Rex Heuermann: The Chilling Truth About The Alleged Gilgo Beach Serial Killer

On July 13, 2023, a Long Island-based architect named Rex Heuermann was arrested and charged for his alleged involvement in the Gilgo Beach murders that had remained unsolved for over a decade. According to CNN, Heuermann was charged with six counts of murder for the deaths of three of the infamous "Gilgo Four" victims, but he's also considered the "prime suspect" for the fourth victim. He pleaded not guilty to all counts and maintained his innocence upon his arrest. "I did not do this," he reportedly told his lawyer.

For so long, authorities were at a dead end regarding the suspect behind the string of murders. "These young women went missing between July 2007 and September 2010. They were found in September 2010 by the Suffolk County Police Department, and then there was nothing, absolutely nothing," Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at a press conference. "For the next 13 years, their cases went unsolved. Until today." 

But who is Rex Heuermann, really? And why did it take years before he was arrested?

The news of Rex Heuermann's alleged involvement in the Gilgo Beach murders left many who knew him completely taken aback. Rosemarie Kafka, one of his longtime neighbors, told NBC News that she never pegged him as someone who would do such things. "You know, the regular guy who goes to work, has kids in the local school and in a good neighborhood," she said. As it turns out, Heuermann is a registered architect who owns a New York City-based firm called RH Architecture. According to the company website, he founded it in 1994, and for over three decades, they have been servicing various builders, developers, non-profit agencies, city agencies, and more.

Even Heuermann's employees couldn't believe that he was capable of committing murder, as he didn't exhibit any disturbing behavior. Damien Richards, who has been working under him since 2020, said that the father of two was just like any other boss. "Depending on his day, like most bosses in this industry, when he's having a good day he's alright," he noted, per Fox 59. "But when not, he's not the best person to be around."

However, until his arrest, authorities found that Heuermann not only continued to hire sex workers through burner phones but also reportedly searched for troubling content on the internet, including child pornography. "Rex Heuermann is a demon that walks among us," Suffolk County Police Commission Rodney Harrison said at the press conference. "A predator that ruined families. If not for the members of this task force he would still be on the streets today. Even with the arrest, we are still not done."

Shortly after Rex Heuermann's arrest, Billy Baldwin, the younger brother of Alec Baldwin, took to Twitter to express his shock and reveal that he was classmates with the suspect in high school. "Woke up this morning to learn that the Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect was my high school classmate Rex Heuermann," he wrote, noting that they were both part of the class of 1981 of Benner High School in Massapequa, New York. "Mind-boggling... Massapequa is in shock. 23andMe strikes again???"

Some of their classmates also went on to confirm that Heuermann wasn't someone they expected to become a murderer. "He used to leave me little love notes in my locker," one Benner High School alumni commented on Facebook.

Heuermann may face life in prison if found guilty of the Gilgo Beach murders. Lynn Barthelemy, the mother of one of the victims, told NBC News that she hopes Heuermann will "suffer" while incarcerated. "I'd like him to suffer at the hands of other inmates. Let him receive what the girls received," she said. "Death is too good for him. It's too easy." Sherre Gilbert, sister of victim Shannan Gilbert, shared the same sentiment. "The suspect (Rex) deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life," she told the outlet. "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!"

A 13-year investigation into the Gilgo Beach murders seemingly came to its conclusion when architect Rex Heuermann was arrested on July 13, 2023. Incredibly, Heuermann was apprehended after DNA from his discarded pizza crusts was found to match the DNA from a male hair found on one of the victims' bodies, per The Washington Post. 

According to court records shared by the publication, police obtained the leftovers from a garbage can in January 2023. After swabbing the pizza crusts, it was discovered in June 2023 that Heuermann's DNA matched the hair found with Megan Waterman, one of the Gilgo Beach victims, and the suspect was arrested soon after. 

A similar method was used to catch the Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo, in 2018. Investigators obtained DeAngelo's DNA from his car door handle while he was shopping, which they matched to evidence found during the Golden State Killer's crimes, according to USA Today. In both cases, the stealthy work of investigators helped to obtain DNA from unlikely places, leading to the arrests of two previously evasive alleged murderers.

Rex Heuermann has been charged with the murders of three women, all of whom were sex workers and were found dead on Long Island's Gilgo Beach between 2009 and 2011. While Heuermann wasn't apprehended until 2023, he apparently had a proclivity for escorts and sex workers, and allegedly spoke about the unsolved murders with at least one woman he tried to date. 

Hairstylist and former escort Nicole Brass appeared on "NewsNation" to allege that she'd been on a date with Heuermann in 2015, and that the conversation had quickly turned to true crime. According to Brass, Heuermann asked, "'Well, have you heard of the Gilgo Beach murders?' And I said, 'Yeah, everybody from Long Island has, we're all following that case.' And then he started like talking about it."

