none of us can imagine.”
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said police followed standard procedure during their 12-day search of the home.
Ellerup is struggling to find a way to pay for her breast and skin cancer treatment once her health insurance, which is tied to her husband’s job, runs out later this year, her lawyers said. Ellerup filed for divorce last month.
The family has raised more than $40,000 through a GoFundMe started by Melissa Moore, the daughter of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, known as the “smiley face killer.”
That crowdfunding campaign drew complaints from John Ray, an attorney for Shannan Gilbert, a woman found dead in a coastal marsh on the same barrier island as the women Heurmann is accused of killing. He urged the public not to donate to the family.
Suffolk Police concluded that Gilbert accidentally drowned, a finding her family has not accepted, believing she too died.
Heuermann, 59, was charged last month in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello and Megan Waterman. He is the prime suspect in the death of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, prosecutors said. All four women were believed to be engaged in sex work prior to her disappearance. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Bob Macedonio, an attorney for Ellerup, said Heuermann was living a “complete double life,” with his wife and children in the dark about his alleged crimes. Lawyers shared a photo of the Heuermann family at Christmas 2011, just over a year after the disappearance of his last victim, showing wrapped gifts under an ornate tree in the family’s living room.
Authorities have not contacted any family members, attorneys said. Ellerup has spoken to her husband on the phone, but she has not visited him.
Heuermann is due back in court on September 27. Lawyers for his estranged wife have said they plan to sue law enforcement agencies for the damage to the home.
