Accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann charged with fourth slay
Accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann has been charged with a fourth murder — the killing of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who was last seen alive on July 9, 2007.
Heuermann, 60, was hit with the new charges at his appearance Tuesday at the Suffolk County Courthouse in Riverhead, LI.
The Manhattan architect was already accused of killing three young sex workers on Long Island — Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello — and on Tuesday, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney charged him with the fourth of the “Gilgo Four” victims.
Heuermann allegedly murdered the 25-year-old Connecticut mom while his wife and children were vacationing in Atlantic City, according to a newly-filed superseding bail application.
His wife, Asa Ellerup, 59, and their kids checked into the Flagship Hotel in Atlantic City on July 6, 2007, while he stayed behind in Manhattan, prosecutors said.
Heuermann joined his family on their vacation July 13, checking into the Club Wyndham Skyline Tower, prosecutors said.
“The murders of all four victims occurred at times when Defendant Heuermann’s wife and children were traveling out of state, which allowed Defendant Heuermann unfettered time to execute his plans for each victim without any fear that his family would uncover or learn of his involvement in these crimes,” the application reads.
It also reveals that investigators uncovered hundreds of contacts with sex workers from 2020 to 2023 on two burner phones — one found on Heuermann, the other in his office desk drawer in Manhattan.
Several text message from the desk drawer phone responded to an online ad for a sex worker offering “Big booty BDSM all fetishes welcome” in Massapequa, prosecutors said.
“HI, I SAW YOUR AD AND WANTED TO SEE IF WE COULD SET SOMETHING UP LATER. ANDY,” one text message from March 1, 2020 reads. Prosecutors believe “Andy” is an alias based off Heuermann’s middle name, Andrew.
Another of those texts mentioned an e-mail address, and a subpoena revealed that e-mail was tied to thousands of internet searches “related to pornography, rape, torture, and sex workers” — including “autopsy photos of female,” “medieval torture of women” and “how I was raped audio,” prosecutors wrote.
Authorities found the four victims within a one-mile radius while searching for Shannan Gilbert, another young sex worker who disappeared in the area in December 2010.
In 2010 and 2011, the bodies of 11 people were found on and near Gilgo Beach. Heuermann has not been linked to the other seven victims.
Heuermann’s lawyer, Michael Brown, pleaded not guilty on his behalf and reserved the right to make a bail application. Judge Timothy P. Mazzei again ordered him held without bail.
The case confounded investigators for more than a decade but in 2022 a tip from a Long Island pimp proved a “turning point” in the investigation. Police used DNA evidence to tie Heuermann to the murders, matching DNA from his cheek and his discarded pizza crust to DNA found on the victims’ remains.
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