Alleged Long Island Killer Rex Heuermann Charged With 4th Gilgo Beach Murder

Rex Heuermann, the suspected Long Island Serial killer, faces additional charges for a fourth murder: the killing of Maureen Brainard-Barnes linked through DNA evidence.

He already faces charges for the murders of Amber Costello, Melissa Barthelemy, and Megan Waterman. Investigations reveal his connection through burner phones and a strand of hair.

Heuermann's disturbing internet searches and alleged obsession with the case raise concerns. Prosecutors claim his solitude during the murders granted him unfettered time. Heuermann's wife, Asa Ellerup, reportedly blindsided, awaits evidence presentation in court.

According to recent court filings, Heuermann, the suspected Long Island Serial killer, now faces additional charges related to a fourth murder.

On January 16, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office announced that Heuermann, a former architect from Massapequa Park, is now being implicated in the killing of Maureen Brainard-Barnes through DNA evidence and has been charged with second-degree murder.

According to authorities, Brainard-Barnes was last seen in 2007 in New York City but was discovered bound with three leather belts, one of which was used to tie her ankles.

She was also among four escorts discovered buried in a desolate area in Gilgo Beach, Long Island, in December 2010, marking a grim chapter that also involved victims Amber Costello, Melissa Barthelemy, and Megan Waterman. The four women, employed as online escorts, went missing between 2007 and 2010.

Earlier in July, Heuermann faced charges for the murders of Costello, Barthelemy, and Waterman. However, he pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The 59-year-old was allegedly linked to the crimes through burner phones coordinating meetings and a strand of his hair found in a burlap bag tied to Waterman's body. Heuermann faced further scrutiny as he was linked to a Chevrolet Avalanche registered in his name, reportedly seen around the time of Costello's disappearance.

Investigations also uncovered signs of Heuermann's alleged obsession with the case, involving over 200 searches within 14 months.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney revealed: "We saw all this, really sort of concerning searches that he was undergoing. In 14 months, over 200 times, he's searching for information about the Gilgo investigation. He's trying to figure out what we're up to."

Authorities disclosed that Heuermann had concerning queries such as "Why could law enforcement not trace the calls made by the Long Island serial killer" and "Why hasn't the Long Island serial killer been caught."

Additionally, investigators reportedly uncovered hundreds of disturbing internet searches in connection to Heuermann, including topics like raping and torturing women, child pornography, and searches for his victims and their families.

Attorney Tierney emphasized: "He was obsessively looking at the victims, but he's also looking at the victim's siblings."

According to authorities, Heuermann was also allegedly fixated on serial killers and conducted online searches for "11 currently active serial killers" and "8 Terrifying Active Serial Killers (We Can't Find)."

Tierney revealed that Heuermann was "pretty surprised" upon his arrest on July 13 near his Manhattan office.

Describing him as living a double life, Tierney insightfully added, per People Magazine: "I think he lived this double life, and he used the anonymity of phones and computers to shield himself from the rest of society. Unfortunately for him — and fortunately for the rest of us — he wasn't successful."

Prosecutors asserted that Heuermann was allegedly alone when Maureen Brainard-Barnes was killed in July 2007, coinciding with his estranged wife's absence with their children.

According to ABC New York, this pattern of solitude during the purported murders provided Heuermann "unfettered time to execute his plans for each victim without any fear that his family would uncover or learn of his involvement in these crimes," as stated in court documents released on Tuesday.

Bob Macedonio, representing Heuermann's wife, Asa Ellerup, previously shared with People that Ellerup "was blindsided by all these allegations when the arrest happened."

He added: "She doesn't know what's true, what's not true. She's still piecing together her own life. When the evidence is laid out in the courtroom, obviously she'll listen to it, and she'll make her judgment at that point in time. Right now, she doesn't know what to think."