Current:Home > BackWife of accused Long Island serial killer battling cancer; could sue investigators who searched home-LoTradeCoin
Wife of accused Long Island serial killer battling cancer; could sue investigators who searched home
View Date:2024-12-23 23:15:29
NEW YORK (AP) — The wife of Rex Heuermann, the man charged with killing at least three women and burying their bodies on a remote coastal highway, is living in a “waking surreal nightmare,” her attorney said Friday, struggling to pay for cancer treatment while living in a house trashed by investigators.
At a press conference on Long Island, attorneys for Heuermann’s estranged wife, Asa Ellerup, and his two adult children, announced the family planned to follow a notice of claim, a move that would allow them to eventually sue police for “leaving their home in shambles” while searching for possible evidence.
“Their valuables were shattered, their places were destroyed, the places they laid their heads no longer exists,” said Vess Mitev, an attorney who is also representing Heuermann’s 26-year-old daughter, Victoria, and 34-year-old stepson, Christopher Sheridan. “They’re going through a horrific emotional time that none of us can imagine.”
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney has said police followed standard procedure during their 12-day search of the house.
Attorneys also said Ellerup is currently scrambling to find a way to pay for her skin and breast cancer treatment once her current medical insurance, which is tied to her husband’s employment, runs out later this year. Ellerup filed for divorce last month.
The family has raised more than $40,000 through a GoFundMe started by Melissa Moore, the daughter of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, known as the “Happy Face Killer.”
That crowd-funding campaign has generated some controversy. John Ray, an attorney for Shannon Gilbert, a woman found dead on a coastal marsh near Heuermann’s alleged victims, urged the public against donating to the family, describing them as suspects in the case, rather than victims.
Suffolk Police have concluded that Gilbert drowned accidentally — a finding her family has not accepted, believing she was also killed.
Heuermann, 59, was charged last month in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello and Megan Waterman. He is the prime suspect in the death of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes. All four of the women were believed to be engaged in sex work prior to their disappearance. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty the charges.
Bob Macedonio, an attorney for Ellerup, said Heuermann was living a “complete double life,” with his wife and children totally in the dark about his alleged crimes. The attorneys shared a photo of the Heuermann household on Christmas in 2011, a little over a year after his final victim went missing, showing wrapped gifts sitting under an adorned tree in the family’s living room.
Authorities have not reached out to any family members, the lawyers said. Ellerup has spoken to her husband by phone, but has not visited him.
Heuermann is due back in court on September 27th.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- The Best Gifts for Men – That He Won’t Want to Return
- California man convicted of killing his mother as teen is captured in Mexico
- Kia recalls over 427,000 Telluride SUVs because they might roll away while parked
- First they tried protests of anti-gay bills. Then students put on a play at Louisiana’s Capitol
- Climate Advocacy Groups Say They’re Ready for Trump 2.0
- These extreme Easter egg hunts include drones, helicopters and falling eggs
- Salah fires title-chasing Liverpool to 2-1 win against Brighton, top of the standings
- 'She's put us all on a platform': Black country artists on Beyoncé's new album open up
- Cruel Intentions' Brooke Lena Johnson Teases the Biggest Differences Between the Show and the 1999 Film
- Here and meow: Why being a cat lady is now cool (Just ask Taylor)
Ranking
- FSU football fires offensive, defensive coordinators, wide receivers coach
- American Airlines revises its policy for bringing pets and bags on flights
- A biased test kept thousands of Black people from getting a kidney transplant. It’s finally changing
- Go inside Hub City Bookshop in South Carolina and meet mascot cat Zora
- Dogecoin soars after Trump's Elon Musk announcement: What to know about the cryptocurrency
- A biased test kept thousands of Black people from getting a kidney transplant. It’s finally changing
- LSU's X-factors vs. Iowa in women's Elite Eight: Rebounding, keeping Reese on the floor
- 13-year-old girl detained after shooting sends Minnesota boy to the hospital
Recommendation
-
Review: 'Emilia Pérez' is the most wildly original film you'll see in 2024
-
'One last surge': Disruptive rainstorm soaks Southern California before onset of dry season
-
Majority of U.S. bridges lack impact protection. After the Key Bridge collapse, will anything change?
-
Third employee of weekly newspaper in Kansas sues over police raid that sparked a firestorm
-
'Wanted' posters plastered around University of Rochester target Jewish faculty members
-
Woman suspected of kidnapping and killing girl is beaten to death by mob in Mexican tourist city
-
Third employee of weekly newspaper in Kansas sues over police raid that sparked a firestorm
-
Oklahoma State Patrol says it is diverting traffic after a barge hit a bridge