Gilgo Beach murders: Suspect Rex Heuermann in court as his adult children ‘cry themselves to sleep’
A US architect charged with murdering three women and suspected of killing a fourth has appeared in court – as his estranged wife said the pair’s adult children “cry themselves to sleep”.
Asa Ellerup, who has filed for divorce from 59-year-old suspect Rex Heuermann, said she has “no answers” for their son and daughter when they ask about his arrest.
Heuermann, who was detained on 13 July, faced court in Riverhead, New York, on Tuesday.
The suspect wore a suit jacket and khaki trousers for the hearing, and reportedly rocked back and forth on his heels as his lawyer and a Suffolk County prosecutor spoke.
The defendant, from Long Island, is charged with killing Melissa Barthelemy, who went missing in 2009, and Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello, who disappeared in 2010.
(L-R) Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello. Pic: Suffolk County Police
Heuermann is also suspected of killing a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who vanished in 2007.
Her remains were found buried along the same stretch of highway near Long Island’s Gilgo Beach as the other women in December 2010.
The spot is across the bay from Massapequa Park where Heuermann grew up and lived for decades in his childhood home.
The group of women, all sex workers, were known as the Gilgo Four, and the discovery of their bodies raised fears about a serial killer in the area.
The story of a mother looking for her missing daughter, who may also be a victim of the same murderer, was the basis for a Netflix crime series called Lost Girls.
A total of 11 bodies were found by investigators dumped along Gilgo Beach over the space of about two years.
Selfies which appear to have been taken by Heuermann. Pics: Suffolk County Court
‘Treated like animals’
Speaking about the trauma of the ordeal since Heuermann’s arrest, Ms Ellerup, 59, told the New York Post: “My children cry themselves to sleep. I mean, they’re not children. They’re grown adults but they’re my children, and my son has developmental disabilities and he cried himself to sleep.”
She also said she herself had been experiencing “anxiety”, adding: “I woke up in the middle of the night, shivering.”
Both adult children live in the family home. The Post said her son is 33, while her daughter, Victoria Heuermann, 26, said she felt “not human” in the aftermath of the arrest.
Ms Ellerup’s lawyer Bob Macedonio added: “She meant what they’ve done to them and the family is not even human. They were just complete animals. They treated them like animals.”
Authorities carry out an investigation at Heuermann’s home in Massapequa Park, New York. Pic: AP
Investigators spent 12 days searching the property for evidence, and Asa Ellerup told the Post that when the family was allowed to return, the residence was almost unliveable.
The police search included digging up the yard, dismantling a porch and a greenhouse and removing many of the house’s contents for testing.
She said belongings were piled up in heaps, part of her bath was cut away and furniture was broken up.
“My couch was completely shredded. I don’t even know if there’s any parts to the couch,” said Ms Ellerup.
Prosecutors share ‘eight terabytes of material’
A lawyer for Heuermann’s adult children, Vess Mitev, said they were mulling taking legal action against police for the “deplorable and roughshod handling of the investigation that turned upside down their lives, their home, their very status in the social hierarchy”.
“In the haste and zeal to arrest Mr Heuermann, we believe certain things were done that shouldn’t have been done,” he added.
Meanwhile, prosecutors said at the court hearing they have given Heuermann’s lawyer eight terabytes of material – that is the equivalent of about 2,500 pages of records, along with about 100 hours of surveillance video recorded outside the suspect’s home and office.
Heuermann was seen on CCTV at a mobile phone shop in Manhattan in May. Pic: Suffolk County Court
District Attorney Ray Tierney said it was a fraction of the evidence gathered since the bodies of the four women were discovered.
Heuermann pleaded not guilty at his first court appearance last month and was ordered to be detained without the possibility of bail.
His lawyer said the defendant denied committing the crimes.
Julian Assange is travelling to his native Australia on a private jet after US authorities agreed to drop their demand for the WikiLeaks founder to be extradited from the UK having struck a plea deal with him.
Assange had to pay $500,000 (£394,000) for a chartered flight from Stansted to Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands – a US commonwealth in the Pacific – where he will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.
