A slew of latest proof was launched by prosecutors on Tuesday within the case of alleged Gilgo Seashore serial killer Rex Heuermann, together with journey data displaying Heuermann’s household leaving city throughout the alleged murders, the suspect’s illicit on-line searches and investigators’ makes an attempt to safe DNA proof from his daughter.
The discharge of proof comes as Heuermann, 60, was charged with murdering 25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who disappeared in 2007 whereas working as an escort, with prosecutors linking him to her dying by means of DNA and different proof. Protection legal professional Michael Brown entered a not responsible plea on Heuermann’s behalf to the second-degree homicide cost in Suffolk County Court docket on Tuesday.
The previous Lengthy Island architect had already been charged in July with murdering three different escorts on New York’s Lengthy Island. Like these victims — Megan Waterman, Amber Costello and Melissa Barthelemy — the stays of Brainard-Barnes have been present in a desolate spot alongside the ocean close to Gilgo Seashore in December 2010, prosecutors mentioned.
Alleged Gilgo serial Killer Rex Heuermann seems inside Choose Timothy P. Mazzei’s courtroom together with his legal professional Michael Brown at Suffolk County Court docket in Riverhead, Jan. 16, 2024.
James Carbone/Getty
Prosecutors in a brand new courtroom submitting mentioned Heuermann’s now-estranged spouse, Asa Ellerup, and his kids have been out of city when Brainard-Barnes disappeared and was killed, becoming an alleged sample of Heuermann being dwelling alone when the opposite three killed.
“As set forth in Exhibit A, journey and mobile phone billing data had beforehand established that Defendant Heuermann’s spouse and youngsters have been out of the state throughout the disappearances and murders of three of the 4 victims, particularly, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello,” prosecutors mentioned, citing paperwork they obtained throughout a search of a storage unit leased by Heuermann.
The paperwork embrace a bank card assertion that reveals his spouse checked into an Atlantic Metropolis lodge July 6, 2007, and stayed by means of July 20.
“Based mostly on the foregoing, the murders of all 4 victims occurred at occasions when Defendant Heuermann’s spouse and youngsters have been touring out of state, which allowed Defendant Heuermann unfettered time to execute his plans for every sufferer with none concern that his household would uncover or study of his involvement in these crimes,” prosecutors mentioned.
Sufferer Maureen Brainard Barnes.
Police Picture/Abaca/Sipa through AP
The brand new submitting additionally revealed that prosecutors seized two telephones from Heuermann on the time of his arrest that they mentioned have been held by him “in fictitious names and used for illicit actions.” Prosecutors mentioned Heuermann “utilized these telephones in furtherance of lots of of contacts with sex-workers between 2020 and 2023.”
Prosecutors moreover revealed Tuesday they seized lots of of digital gadgets from Heuermann’s Massapequa Park dwelling and Manhattan workplace following his arrest.
Heuermann used the gadgets to seek for the deceased victims and their relations; the standing of the investigation; for software program that might help in wiping or erasing knowledge from computer systems and different comparable digital gadgets and to buy digital masking and forensic wiping instruments, prosecutors mentioned.
“Defendant’s gadgets additionally contained the next: A group of violent, bondage, and torture pornography previous, throughout, and subsequent to the disappearances and murders of the aforementioned victims between 2007 and 2010; and prostitution-related searches previous, throughout, and subsequent to the disappearances and murders of the aforementioned victims between 2007 and 2010,” the submitting says.
A can allegedly thrown out by suspect Rex Heuermann’s daughter is seen in photograph proof launched by the Suffolk County Prosecutor’s Workplace, on Jan. 16, 2024.
Suffolk County Prosecutor’s Workplace
The brand new courtroom submitting additionally outlines the lengths prosecutors went to acquire DNA from Heuermann’s household, together with monitoring his grownup daughter, Victoria, on a Lengthy Island Railroad practice ingesting from a gold-colored vitality drink can.
Investigators noticed her toss the can into the trash. They recovered it and took it for evaluation, prosecutors mentioned.
Since his arraignment in July, important DNA proof was collected within the case, authorities mentioned, together with from hair discovered on the buckle of the belt that secured Brainard-Barnes’ physique. That hair matched the genetic profile of Heuermann’s spouse. Hairs discovered on Waterman’s physique was additionally linked to Heuermann’s spouse and daughter in addition to Heuermann.
The newest indictment marks a big change within the investigation, authorities mentioned at a press convention after Tuesday’s listening to. The “Gilgo 4 investigation” is over, authorities introduced, saying the work of the grand jury continues going ahead.
Brainard-Barnes’ daughter, who was solely 7 when her mom was killed, spoke to reporters after the listening to.
“Whereas the lack of my mother has been extraordinarily painful for me. The indictment by the grand jury has introduced hope for justice for my mother and my household,” she mentioned.
Heuermann was as soon as once more remanded to Suffolk County jail and the choose set the following courtroom date for Feb. 6.
He beforehand pleaded not responsible to killing Waterman, Barthelemy and Costello, all of whom have been discovered useless in December 2010.
The deaths of six different victims discovered close to Gilgo Seashore between 1996 and 2011 stay unsolved.
-ABC Information’ Stephanie Ramos, Jack Feely, Gregory Croft and Juwon Funes contributed to this report.
