Gilgo Beach killings: Personal items seized from accused serial killer Rex A. Heuermann's Massapequa Park home, storage units returned, attorneys say

A slew of personal items seized by Suffolk County law enforcement during the investigation of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex A. Heuermann have been returned to the jailed suspect's family, attorneys involved in the case said Tuesday.

Authorities seized scores of potential pieces of evidence from Heuermann's Massapequa Park home, where he lived with his wife and two children, and storage units that he rented, following Heuermann's July 13, 2023, arrest and an indictment accusing the Manhattan architect of killing six women.

"The family is thankful and relieved that they're starting to get some of their personal property back," said Bob Macedonio, the attorney for Heuermann's estranged wife, Asa Ellerup.

"We've been in constant contact with the district attorney's office, and last month we started to receive the return of personal items that prosecutors determined did not have evidentiary value in the prosecution of Rex Heuermann," Macedonio added.

A spokesperson for Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, whose office is prosecuting Heuermann, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Macedonio, the Islip Terrace-based attorney who is representing Ellerup in her uncontested but still pending divorce proceeding against Heuermann, said he picked up the items from the district attorney's office on Sept. 13. Ellerup retrieved the items from his office on Sept. 16.

"We received in excess of 50 manila envelopes, in addition to personal electronic devices that were acquired by the family after the arrest of Rex Heuermann," Macedonio said. "We were told by the district attorney's office that we would continue to receive personal property of Asa [Ellerup], Victoria [Heuermann] and Christopher [Sheridan] on a rolling basis as it's processed."

Victoria Heuermann is Ellerup and Heuermann's daughter; Sheridan is Ellerup's son from a previous relationship.

Macedonio said the items consisted of personal documents, including a greeting card from a family member, and numerous gift cards sent to the family after Heuermann's arrest.

The gift cards totaled an estimated $1,000, Macedonio said. A personal check sent from someone in Iceland also was among the returned items. Macedonio declined to reveal the amount of the check.

The family also was given back laptops and a digital drawing device used by Heuermann's daughter, Macedonio said.

Vess Mitev, the Stony Brook-based attorney who represents Heuermann's daughter and stepson, confirmed that some of his clients' personal items were returned last month, but said there remains a voluminous amount of personal effects that remain in police custody without explanation.

In addition to a number of books, antiques, art supplies, clothing and writing instruments, Mitev said authorities still have his clients' Social Security cards, passports and birth certificates, despite the district attorney's office repeatedly saying that Heuermann's family members are not suspects.

"Puzzled chagrin is the best way to describe my tclients' and my view that these items still remain in the possession of law enforcement," Mitev said.

Heuermann, 61, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and six counts of second-degree murder in a series of killings that prosecutors have alleged began in 1993 and targeted sex workers. He's been held without bail at the Suffolk County Jail in Riverhead since his arrest.

He's accused of killing Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Heuermann also is a suspect in the killing of Valerie Mack.

Prosecutors have said they've linked Heuermann to the killings through DNA and electronic evidence such as cellular phone site data. They also pointed to an alleged manifesto that prosecutors said gave a play-by-play on how to carry out killings undetected that was found on a hard drive in Heuermann's basement.

Heuermann's attorney has questioned the accuracy and reliability of the prosecution's evidence.

Heuermann's next court date is Oct. 16.

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.