The accused Gilgo Beach serial killer’s wife has spoken with him since his arrest, her lawyer said Tuesday, adding that she hasn’t been questioned by investigators.
Newsday reports that attorney Robert Macedonio is currently representing Heuermann’s wife, Asa Ellerup, in her divorce proceedings against him. Macendio said that his client hasn’t seen Heuremann since his arrest last month.
“She has not visited him at the facility yet,” Macedonio said.
But, he said, “they have spoken,” although he declined to say what the conversations he categorized as “personal” were about.
Macedonio said Ellerup was “blindsided” by Heuermann’s arrest and left shocked and disappointed.
“She was completely blindsided by the whole event,” Macedonio said. “It was like getting hit by a Mack Truck walking on 42nd street. Obviously, her head was just spinning.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Heuermann has been connected with the deaths of three of the four women known collectively as the “Gilgo Four.” The bodies were found within days of each other on Gilgo Beach in December 2010. All four women were buried in burlap sacks.
He was arrested on July 13 as he left his Manhattan office where he worked as an architect.
He’s now charged with six counts of murder in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Megan Waterman, 22; and Amber Lynn Costello, 27; and is the prime suspect in the death of 25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Macedonio said that he “can’t even speculate at this point” whether Esserup will be cooperating with authorities in the criminal investigation against Heuermann, stating that they “haven’t been asked.”
A spokesperson for Suffolk DA Ray Tierney declined to comment on whether investigators have or have not questioned Esserup.
Macedonio said that Esserup could possibly qualify for spousal immunity which would prevent her from having to testify against Heuermann.
“She needs to protect herself and her family. Her own self, her own assets.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Ellerup and her two adult children, to help them out financially after they were forced to leave their Massapequa Park home for days while police searched the residence.
“The floors are ripped up,” Macedonio said. “Mattresses were taken. The couch was cut open. There’s holes in part of the walls. Right now, they’re going through everything, sorting through everything, trying to obtain new mattresses.”
Meanwhile, Heuermann remains behind bars at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility without bail. Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon said Heuermann is in an isolated cell alone and appears to be “comfortable.”
“He’s in the cell by himself, he’s receiving all the services that any other person who’s incarcerated will receive,” Toulon previously told WCBS 880.
“It seems like he’s very comfortable in his cell and his surroundings. He’s indicated to my staff that he would not be any issue to us and would be extremely compliant, so we’ll see how that plays out in the days and weeks ahead.”
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Asa Ellerup/Facebook; Rex Heuermann/Suffolk County Police Department via AP]
