RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – The estranged wife of Gilgo Beach serial killings suspect Rex Heuermann said in a new statement Wednesday that she believes he’s “not capable of the crimes he is accused of” and that she gives him “the benefit of the doubt.”
The unprompted statement from Asa Ellerup was released through her attorney, Robert Macedonio.
“I will listen to all of the evidence and withhold judgment until the end of trial,” she said. “I have given Rex the benefit of the doubt, as we all deserve.”
In her statement, Ellerup, 60, also said that her “heartfelt sympathies go out to the victims and their families.”
“Nobody deserves to die in that manner,” she said.
Ellerup, who already filed for divorce, also said she visits Heuermann weekly, though jail documents show she’s only visited seven times.
Heuermann, 60, has remained jailed in Riverhead since his arrest last July outside his Midtown architectural consultant firm.
He has maintained his innocence after being charged with the murders of four women—known as the “Gilgo Four”—whose remains were found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach in 2010 and 2011.
The women— Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello and Melissa Barthelemy—worked as escorts at the time of their killings, according to authorities.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney has cited various evidence, including advanced DNA testing he says links Heuermann to one of the victims.
Heuermann’s attorney, Michael Brown, said he’s looking into other suspects “that really weren’t pursued or apprehended in the same way they did with Rex Heuermann.”
“Obviously, if they didn’t do anything, we’ll see the lack of effort and the lack of investigation on any potential lead,” Brown said. “That could be very problematic for [the prosecution] and that could help support our position.”