Rex Heuermann’s lawyer is trying to shift the blame for the Gilgo Beach murders to the corrupt former police chief who was previously in charge of the case.
Defense attorney Michael Brown said outside the Long Island courthouse where his accused serial killer client was being heard Wednesday morning that disgraced police officer James Burke is “involved” in the sordid case.
“We have received approximately almost 3,000 leads in this case,” he told reporters outside Suffolk County High Council in Rivierhoofd.
“Numerous leads were received by the Suffolk County Police Department indicating Chief Burke was involved.”
Burke reportedly led a double life with crack, cross-dressing and relationships with prostitutes. He is serving a prison sentence after being convicted of several crimes including assault, public lewdness and unlawful solicitation after flashing a flash in a park.
Heuermann, 60, has spent most of his days in a small windowless cell at the Riverhead Jail since his arrest in July 2023, awaiting trial. (Photo: Heuermann in court on Wednesday)
Pictured: Former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke (center) is escorted by FBI personnel to a vehicle outside the FBI office in Melville, New York, on December 9, 2015
His ex-wife Asa Ellerup (pictured) was also spotted pulling up to the Long Island courthouse in a black Mercedes
Regarding the former agent’s involvement in the Gilgo Beach murder case, Brown said, “Chief Burke did not want the FBI involved in the investigation at the time, with their expertise.
‘It is problematic for us that the police chief who led the investigation had a very turbulent past and was involved in criminal activities.
“He recently served a four to four and a half year sentence in the federal system.
‘He was recently arrested on charges of sexual misconduct. We want to see that data.”
Brown’s comments came after his client, Heuermann, appeared in court Wednesday morning wearing a black suit, white shirt and navy blue tie.
He listened intently to the hearing, which focused on large amounts of potential evidence seized from various devices related to the case.
The 60-year-old father of two is accused of murdering four female sex workers whose bodies were found buried on a remote stretch of Gilgo Beach more than a decade ago.
His ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, was also seen pulling up in a black Mercedes outside the Long Island courthouse.
The 60-year-old father of two is accused of murdering four female sex workers whose bodies were found on Gilgo Beach more than a decade ago
Alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex A. Heuermann, right, appears in Judge Tim Mazzei’s courtroom next to his attorney Michael Brown in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead on Wednesday
Asa Ellerup, left, the estranged wife of Long Island serial murder suspect Rex Heuermann, arrives at court in Riverhead, NY on Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Ellerup, left, who also shares two children with Heuermann, filed for divorce six days after being accused of the first three murders
Speaking outside the Long Island courthouse where his accused serial killer client was being heard Wednesday morning, attorney Michael Brown said disgraced police officer James Burke (pictured in August 2023) is “involved” in the case.
It comes just weeks after she claimed her partner of 27 years was ‘incapable’ of killing the four women. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Ellerup, who also shares two children with Heuermann, filed for divorce six days after he was charged with the first three murders.
But she still visits him in prison because she believes he “deserves the benefit of the doubt” and attends his hearings with a documentary camera crew.
Ellerup reportedly signed a controversial seven-figure deal with NBC Universal, Texas Crew Productions and G-Unit to appear in a series about the case.
During Wednesday’s hearing, attorneys discussed large amounts of potential evidence contained on hundreds of devices. The judge said he wanted the discovery phase of the case to be completed by July.
Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said prosecutors are faced with “an enormous amount of material.”
“When you’re talking about terabytes upon terabytes of information, it doesn’t happen overnight,” he told reporters outside the court.
Heuermann last appeared in court in early February to provide an update on the progress of his case, remaining silent.
He was taken to a quiet Suffolk County courthouse in Riverhead, Long Island, New York, for a procedural hearing not attended by Ellerup.
It was the architect’s first court appearance since Jan. 16, when he pleaded not guilty to the 2007 murder of 25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Pictured: Asa Ellerup in court on Wednesday ahead of Heuermann’s final hearing
The alleged victims known as the ‘Gilgo four’: Maureen Brainard-Barnes; Amber Lynn Costello, 27; Megan Waterman, 22; and Melissa Barthélemy, 24
Heuermann was previously charged with three counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy in 2009, and Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello in 2010.
Since his arrest in July 2023, he has spent most of his days in a small windowless cell at the Riverhead Jail, awaiting trial.
His lawyer previously revealed to DailyMail.com that the accused killer was still in solitary confinement and was ‘lonely and depressed’.
Officials at New York’s maximum-security prison said he was isolated because he would otherwise be a “prime target” for inmates.
“We have very good information that he would be the target of violence if he were not in a secure location,” Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. said. from Suffolk County previously told Newsday.
“There was someone who said if he could get in close contact with him, ‘I’m going to do something.’
Alleged victims Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Lynn Costello, 27, went missing between 2007 and 2010.
They were all sex workers who advertised their services on Craigslist and Backstory. The women were found tied up in gunny bags within a few kilometers of each other.
Long Island architect Heuermann was arrested outside his Manhattan office last year after DNA evidence linked him to their disappearances.
