The wife of alleged Gilgo Beach murderer Rex Heuermann, 59-year-old Asa Ellerup, spoke to the press this Monday regarding the accusations against her husband and what the situation has done to her family.
After Heuermann’s surprising arrest on July 13th, Ellerup along with her two kids, 33-year-old Christopher Sheridan and 26-year-old Victoria Heuermann, were forced out of their Long Island home for the police to search the property. Bob Macedonio, Ellerup’s lawyer, told reporters that Ellerup was “blindsided” by the arrest and “in complete shock. Completely caught by surprise.” She has filed for divorce since Heuermann’s arrest 2 weeks ago.
Last week the police finally concluded their search of Heuermann’s property, allowing the family to return to their home for the first time in nearly 2 full weeks. During that time, the Suffolk County and state police were ravaging through the home and digging up the backyard, searching for incriminating evidence or “trophies” from the killings.
Heuermann is being charged with 3 counts of murder for the 2010 deaths of Amber Lynn Costello, Melissa Barthelemy, and Megan Waterman. He is also the prime suspect in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes; along with the other three girls, they are known collectively as the “Gilgo Four.”
Ellerup told reporters that she has continued to struggle with anxiety since the investigation of their home in Long Island, explaining that the damage is so extensive that she no longer has a usable bed to sleep in. She explained the family’s sleepless night in the destroyed house, saying that she “woke up in the middle of the night, shivering” while her “children cry themselves to sleep.” Ellerup continued to say, “I mean, they’re not children. They’re grown adults but they’re my children, and my son has developmental disabilities and he cried himself to sleep.” She also said that her daughter Victoria has expressed that she has felt “not human” since the incident. Macedonio elaborated on this, saying, “She meant what they’ve done to them and the family is not even human. They were just complete animals. They treated them like animals.”
Despite the destruction in the house and property, Ellerup says that the house is “the only thing I’ve got. We did get another chair out from the basement and upstairs so me and my son can sit and talk. He’s so distraught and doesn’t understand, and as a mother, I have no answers for him. But I said, ‘We’re together, that’s what really matters right now. That you and me are sitting here together and we will get through this.’”
The house was left in shambles as the police left, concluding their search. Ellerup said that she “might have had a few steps of walking space between [the] front door and the kitchen.” The family had three cats in the home, who’s litter boxes were thrown all about. The couch was “completely shredded,” a piece of the bathtub and piece of the tile floor were missing from the bathroom, and the greenhouse in the backyard was entirely ripped out of the ground.
The police took some seemingly irrelevant items into custody, like Victoria’s Dungeons & Dragons Magic cards, and broke other family items, like Christopher’s guitar. The family’s lawyer said on Monday that they “just got back from the residence” and they are “making an itemized list of all things. Since [Ellerup] just returned home, we don’t know the extent of the damage or what’s missing. We’ll be in touch with the DA’s office.”
Meanwhile, accused Rex Heuermann maintains his plea of not guilty and has not received any visits from his family. Heuermann will be seen in court today for a short hearing.