A former colleague of Rex Heuermann has claimed that he blushed at the sight of female staff, shared graphic details of butchering animals and threatened to shoot up a rival firm started by one of his former staffers.
Mary Shell wrote a detailed account of her experience working in the architecture firm founded by the 59-year-old in 1994, RH Consultants and Associates.
Shell had been hired as an ‘expediter’ to cut through the city’s red tape and recounted in an article for New York magazine that when she met Heuermann he’d ‘turned red.’
‘Like that of a shy teenage boy who had been surprised by a hot girl in the cafeteria,’ she continued.
Shell said that the office had been mostly staffed by women describing them as ‘young and petite, the girl-next-door type’ adding that although they knew he was married, the suspected serial killer never spoke of his family.
A former colleague of Rex Heuermann has claimed that he blushed at the sight of female staff, shared graphic details of butchering animals and threatened to shoot up his rival architecture firm
The first victim, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, was discovered by Suffolk County Police on December 11, 2010. The body of Megan Waterman, 22, was found two days later
Maureen Brainard-Barnes was 25 years old when she went missing (left). Amber Lynn Costello was 27 years old. Their bodies were found near Barthelemy’s the same day
Shell started her job at the firm in September 2007, noting it had been just months after police say Heuermann took the life of his first victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25.
Shell said co-workers said that he’d ‘gushed about his bear-hunting trips in particular: baiting an area and lying in wait.’
‘More than once, he gleefully described the process of dressing the game, seeming to delight in grossing his employees out.
Dressing game refers to removing the entrails and organs of an animal that has just been slaughtered to try and cool its meat as quickly as possible.
‘Once, at a job site, he spotted a client approaching and, speaking to my boss over the phone, said, ‘Target in sight.”
Heuermann had peddled himself to clients as a master at navigating building-code and zoning analysis and believed to have ‘political clout and tried to convince others he did too,’ said Shell.
Heuermann was taken into custody July 13 in connection to the grisly murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello whose remains were found in Gilgo Beach in 2010. He has pleaded not guilty
After two and a half years of working at the firm Heuermann offered to hire Shell. By June 2010 she claimed to be working directly with the father-of-two, when he was allegedly onto next victim Megan Waterman.
By August, Shell said that she left the firm. She said ‘a few weeks later, Heuermann would allegedly kill Amber Lynn Costello.’
Shell also told of the panic that ensued when one of Heuermann’s former staffers quit to set up her own company.
That woman claimed Heuermann was seen pacing on the street outside her office and looking up into her firm’s windows. Staff there are said to have taken to locking the elevator, fearing that Heuermann would potentially arrive with his arsenal of guns to shoot the office up.
The 59-year-old architect was taken into custody July 13 in connection to the grisly murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello whose remains were found in Gilgo Beach in 2010. He has pleaded not guilty.
Heuermann is also the lead suspect in the 2007 disappearance and subsequent murder of the fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, though he has not yet been charged.
He is also being investigated for the murders of six others whose bodies were found in Gilgo Beach in 2011.
Since his bombshell arrest in Manhattan, the once quiet block where Heuermann lived, has become the scene of a media circus and a popular destination for crime junkies.
Dozens of people from all parts of Long Island and further abroad have been seen stopping to catch a glimpse of the active crime scene, as forensic teams comb the Massapequa Park home for evidence.
The sleepy neighborhood was turned upside down after Heuermann – who is currently being held at a Suffolk county jail – was charged with the murders of the three escorts. He is scheduled to appear in court on August 1.
Investigators revealed on July 14 that they moved to arrest Heuermann over fears that the suspected murderer could strike again.
Since Heuermann’s bombshell arrest in Manhattan, the once quiet block where the married father-of-two lived, has become the scene of a media circus and a popular destination for crime junkies
Nassau County Police will slap grief tourists seen lingering outside the Long Island home of suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann with a $150 fine
Cops had Heuermann under surveillance since last year, and had planned to continue to follow him as they built their case.
They decided to make the arrest in the interest of ‘public safety,’ Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.
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Questions have been raised over why it took investigators so long to finally snare the alleged killer after over a decade at large.
Ahead of his appearance, prosecutors released their bombshell evidence against him that includes:
· His wife’s DNA was found on three of the victims’ bodies
· One of his own hairs was found on one of the victims’ bodies
· Cell phone calls made from a burner phone to the victims were traced to his office
· A call made to one of the victims’ sisters after she died was traced to his office
· His Tinder profile with photos of him was linked to the burner phone
· His Chevrolet pick-up truck was seen by witness to one victim’s disappearance
· He matches description of ‘ogre’ like man seen with one victim before she vanished
· Heuermann conducted graphic searches for child porn and images of women being sexually abused
· He also searched Google for updates on the case, searching ‘why could law enforcement not trace the calls made by the long island serial killer’
As forensic cops continue to comb through Hueramann’s home, mysterious objects have been dug up in the 59-year-old’s backyard.
Haunting images showed the officers crowded over a hole in the ground as they surveyed small fragments on a board.
Some experts have speculated that they could be human remains, while others warned they could be from animals or something else entirely.
Investigators have been carting out boxes of items from the house for the past week as they rigorously hunt for any evidence connected to the infamous killings.
They have discovered a huge gun cache and are probing the idea some of the victims could have been butchered at the house.
A doctor and a bone expert analyzed the photos for DailyMail.com and were split over the nature of the objects – but said ‘human remains can’t be ruled out.’
‘Really from a distance they definitely could be human, or animal. But it’s too far away to know for sure,’ said one doctor.
‘DNA testing is very necessary: we doctors are used to close-ups.’
Another expert, a forensic anthropologist, told DailyMail.com: ‘From my experience, they look too rectangular to be human. I wouldn’t recognize any of those objects immediately as human remains.
‘But the dark stain to them suggests we are looking at organic material, and the context in which they were found means I wouldn’t rule out human remains.’
Suffolk County Police commissioner Rodney Harrison said investigators could not confirm if any of the victims had ever visited the Heuermann home.
‘We are doing a total investigation around the house to see if there is anything out there that we need to take a closer look at,’ he said.
A forensic photographer is seen bending over the tray of objects found at Heuermann’s house
‘Can we confirm that someone was killed inside the house? We can’t confirm that at this time.’
Police believe Heuermann’s wife, Asa Ellerup, 59, and children had no involvement in the killings.
Analysis of phone records shows that Ellerup was out of town during the periods in 2009 and 2010 when Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello went missing.
She was in Iceland, where she was born, and visiting friends in New Jersey.
Ellerup filed for divorce last week, and has not been back to the house, which remains sealed off.
