THE lawyer representing the wife of accused Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann has blasted cops over the destruction of the family’s home.
The attorney also addressed the alleged serial killer’s “double life” in a news conference on Friday as he described how the home was left in shambles after police ransacked it during a 12-day search.
Asa Ellerup, who filed for divorce from Heuermann less than a week after his arrest, and her two adult children, Victoria and Christopher, are focused on restoring the Massapequa Park home they shared with the suspected Long Island Serial Killer.
Heuermann was arrested on July 13 near his Manhattan office and cops descended on the family home around the same time.
Ellerup’s lawyer, Robert Macedonio, revealed during Friday’s press conference that he and his team toured the home on August 6.
He described how debris was piled floor-to-ceiling and said the family has slept on foam mats since they returned due to the “unlivable conditions.”
Ellerup’s attorney said drain pipes were taken out of the bathroom, leaving the family unable to run water.
A cleanup crew and 20-yard dumpster was brought in as they worked to remove the debris left scattered on the property.
Macedonio also shared that three cats were taken from the residence during the police raid.
Those animals were taken to a local shelter and will be adopted by new families, he said.
Macedonio and Vess Mitev, an attorney for Victoria and Christopher, shared never-before-seen photos of the condition of the family’s home following the police raid.
“The conditions inside are deplorable and they were left in a deplorable condition,” Mitev said on Friday.
“In order to piece back what’s been crumbled into a million pieces, it’s going to take a very long time.”
A GoFundMe was launched for the family and Mitev stressed that every dollar and donation counts as they look to rebuild.
“The family again requests, truly and honestly, that their rights and liberties have to be protected,” Mitev said.
“And part of that, again, is that the focus is on their basic needs with their food, water, shelter, and clothing.
“That’s their paramount concern right now.”
‘COMPLETE DOUBLE LIFE’
Mitev revealed that Ellerup and her children intend to file a notice of claim within the next 30 days, which, he said, is a “legal prerequisite to filing a lawsuit.”
He went on to say that the trio will likely sue police for leaving their house in shambles during their search.
Mitev previously revealed to The U.S. Sun that the entire fabric of the trio’s lives was “torn asunder” by investigators since Heuermann’s arrest on July 13.
Macedonio, addressing a reporter’s question during the press conference, said that if the allegations against Heuermann prove to be true, “he lived a complete double life.”
One of the images shared from the home showed a Christmas tree and holiday decorations.
Macedonio said that at the time that photo was taken, Heuermann is “alleged to have gone out and committed these serial murders and buried the girls up in Gilgo.”
“So if it happened, it was a complete double life,” he said.
“I assure you, she [Ellerup] knew nothing about it.”
ELLERUP’S CANCER BATTLE
The lawyer also revealed on Friday that Ellerup has been battling cancer during the horrific ordeal involving her husband.
Ellerup, who needs 12 to 18 months more of treatment, is at risk of losing her medical insurance, which she receives through Rex’s policy.
Macedonio said that her treatment can only continue as long as Heuermann‘s Manhattan architecture business could cover the premiums.
The family attorney said that Ellerup will only be able to receive coverage for an additional two months.
“She’s going through a very difficult time,” Macedonio told reporters on Long Island.
“Emotionally, she’s recovering each day, not only dealing with the cancer but with this newfound life she has to come to terms with to protect herself and her children.”
The family is hoping to use funds from a GoFundMe page recently set up by the daughter of another serial killer to re-establish a sense of home, comfort, and privacy amid a torrent of media attention.
Macedonio also clarified that the GoFundMe is “100% for Asa and the benefit of her children.”
“She will receive 100% of the funds from that.”
The lawyer added that Ellerup has not visited Heuermann in jail.
GILGO BREAKTHROUGH
Heuermann, 59, was arrested outside his midtown Manhattan office after being swarmed by nearly a dozen nonuniformed detectives.
He was charged with three counts of first-degree murder for the killings of Melissa Barthelemy in 2009, and Megan Waterman and Amber Costello in 2010.
The prominent New York City architect from Massapequa is considered the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance and death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Known collectively as the Gilgo Four, all of the women were sex workers in their 20s whose remains were found wrapped in burlap and dumped within a quarter-mile of each other near Gilgo Beach on Long Island in late 2010.
The Massapequa father-of-two first landed on the radar of investigators last year, just weeks after the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office launched a new task force to investigate the women’s deaths.
He was partly linked to the murders by DNA recovered from a discarded pizza crust that was positively matched to DNA left on the body of Waterman.
Prosecutors said that hair belonging to Heuermann’s wife was found with the remains of three women.
One of his hairs was also allegedly found on one victim.
Various calls made from a burner phone – including to one victim’s sister – were traced back to his office, home, and a Tinder profile of his operated under a fake name.
Heuermann also made a series of disturbing and incriminating internet searches in the months preceding his arrest, including searches for child pornography, images of the Gilgo victims, and updates about the investigation, police say.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