In exchange he will be sentenced to time served – the 62 months he has already spent in a British prison – according to court documents.
Assange at the airport after leaving prison. Pic: WikiLeaks
Once the guilty plea has been accepted by a judge, the 52-year-old will be free to return to Australia, the country of his birth.
The chartered flight stopped in Bangkok for refuelling on its way to Saipan.
Assange is accompanied by a WikiLeaks lawyer, a representative of the Australian government and a medic to check on his health.
American prosecutors had alleged Assange put lives at risk when he helped former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal diplomatic cables and military files WikiLeaks put online in 2010.
He had been locked in a legal battle in the UK over his extradition, which included him entering the Ecuadorean Embassy in London in 2012 prior to his detention in Belmarsh prison – where he has been since May 2019.
‘Julian is free!’
In a post on X, WikiLeaks said Assange left Belmarsh on Monday morning after being granted bail by the High Court. By the afternoon he was at Stansted Airport where he boarded a plane and left the UK.
“After more than five years in a 2×3 metre cell, isolated 23 hours a day, he will soon reunite with his wife Stella Assange, and their children, who have only known their father from behind bars,” the organisation said.
Stella Assange with her children, Max and Gabriel, marking Julian’s 50th birthday back in 2021. Pic: Reuters
Mrs Assange shared on social media a video montage of her husband in a car and then boarding a plane.
She wrote: “Julian is free!!!!
“Words cannot express our immense gratitude to YOU – yes YOU, who have all mobilised for years and years to make this come true. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.”
She posted on X to say Assange will owe $520,000 to the Australian government for the charter flight and asked for donations to help pay for it.
Speaking from Australia, Mrs Assange told the PA news agency: “It is hard to believe that Julian has been in prison for so long. It had become normalised. I am grateful to the people who made this possible but I am also angry that it ever came to this.
“Overall I am elated but I cannot believe it is actually happening until I see Julian.”
Mrs Assange said her husband would not have been released without the intervention of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has been increasingly vocal in his demands for the US to drop charges against Assange.
“The public climate has shifted and everyone understands that Julian has been the victim,” she said.
“Things are still very sensitive. Julian is paying for the flight so we will launch a fundraising campaign.”
She said she had travelled to Australia with the couple’s two young sons, Gabriel and Max, on Sunday when it became clear Assange would be freed.
Stella Assange speaking in London on 26 March. Pic: PA
WikiLeaks shared an update on Assange’s journey on X, posting a picture of him on a jet as it approached Bangkok for a stopover.
Assange’s plea and sentencing on Saipan are scheduled for Wednesday morning local time (Tuesday evening UK time).
The hearing is taking place in the US Commonwealth territory because of Assange’s opposition to travelling to one of the 50 US states and the court’s proximity to Australia.
Read more:
Timeline of Assange’s 13-year legal battle
Plea deal marks end of a transatlantic tug of war
Artist’s threat to destroy masterpieces ‘helped free Assange’
Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton told Sky News this morning the WikiLeaks founder is “overwhelmed to be out of prison”.
Mr Shipton added: “He’s been on a plane for a very long time now… I’ve been speaking to him this week and just going through all the details with him.
“He’s been very anxious, very excited, and he’s looking forward to spending time with his family and being free, being able to have the sun shining on his face, see the birds, go for a swim in the ocean back in Australia.
“He’s very much looking forward to that.”
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Assange brother praises ‘global effort’
Craig Murray, a friend of Assange, told Sky News the news was “absolutely wonderful”.
He said: “The whole family is totally elated that we have finally got an end to this terrible saga.”
Mr Murray said the entire ordeal has been “very taxing” on Assange with his imprisonment taking a toll on both his physical and mental health.
He added: “We are lucky that he is a very resilient man and he will recover and we will get our Julian fully back.”
Simon Crowther, Amnesty International’s legal adviser, said: “We welcome the news that Julian Assange is to be released, as we believe he should never have been imprisoned like this in the first place.
“The fight to protect freedom of expression continues though. The years-long global spectacle of the prosecution of a publisher for revealing alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and other human rights violations has undoubtedly done historic damage.”
