Gilgo Beach killings: Suspect Rex Heuermann had hundreds of contacts with sex workers, court papers show

Alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann had hundreds of contacts with sex workers in the years before he was arrested, according to a bail application filed by the Suffolk prosecutors who charged the Manhattan architect with second-degree murder in a superseding indictment in the death of a fourth victim.

Heuermann waited until his family left the state to kill Maureen Brainard-Barnes in July 2007, just as he had done when he killed other “Gilgo Four” victims, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney and his prosecutors said in the court filing Tuesday. The document also unveiled details about Heuermann’s online search history, which it said included inquiries for “medieval torture of women,” “skinny white teen crying porn” and “stories of rape audio.”

Heuermann, 60, pleaded not guilty Tuesday before Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei to the superseding indictment that charged him with second-degree murder in the death of Brainard-Barnes, who was 25 years old when she disappeared on July 9, 2007.

Heuermann’s attorney, Michael J. Brown, raised doubts about some of the allegations in the bail application but acknowledged he had not yet reviewed the newly unveiled evidence.

“In this particular case, they had little bits of evidence and they focused on Rex Heuermann,” Brown said Tuesday while speaking to reporters after his client’s arraignment. “And they accumulated more evidence and they tried to fit that additional evidence to complete their narrative.”

The bail application said investigators recovered two burner phones Heuermann used “for illicit activities” when he was arrested and that he had used the phones to contact sex workers hundreds of times between 2020 and 2023.

Heuermann, for example, contacted a Massapequa-based sex worker who identified herself as Mia in March 2020, the papers said. When Mia suggested they meet the next day, Heuermann said that might not work. “I AM WORKING ALL DAY,” Heuermann allegedly responded in a text message. “I WAS FREE TODAY MY WIFE IS OUT FOR THE DAY.”

“I’m not going to comment on whether he did or did not patronize prostitutes,” Brown said. “The issue is, many people patronize prostitutes. That doesn’t mean they are killers.”

Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to six first- and second-degree murder charges in the killings of Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy. The remains of the Gilgo Four were discovered by Suffolk police near each other off Ocean Parkway in December 2010. All four worked as escorts, officials said.

The remains of six other people, including a toddler, also have been discovered along Long Island’s South Shore. Tierney said Tuesday that the investigation into the other homicides continues.

Heuermann's estranged spouse, Asa Ellerup, had traveled to Atlantic City with their two children between July 6 and July 20, 2007. Heuermann, left alone at their Massapequa Park home, joined his family on the Jersey shore on July 13. Brainard-Barnes disappeared on July 9, court papers show.

Ellerup, daughter Victoria Heuermann and stepson Christopher Sheridan were also out of town when Costello, Waterman and Barthelemy disappeared, prosecutors have alleged.

“The murders of all four victims occurred at times when Defendant Heuermann’s wife and children were traveling out of state, which allowed Defendant 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,” the bail application said.

The papers said Google records showed that Heuermann used two email accounts to hunt for pornography, including searches such as “autopsy photos of females” and “very skinny white teen tied up porn.”

Heuermann used the accounts to find news about the Gilgo Beach murder investigation, the papers said, with headlines that included “Inside the mind of a murderer: New Clues in the hunt for the Long Island Serial Killer” and “Investigators use DNA, genetic genealogy to ID another victim in Gilgo Beach serial murders.”

The bail application also said Heuermann conducted searches for “Gilgo news,” “how does cell site analysis work?” and “Melissa Barthelemy sister.” His computer and other devices included a collection of “violent, bondage and torture pornography.” 

Brown scoffed at the inclusion of purported information from Heuermann’s search histories. “Think about how, if they look at your own personal search history, how all of a sudden, you’re guilty because of your search history?” Brown said.