The spouse of Rex Heuermann, the person charged with killing at the least three ladies and burying their our bodies on a seaside beside a distant coastal freeway, could sue police for leaving her house in a “shambles” of their seek for proof.
Asa Ellerup resides in a “waking surreal nightmare,” her legal professional mentioned on Friday.
She can be struggling to pay for most cancers remedy whereas dwelling in a home that she claims was trashed by investigators looking for doable proof of her husband’s alleged crimes.
At a press convention on Long Island, attorneys for Ms Ellerup, Mr Heuermann’s estranged spouse, and his two grownup kids, introduced the household deliberate to observe a discover of declare, a transfer that may enable them to ultimately sue police for “leaving their home in shambles”.
“Their valuables were shattered, their places were destroyed, the place they laid their heads no longer exists,” mentioned Vess Mitev, an legal professional who can be representing Mr Heuermann’s daughter, Victoria, and stepson, Christopher Sheridan.
“They’re going through a horrific emotional time that none of us can imagine,” he added, beforehand describing their expertise as that of a “surreal, walking horror show”.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney has mentioned police adopted commonplace process throughout their 12-day search of the home.
Ms Ellerup is at present scrambling to discover a method to pay for her pores and skin and breast most cancers remedy, attorneys mentioned. Her present medical insurance coverage, which is tied to her husband’s employment, runs out later this yr.
She has spoken to her husband by telephone however has not visited him and filed for divorce from Mr Heuermann final month simply days after the bombshell arrest of the architect in a case that has baffled authorities for over a decade.
The household has raised greater than $40,000 by a GoFundMe began by Melissa Moore, the daughter of serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, often called the “Happy Face Killer”.
An overhead shot of the house of Rex Heuermann because it was searched by police in July following his arrest for the Gilgo Beach murders
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That crowd-funding marketing campaign has generated some controversy. John Ray, an legal professional for Shannon Gilbert, a lady discovered useless on a coastal marsh close to Mr Heuermann’s alleged victims, urged the general public in opposition to donating to the household, describing them as suspects within the case, relatively than victims.
Suffolk Police have concluded that Gilbert drowned by accident — a discovering her household has not accepted, believing she was additionally killed.
Mr Heuermann was charged final month within the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, and Megan Waterman. Their stays have been discovered on Gilgo Beach simply off Long Island.
He is the prime suspect within the demise of a fourth girl, Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
All 4 of the ladies have been believed to be engaged in intercourse work previous to their disappearance. Other stays have been additionally discovered within the neighborhood however no connection has been made to Mr Heuermann, who has pleaded not responsible to the costs.
Bob Macedonio, an legal professional for Ms Ellerup, mentioned Mr Heuermann was dwelling a “complete double life,” together with his spouse and youngsters completely at nighttime about his alleged crimes.
The legal professionals mentioned there was no contact between the authorities and any members of the family.
Mr Heuermann is due again in court docket on 27 September.
With reporting by the Associated Press