A more than decade-long fight
Assange has been fighting extradition to the US for more than a decade.
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Australian PM: ‘We want Assange home’
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Who is Julian Assange?
In a January 2021 ruling, then district judge Vanessa Baraitser said he should not be sent to the US, citing a real and “oppressive” risk of suicide, while ruling against him on all other issues.
Later that year, US authorities won a High Court bid to overturn this block, paving the way towards Assange’s extradition.
In June 2022, the UK government approved the extradition of Assange to the US, with then home secretary Priti Patel having signed the extradition order.
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In February of this year, he made one final attempt under UK law to avoid being sent to the US.
In March, Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Johnson dismissed most of Assange’s legal arguments – but said unless assurances were given by the US, he would be able to bring an appeal on three grounds.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
These assurances were that Assange would be protected by and allowed to rely on the First Amendment – which protects freedom of speech in the US – that he would not be “prejudiced at trial” due to his nationality and the death penalty would not be imposed.
Three months later, in May, two High Court judges ruled he would be allowed to appeal against being extradited, would not face the death penalty and he could rely on the First Amendment if he faced a trial for spying.
The Australian government said it continues to provide consular assistance to Assange.
“Prime Minister Albanese has been clear – Mr Assange’s case has dragged on for too long and there is nothing to be gained by his continued incarceration,” a spokesperson said.
US
Sloan Mattingly: Parents of girl who died after being buried by sand set up campaign to prevent similar tragedies
The parents of a seven-year-old girl who died after being buried by sand on a Florida beach have set up a national campaign to help prevent similar tragedies happening in future.
Sloan Mattingly had been helping to dig a hole with her brother Maddox, nine, when it collapsed on Tuesday 20 February.
Beachgoers at the scene in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea rushed to pull out the pair, but Sloan died after being taken to hospital.
She had reportedly been buried in the 1.8m (5ft 11in) deep pit for around 20 minutes. Her brother was also taken to hospital but was left in a stable condition.
Sloan’s mother Therese and father Jason have now set up a campaign encouraging families to build sandcastles when on the beach instead of digging potentially dangerous holes.
Mrs Mattingly said in a Facebook post raising awareness of the campaign: “Sloan’s legacy is of her heart and spirit, but is also a little bit this. Please stay safe and do NOT hesitate to speak up!”
The “Sandcastles For Sloan” campaign provides beachgoers with tips and advice to help prevent adults or children from becoming buried under sand.
It warns that “sand holes can collapse quickly” and advises people to “avoid digging deeper than knee height of the shortest person in your group”.
Pic: Sandcastles For Sloan
Beachgoers are also advised to fill in holes after they are “done playing” to help keep other people safe.
Families are also urged to not let children put sand in their mouths.
A message with the campaign reads: “Sloan was a light in the world, a sweet little girl who loved dogs and the colour red.
“To honour Sloan’s memory, share this message with your beach community.”
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From February: Girl killed in sand collapse on Florida beach
The Mattingly family, from Fort Wayne in Indiana, were on holiday when the tragedy happened.
Mrs Mattingly described her daughter’s death as a “freak accident” in a tribute shared on a GoFundMe page for the family in February.
She added: “It took away our greatest 7.5 years. Don’t tell us you’re sorry for our loss… don’t do that to us. We experienced the purest human being and we are forever changed by her.
“We love you beyond any stretch of the imagination. Our sweet Sloan. What we would give.”
The Mattingly family. Pic: Facebook
The page raised more than $162,000 (£127,000) to help the family cover funeral costs and provide them with financial assistance due their period of grief.
Sloan’s uncle Chris Sloan, with the girl’s first name having been her mother’s maiden name, told KFOR-TV in February: “They were having a good time. Everybody was really excited to actually see them out there.”
He added: “Later we found out that after the sand had caved, [Sloan] kept trying to grab up Maddox’s leg to get up out of the sand, and eventually he couldn’t feel her moving anymore.
“The sand had been up to [Maddox’s] chest, and he was screaming for help, and a lot of people did come and help.”
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