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Asa Ellerup, the estranged wife of suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann, attended his court proceedings for the first time since his July arrest in the Gilgo Beach murders. She filed for divorce from him less than a week after his arrest.
Heuermann’s court appearance in Suffolk County, New York Wednesday was held to work out scheduling issues between attorneys. The 60-year-old is charged with the murders of three sex workers whose bodies were found in the Gilgo Beach area of Long Island in 2010.
What did Rex Heuermann’s lawyer say about Asa Ellerup’s court appearance?
According to Heuermann’s lawyer Michael Brown, the accused killer was “appreciative” that Ellerup, 59, showed up in court, Fox News reported. “And listen, they were married for so many years, and they raised a family together. And my understanding is, is that she doesn’t believe that he was capable or committed these acts,” Brown said.
According to the news outlet, Ellerup seemed unemotional while her estranged husband was ushered into the courtroom, other than a quick smile as he turned toward her.
Why did Asa Ellerup attend one of her estranged husband Rex Heuermann’s court appearances?
Ellerup, who visited Heuermann in jail last week for the first time, was accompanied by her attorney Bob Macedonio, who said his client “wants to see and hear the evidence that’s presented in court.” He added, according to Newsday: “The only thing she knows about this case is what’s been reported in the media. … If this happened, he was living a complete double life.”
In July, Ellerup filed for divorce less than a week after her husband was arrested on three counts each of first- and second-degree murder in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Megan Waterman, 22; and Amber Lynn Costello, 27. All of the victims were sex workers whose remains were uncovered in December of 2010. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
He is also the main suspect in the killing of 25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes, though hasn’t been brought up on charges in that instance.
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Heuermann was served with divorce papers while he was in jail on September 22, after 27 years of marriage to Ellerup, Newsday reported.
Macedonio said in August that Ellerup had been battling skin and breast cancer, and was undergoing treatment. He said this week when asked how his client was doing that Ellerup is still dealing with health issues, but that “she’s doing better.”
“This has become the new normal,” he told Fox News outside the courthouse. “She’s moving on with life as best she can for her and her children.”
After Heuermann’s arrest, Ellerup claimed she was left without a mattress following police’s initial search of the home she shared with her husband.
“I woke up in the middle of the night, shivering,” Ellerup said in a July 31 interview with the New York Post. “My children cry themselves to sleep. 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.”
Heuermann, a former Manhattan architect, has been held without bond since his July arrest. Police linked him to the murders with a DNA match found on discarded pizza crust.
Prosecutors have determined that Ellerup and her two children were out of state at the time the murders were committed.
According to her attorney, Ellerup is now under contract with a production company, according to ABC News.
The news outlet also reported that Heuermann is due back in court February 6. Police recently widened their investigation to look into Heuermann’s potential involvement in two other murder victims found near Gilgo Beach.
