RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann has refused visits from fascinated members of the public who want to meet with him in person as he spends his days taking solitary walks and watching TV.
The 59-year-old architectural consultant—who remained behind bars Tuesday at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverhead following his July 13 arrest—has only accepted visits from two people, his attorney and a "person known to him," Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon told 1010 WINS.
That doesn't mean others haven't tried. Fans of the case have been trying to meet with him, only to have their requests turned down by the alleged killer.
While Heuermann is permitted to make phone calls, the sheriff's office isn't privy to who was on the other end.
"Who he's called, we do not know," Toulon said.
Heuermann was mostly idle during his early days in jail, but he has since grown more active, according to the sheriff.
"He's becoming more acclimated to life inside jail," Toulon said. "The first few days he was sleeping a lot. Now he's watching a little bit of TV at times. He's reading a newspaper, and at times he reads a book."
Heuermann is also eating the normal jail food and is not on any special diet.
Heuermann was taken off suicide watch this week after being evaluated by a mental health official. That means he can have a razor and bed sheets.
"The suicide garment that he was wearing was removed," Toulon said. "He was able to have sheets, he was able to obtain a razor so he can groom himself."
Since he's a high-profile inmate, he's allowed outside his cell each day for an hour—but not in the presence of other inmates.
While the open recreation area has a basketball hoop and a workout spot, Toulon said Heuermann simply takes walks around the area.
"He's able to play basketball, or at least shoot a basketball, if he wants to," the sheriff said. "He can do pull-ups, dips, pushups. Generally, for the most part, he just walks around the exercise yard."
While Heuermann is settling in and off suicide watch, he remains closely watched in the maximum security jail.
"We're still maintaining the same security protocols that we've implemented since he came into our custody," Toulon said.
Heuermann has been charged with the serial murders of three women—Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello—and he is the prime suspect in the murder of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes. The women are known collectively as the “Gilgo Four,” as their remains were found along the same stretch of Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach in 2011.
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, including multiple counts of first-degree murder, and maintained his innocence through his attorney, Michael Brown.
Meanwhile, his estranged wife Asa Ellerup and her two adult children moved back into the Massapequa Park home where the family lived for decades before Heuermann's arrest. Ellerup appears ready to sue law enforcement for their nearly two-week search of the home, which her attorney alleged was left a "mess" by investigators. He also revealed Ellerup is battling both breast and skin cancer as her health insurance policy through Heuermann's job is set to run out.
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