Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann & his estranged wife have reached a settlement in their ongoing divorce proceedings, according to reports.
Asa Ellerup filed for divorce when the initial murder charges were revealed against her husband; those settlement of the divorce was finalized on Friday, although the details were not made public as of press time.
The news comes as lawyers representing Heuermann were in a Suffolk County court on Friday attempting to have DNA evidence against their client thrown out of the case against him.
The bone of contention Heuermann's legal team has with the prosecutor's DNA evidence is that it utilizes a new and more accurate technique called whole genome sequencing, which looks at 100,000 or more points of comparison; traditional DNA sequencing looks at 15 to 24 points. Heuermann's lawyers are arguing that whole genome sequencing has not yet been tested in the New York court system and, thus, should be disqualified.
Heuermann, 60, made national headlines when he was arrested on July 13, 2023, as a suspect in the Gilgo Beach case; he was charged the following day by Tierney in the murders of three of the "Gilgo Four" victims: Amber Lynn Costello, 27, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, and Megan Waterman, 22.
On January 16, 2024, Tierney unsealed additional charges against Massapequa Park Heuermann at the Suffolk County Courthouse in Riverhead, tying him to the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, a fourth woman whose remains were discovered near Gilgo Beach; Heuermann was already the prime suspect in her death.
In June 2024, Heuermann was also arraigned and charged with the murders of Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla, and in December 2024, Heuermann was indicted for the 2000 murder of Valerie Mack, bringing the number of his alleged victims to seven.
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to all charges.