Gilgo Beach’s suspected serial killer has appeared in court just weeks after pleading not guilty to the murder of a fourth woman.
Rex Heuermann, 60, was brought into a quiet Suffolk County courthouse in Riverhead, Long Island, New York, on Tuesday morning.
He appeared before Judge Timothy Mazzei, wearing a black suit and white shirt, for an update on the progress of his case.
His lawyer revealed to DailyMail.com that the accused killer was still in isolation in prison and was ‘lonely and depressed’.
It was the architect’s first court appearance since January 16, when he pleaded not guilty to the 2007 murder of sex worker Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25.
Rex Heuermann, 60, was brought into a quiet Suffolk County courthouse in Riverhead, Long Island, on Tuesday morning
He appeared before Judge Timothy Mazzei, wearing a black suit and white shirt, for an update on the progress of his case
Heuermann’s more recent court appearance, unlike his last, took place without his wife, 59-year-old Asa Ellerup.
In the past, she has appeared at her ex’s court hearings with a camera crew to observe developments in the case, and has visited him in prison three times in the past six months.
This comes after she filed for divorce to “protect herself” from any future lawsuits, six days after her husband of more than two decades was handcuffed in his Manhattan office for the murders of three other women .
She was last seen outside the couple’s shared home in Massapequa a day after Heuermann denied killing another. running errands with one of their two children.
She has reportedly signed a seven-figure deal with NBC Universal, Texas Crew Productions and G-Unit for a documentary about the case, which alleges her ex was murdered near three sex workers along a stretch of Suffolk County beach around 2010.
Last week he was hit with a fourth murder in a case around the same stretch of beach where Maureen Brainard-Barnes’ body was found in 2010, near those of the other victims, after disappearing three years earlier.
Believed to be Heuermann’s first of four, her murder was followed by that of Melissa Barthelemy, a 24-year-old sex worker, in 2009, and the murders of fellow prostitutes Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Lynn Costello, 27.
They had all advertised their services on Craigslist and Backpage, and they were all found tied up in burlap bags within a few miles of each other. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the murders of all four.
A major event at Tuesday’s hearing — aside from the conspicuous absence of Ellerup and the couple’s 26-year-old daughter — was the delivery of a trove of documents compiled by prosecutors to the defense. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney is seen here
An update was also offered on the suspect’s incarceration at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, where local suspect Sheriff Errol Toulon previously said Heuemann has been “extremely accommodating” while awaiting trial.
Heuermann’s more recent court appearance, unlike his last, came without his wife, 59-year-old Asa Ellerup, who ran errands here last month after her husband pleaded not guilty to the murder of a fourth woman.
THE GILGO FOUR: Heuermann has now been charged with the murders of four women, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, Megan Waterman and most recently Maureen Brainard-Barnes
The main events at Tuesday’s hearing – apart from the notable absence of Ellerup and the couple’s 26-year-old daughter Victoria – were the handing over a potentially devastating trove of documents to the defense.
An update was also offered on the suspect’s incarceration at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, where his attorney said he is suffering from loneliness and the effects of nearly seven months of isolation.
Sheriff Errol Toulon previously said Heuemann had been “extremely compliant” while awaiting trial.
Moreover, a trial date was finally set for the case, which continues to fascinate the country despite its disturbing aspects.
Film crews from Netflix – who were also working on a Gilgo Beach docuseries – were present for the proceedings.