The wife of Long Island serial killer Rex Heuermann filed for divorce on Wednesday, less than a week after he was arrested in connection with the grisly murders of four women. Asa Ellerup, 59, the "shocked" and "disgusted" wife of the accused murderer, filed a marital complaint in Suffolk County Supreme Court against her husband.
Ellerup has been married to Heuermann, 59, for more than two decades and raised two adult children, according to online court records. According to New York State law, all documents filed in divorce proceedings are kept confidential and protected from public inspection but the names of the parties are recorded and listed on the docket for reference.
Severing All Ties
This came as new photos of Ellerup surfaced on Wednesday as she was spotted for the first time since Heuermann was arrested last week. She was spotted at a Best Buy store with her 26-year-old daughter, Victoria Heuermann, according to photos obtained by Fox News.
On Wednesday, the legal case titled "Asa Ellerup v. Rex Heuermann" appeared in the records as an "uncontested" matrimonial filing. The complaint, summons, and a notice regarding the continuation of health care coverage were filed and processed on that day.
However, it's important to note that these specific documents are not accessible to the public due to their confidential nature under New York State law.
The information about this filing was brought to public attention on Wednesday evening after Daily Beast reporter Pilar Melendez posted about it on Twitter.
Ellerup's lawyer Robert Macedonia told DailyMail.com that the police conducted a search warrant at the family's home in New York at the same time they arrested Rex Heuermann in Manhattan.
This indicates that the authorities were actively investigating the case and gathering evidence related to the incident.
"She was in complete shock," as were her two adult children, the lawyer said. "Their entire lives have been turned upside down."
On Wednesday, an unidentified man in a gray shirt and pants was spotted with Ellerup and her daughter carrying a case of A&W root beer.
The same man, dressed in a gray T-shirt and dark blue pants, was also seen standing between the two women in one of the photos on Tuesday.
His connection to Rex Heuermann's family, specifically whether he is the stepson with special needs, remains unclear.
According to the police, Heuermann's family was completely shocked when he was arrested outside his office and charged in connection with the gruesome murders that had occurred 13 years ago.
"When we initially informed them about their husband, their father, they were shocked," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said Monday.
"They were disgusted — they were embarrassed."
End of the Relationship
Ellerup moved to the United States from Iceland as a child. She lived in the Massapequa Park home where the accused killer had grown up. Heuermann purchased the house from his mother in 1994, the same year he started his Manhattan architecture firm.
Ellerup graduated from Farmingdale High School, got married for a short time in her 20s, and divorced in Queens in the early 1990s. She is Heuermann's second wife.
In their home, the couple lived with Heuermann's special-needs stepson and their daughter, Victoria. Their daughter, Victoria, was employed as a receptionist at her father's company, RH Consultants and Associates, located on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
Ellerup had been in hiding since her husband's arrest last week on three counts of murder related to the killings of three women—Amber Lynn Costello (27), Melissa Barthelemy (24), and Megan Waterman (22)—whose bodies were discovered in a marshy area of Gilgo Beach in 2010.
Heuermann's daughter Victoria Heuermann, 26, worked alongside her father as a receptionist at his company. While the identity of their son remains unknown, it has been mentioned that he has special needs, according to The New York Times.
The family maintained a private lifestyle, and neighbors stated that they were never invited into their home.
Asa Ellerup's sister, Johanna Ellerup, who is a pharmacist living seven miles away from their Long Island residence, shared with DailyMail.com that their mother has passed away, and their father still lives in the house where Asa and Johanna Ellerup grew up.
Authorities revealed that the accused killer, who is described as hulking, was known to frequently use Craigslist and other websites to seek out prostitutes.
At least one of the victims found at Gilgo Beach disappeared after reportedly meeting the suspect for an alleged rendezvous in 2010.
In addition to being charged with the murders of Amber Lynn Costello, Melissa Barthelemy, and Megan Waterman, Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose remains were also discovered.
His lawyer, Michael Brown, released a statement last week, revealing that Heuermann and Asa Ellerup had been together for 25 years.
