(NewsNation) — Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann was back in court Wednesday, and for the first time since his arrest, his wife Asa Ellerup was present just one week after she had visited him in prison.
It was her first time watching her husband in court as her attorney, Robert Macedonia, claimed she was emotionally ready to see him face charges in court.
Ellerup left the courtroom about 5 minutes after Heuermann arrived handcuffed for his conference. Three minutes in, Heuermann made eye contact with Ellerup and she smiled ear to ear.
Heuermann is being held in a Suffolk County jail, having pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. He is also a suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes but has not been charged with her death.
Ellerup’s attorney confirmed to NewsNation that the pair spent one hour together in the jail and said it was the first time they had seen each other since before Heuermann was taken into custody.
“This was the first time she had seen Rex since he was arrested. I’m sure it was emotional. She was anxious. She wanted to see him in person,” Macedonia said.
Ellerup filed for divorce from Heuermann shortly after he was arrested in July.
“The only thing she knows about this case is what has been reported in the media and what has been told to her by the police the night he was arrested. She wants to see it played out in the courtroom — not from the media, not from the podcasts and certainly not Johnny Ray,” Macedonia said.
The Massapequa home where the couple has lived for decades is now the center of speculation by some as a place where Heuermann may have brought escorts, some even insinuating that his wife may have been aware of her husband’s activities.
“Mrs. Ellerup was present in this tiny little home. What about the victims who were chopped up?” lawyer John Ray said, previously accusing Ellerup of being complicit.
Macedonia disputed the accusations, saying Ellerup had no part in any of Heuermann’s alleged crimes.
“To say that she was home when the children were home and there were prostitutes is absolutely ludicrous. It’s a small house. It never happened,” he said.
All four women Heuermann has been accused of killing were sex workers whose remains were among those of 11 victims found near Gilgo Beach in 2010 and 2011. Most of the victims were sex workers, but it’s not clear if Heuermann could be linked to some of the other deaths or if those were separate crimes.
Investigators used DNA to identify Heuermann as a suspect and took him into custody, removing a large number of items from the architect’s Long Island home after a search.
Ellerup and Heuermann’s adult children have maintained they knew nothing about Heuermann’s alleged crimes and are innocent bystanders in the case.
Heuermann’s next court conference was set for Feb. 4, 2023.