Further describing her encounter with Heuermann, Brass claimed of their discussion about the Gilgo Beach murders, "His body language kind of changed, and his eyes were like as if he was in a different place, like he was picturing it all over again." Following the date, Brass refused to get in a car with Heuermann and told him she didn't want to go back to his house, which apparently annoyed him. "He tried to give me a hug goodbye, but it was very uncomfortable and weird," Brass told "NewsNation."

Following Rex Heuermann's arrest, it was revealed that the alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer had as many as 200 guns in his Massapequa home. Rodney Harrison, Suffolk County's Police Commissioner, told "Fox & Friends," "He had an arsenal in a vault that he had downstairs." Harrison continued, "It's concerning, regarding the guns being registered or legal or not, that's something we're still taking a look at." He added, "Anytime somebody has that type of arsenal we have some concerns."

According to CNN, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney revealed at a press conference that Heuermann had permits for 92 guns. "He has a very large safe in which guns are kept," Tierney said. "We are continuing to execute search warrants."

Heuermann was placed under arrest for the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, and is suspected of also killing Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Fox News reported. Heuermann was tied to the murders after his vehicle, a Chevy Avalanche, was linked to a witness sighting at one of the victim's houses. While it's unclear whether Heuermann's gun collection is legal, the array of weapons found at his house certainly seems alarming given the crimes he's been accused of.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, some of Rex Heuermann's Massapequa Park neighbors weren't the biggest fans of the father-of-two. In a report by The New York Times, neighbors described Heuermann's allegedly threatening demeanor, suggesting that he was largely unapproachable in the Long Island neighborhood. One neighbor, Nicholas Ferchaw, told the outlet, "We would cross the street. He was somebody you don't want to approach." Neighbors also claimed that Heuermann had been seen in his front yard with an ax, and that he gave passersby intimidating looks. Of the arrest, Ferchaw added, "I wasn't surprised at all — because of all the creepiness."

According to another neighbor, Mike Schmidt, it was commonplace to joke about Heuermann. Revealing that his friend lived in the house directly behind Heuermann's property, Schmidt claimed that they would sometimes sit in the yard and joke, "He probably has bodies there." Schmidt also suggested that people were scared to approach Heuermann's house on Halloween, but that the architect did hand out bountiful candy one year, much to their surprise. 

In a now-private YouTube video (via NBC News), originally posted by Bonjour Realty in 2022, Rex Heuermann spoke about his hobbies, which apparently included making furniture. "I build furniture at home and I still build it in the same exact workshop," Heuermann explained. "I have one tool that's pretty much used in almost every job, and it's actually a cabinet maker's hammer. It is persuasive enough when I need to persuade something." When asked if he meant someone instead of something, Heuermann replied, "Something, and it always yields excellent results." 

According to NBC News, Heuermann also revealed during the interview that he was taught to build furniture by his father, whom the suspect reportedly called a satellite-building aerospace engineer. While Heuermann's hobby isn't necessarily suspicious on its own, some have argued that his penchant for using a cabinet maker's hammer to achieve his wanted results seems to speak to the violence involved in the crimes of which he is accused. In an exclusive interview with Nicki Swift, for example, body language expert Mark Bowden tied Heuermann's described use of this tool to a potential superiority complex and desire for control and dominance.

Along with DNA evidence, Rex Heuermann was connected to three of the Gilgo Beach murders via burner phones, which reportedly placed him at the locations of some of the murders. Investigators gained access to Heuermann's cellphone records, with Suffolk County prosecutors revealing in court documents (via NBC News), "A review of these records, as well as Heuermann's American Express records, showed numerous instances where Heuermann was located in the same general locations as the burner cellphones used to contact victims [Melissa] Barthelemy, [Megan] Waterman, and [Amber] Costello." 

"Significantly, investigators could find no instance where Heuermann was in a separate location from these other cellphones when such a communication event occurred," Suffolk County prosecutors further stated in court records. When viewed alongside the DNA evidence, as well as Heuermann's possession of the Chevy Avalanche, which was also tied to the investigation, the burner phone evidence appears to carry even more weight.

Rex Heuermann's discarded pizza crusts may have led to his eventual arrest for the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, but that isn't the only wild detail of the case. As well as linking Heuermann's own DNA to one of the victims, investigators also managed to link hair from his wife, Asa Ellerup, to the murders. According to CNN, in the bail application, prosecutors detailed that Ellerup's hair was discovered either next to or on the bodies of three of the Gilgo Beach murder victims. It's suspected that the hair was transferred onto the victims from Heuermann's clothes, rather than from Ellerup herself. It was also revealed that the progress made in DNA testing in the decade since the murders were committed has aided detectives in narrowing down their suspect.

