Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann is a 'major target' for a jailhouse attack leading accused killer to stay in solitary to review his court case four hours and 'maintain his grooming standards'

Accused Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann has spent most of his days since his arrest in a small windowless cell at the Riverhead Jail as he awaits trialThe sheriff who oversees the jail said they have 'very good information that he would be a target of violence' if he were not in solitary confinementHeuermann, 59, denies murdering Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello and Maureen Brainard-Barnes

Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann would be a ‘major target’ for inmates at the high-security New York jail where he’s currently in solitary confinement, officials admitted.

Accused serial killer Heuermann, 59, has spent most of his days since his July 2023 arrest in a small windowless cell at the Riverhead Jail as he awaits trial.

‘We have very good information that he would be a target of violence if he was not in a secure location,’ Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. told Newsday.

‘There was an individual that did say if he was able to get into close contact with him, ‘I’m going to do something.’

‘Inmates in jail do not like inmates that abuse women, or children,’ he added. ‘Because of the nature of his case, it’s high-profile, it’s incumbent to keep him safe because justice will be served in the courts and not in my jail.’

Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann would be a ‘major target’ for inmates at the high-security New York jail where he’s currently in solitary confinement, officials admitted

Heuermann, 59, has spent most of his days since his July 2023 arrest in a small windowless cell at the Riverhead Jail as he awaits trial

‘We have very good information that he would be a target of violence if he was not in a secure location,’ said Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr, a manager at Riverhead Jail (pictured)

Between 1996 and 2011, the remains of 11 people were found on Gilgo Beach, Long Island, and Heuermann is accused of being the serial killer behind four of the deaths.

All of the known victims were sex workers who advertised on Craigslist.

Toulon, who manages operations at the jails in Riverhead and Yaphank, said Heuermann has been living in a special unit where only one other inmate lives, and the two don’t communicate.

The sheriff described Heuermann’s daily routine to Newsday. He said the former architectural consultant and resident of Massapequa Park now wakes up at 6am in his cell, before being served breakfast in his cell and having the option to shower.

He can also use the jail’s in-house barber shop – which explains the new hairstyle Heuermann had when he last showed up to court earlier this month – a close crop on the sides with longer hair on top.

‘He does maintain his grooming standards,’ Toulon said.

‘He’s acclimated,’ the sheriff added. ‘I can tell you he’s slimmed down a little bit. I don’t know if it’s our food. I know he’s eating.’

Heuermann has been charged in the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello and Megan Waterman. He is the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes

The former architectural consultant and resident of Massapequa Park now wakes up at 6am in his cell, before being served breakfast in his cell and having the option to shower

Heuermann has been living in a special unit where only one other inmate lives, and the two don’t communicate

Heuermann is then given a laptop to access court documents, or he’s taken to the jail’s library – but he can only go in if no other inmates are present. He also has access to 26 television channels, newspapers and books.

At a previous court hearing, the accused killer told Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei that he spends two to three hours each day reviewing discovery documents from prosecutors in order to plan his defense.

Toulon added Heuermann regularly walks in the jail’s recreation area, where there are also basketball courts and pull-up equipment, and chooses to have weekly meetings with a member of the Catholic clergy.

Heuermann hasn’t had any behavioral issues so far, according to Toulon.  ‘He’s very compliant with all the directions that all the corrections officers and supervisors give him,’ the sheriff told Newsday.

The inmate’s ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, who filed for divorce six days after he was arrested, has visited him in jail three times over the past six months, Toulon said, adding a mystery person who is not a relative has also visited him three times.

Ellerup has also shown up at her ex’s court hearings – along with a documentary camera crew – to observe developments in his case.

At a previous court hearing, the accused killer told Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei that he spends two to three hours each day reviewing discovery documents from prosecutors in order to plan his defense

The inmate’s ex-wife, Asa Ellerup (pictured) who filed for divorce six days after he was arrested, has visited him in jail three times over the past six months, Toulon said

She reportedly signed a seven-figure deal with NBC Universal, Texas Crew Productions and G-Unit to feature in a documentary about the case.

Heuermann’s attorney, Michael J Brown, previously stressed that he’s never been arrested and has maintained his innocence since the start of the case.

He has pleaded not guilty to murdering Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Lynn Costello, whose remains were found near Gilgo Beach 13 years ago.

Last week, he was hit with a fourth murder change relating to the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose remains were found near those of the other victims, which he also denied.

The remains of the women, who were all sex workers, were found along Ocean Parkway.

At his last court hearing Heuermann’s internet history came under the microscope, and his lawyer defended him by claiming his ‘sadistic’ searches don’t mean he’s a murderer.

‘Searching the internet, ask yourselves what you search on your computers and your phones,’ defense attorney Michael Brown told reporters on Tuesday after Heuermann was charged with a fourth woman’s killing in Long Island.

‘One thing leads to another – you see a show about something, you start searching, and they talk about how somebody got killed…. You start searching, and then they talk about another way, and you start searching,’ Brown added.

‘Think about if they looked at your own personal search history, how all of a sudden you’re guilty because of your search history?’

Between 1996 and 2011, the remains of 11 people were found on Gilgo Beach, Long Island, and Heuermann is accused of being the serial killer behind four of the deaths

Rex Heuermann’s disturbing April 2021 internet searches were revealed in new court filings

Investigators say they found dozens of alarming internet searches on a burner phone and email account that Heuermann used under the name ‘Thomas Hawk.’

The searches included ‘torture redhead porn,’ ‘girl with face beat up,’ ‘chubby 10 year old girl crying,’ and ‘Asian twink tied up.’

Earlier this month, Heuermann was charged with the killing of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, a 25-year-old sex worker who vanished in 2007.

Last summer he was charged with the murders of three of the ‘Gilgo Beach four’ – Megan Waterman, Amber Costello and Melissa Barthelemy.

He denies all of the charges and his attorney Brown has claimed the DNA testing is not foolproof.

Brown said: ‘He has maintained his innocence from day one. We had advance notice that it was coming, I explained it to him. He said “I am not guilty” , he is looking forward to fighting these charges.

‘All along we’ve been told the evidence is unsuitable for nuclear DNA testing. There has bene testimony, lab reports that said it was incapable of having nuclear DNA testing.

‘Those statistics are not very convincing.’

Heuermann is due back in court in February.