‘Lives are forever changed.’ One year since bombshell arrest of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer

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Saturday marked the one-year anniversary since in the arrest of Rex Heuermann – the alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer. News 12 broke the news that police had made a bombshell arrest in the Gilgo Beach murders investigation on July 14, 2023. At the time, Heuermann was charged with the murders of three victims: Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. In January, prosecutors charged Heuermann with the death of a fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes. By June, Heuermann was accused of killing six women, including Sandra Costilla and Jessica Taylor. He currently is a suspect in the murder of Valerie Mack and allegedly began preying on victims at least three decades ago. Today, Heuermann's ex-wife Asa Ellerup spoke outside her Massapequa home with her attorney by her side. She has been battling cancer for several months. "I am not in remission yet, I have up to three years for the doctors to see if I am in remission," she said. Attorney Robert Macedonio says the family has been trying to rebuild their lives one piece at a time. "Their lives are forever changed," explained Macedonio. A neighbor says he hopes justice is served for the families of the victims. "Residents like me have been following this case for years. I think it would be good to have answers especially for the victims and their families," he said. Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney spoke with News 12 ahead of the one-year anniversary of Rex Heuermann’s arrest in the Gilgo serial killer case. He said that investigators are still combing through physical and digital evidence. Tierney says Heuermann had hundreds of encrypted smart devices. Detectives are working to access the information on those devices. News 12 has been covering all aspects of the case against Heuermann – including two episodes of Crime Files. Crime Files: Gilgo Beach - Secrets in the Sand Crime Files: Gilgo Beach - Hiding In Plain Sight "