In a news conference, per CNN, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney revealed that Ellerup was out of town when the murders were committed, suggesting that Heuermann allegedly acted alone. Of Heuermann's wife and kids, Suffolk County's Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said, "If you ask me, I don't believe, that they knew about this double life that Mr. Heuermann was living." Heuermann and Ellerup share two children.

Rex Heuermann's July 13, 2023 arrest was apparently a huge surprise for his family — wife Asa Ellerup, daughter Victoria, and a son, whose name has not yet been reported. One week after Heuermann's arrest, Ellerup filed for divorce from her husband of 27 years. The filing, which was made at the Suffolk County Supreme Court, was for an "uncontested" divorce, per ABC News.

Following news of Heuermann's arrest for the murders of three women, Ellerup's lawyer, Bob Macedonio, told Fox News, "This is all still a whirlwind. [Ellerup] and her children's lives have been completely turned upside-down." Describing the entire family's shocked response, Macedonia noted, "They were home and the cops came in, and they were completely blindsided, and they told them what was going on."

Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. Investigators have seemingly not ruled out the prospect that Heuermann's family had any knowledge of his alleged behavior. Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told CNN that the investigation would continue "to see if the family might have known exactly what Mr. Heuermann was up to."

While Rex Heuermann allegedly made a negative impact on some of his neighbors, he was apparently a well-respected businessman. Property manager Steve Kramberg worked with Heuermann over a period of three decades and told The New York Times, "[He's] a gem to deal with, highly knowledgeable." Kramberg also called his colleague "a big goofy guy, a little bit on the nerdy side," and suggested that Heuermann was extremely committed to his career. "He was very good at shepherding things through," Kramberg told the publication. Kramberg also seemed to have knowledge of Heuermann's wife and mother, and he alleged that Heuermann was a family man. 

However, other people who worked with Heuermann over the years had a different experience. Kelly Parisi told The New York Times that the suspected murderer was "adversarial with everyone ... overly fastidious." Paul Teitelbaum, who also witnessed Heuermann's work, claimed, "[He's] a really kind of cold and distant person, kind of creepy. ... There was a swagger — 'I'm the expert, you're lucky to have me.'" 

While opinions of Heuermann seem to vary greatly, it's clear that he was a distinct presence both at work and in the community at large.

Since Rex Heuermann was arrested for the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, it's been suggested that he harassed some of the victims' families following their deaths. According to The New York Times, prosecutors revealed that Heuermann allegedly contacted the family of Barthelemy in a series of phone calls in 2009, following her disappearance. The publication also noted that the calls were made from somewhere near to Heuermann's office, further seeming to link him to the murders.

NBC News also reported that Heuermann allegedly used cellphones belonging to Barthelemy and Maureen Brainard-Barnes, the fourth victim he is suspected to have also allegedly murdered. In court documents filed by Suffolk County prosecutors, it was argued (via NBC News) that along with the other apparent evidence gathered against Heuermann, the alleged cellphone usage helped them to build their case against the architect in the murders of at least three young women.

In the years since the bodies of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes were found, Rex Heuermann had allegedly been following the case closely. According to NBC News, Heuermann's AOL account was accessed via his cellphone and a burner phone, both of which reportedly made multiple internet searches for the "Long Island serial killer" case. Basically, Heuermann was allegedly tracking the case online and regularly seeking out updates. NBC News reported that the case was searched for at least 200 times on Heuermann's phones, with investigators revealing, "[The phones were] used to conduct thousands of searches related to sex workers, sadistic, torture-related pornography and child pornography." 

The New York Times noted that investigators discovered that Heuermann had also read an article called "New Task Force Aims to Solve Long Island Serial Killer Case" in 2022, revealing that he realized that the authorities were making progress in the investigation. While it appears that Heuermann evaded law enforcement for many years, prosecutors believe that his alleged internet history finally caught up with him.

As well as supposedly seeming intimidating to his neighbors, Rex Heuerman apparently got into trouble because of an incident that happened in the Massapequa Park branch of Whole Foods in the summer of 2022. Per The New York Times, Heuermann allegedly stole clementines that were intended for children visiting the store. Whole Foods clerk Tara Alonzo told the outlet, "He took three and put them in his pocket, then he took more. ... I said, 'Sir, those are for the kids.'" According to Alonzo, Heuermann was apparently belligerent and had to be removed from the store for attempting to steal the fruit.

Alonzo also recalled the shock at seeing Heuermann's face on television following his arrest for murder. As Alonzo recalled to The New York Times, "My co-worker said, 'That's the orange guy!'" Although Heuermann had seemingly lived under the radar prior to his July 2023 arrest in connection with the Gilgo Beach murders, it's clear that he seemingly made a negative impact on some of the people he met in his local community.