Rex Heuermann's gun collection: Gilgo Beach murder suspect’s estranged wife seeks return of his guns worth 'hundreds of thousands of dollars'
LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK: Asa Ellerup, the estranged wife of Giglo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann, has been seeking the return of his legally owned guns which were seized during a 12-day search of their Massapequa Park home.
The 60-year-old architect is currently held at the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office Riverhead facility after being charged with the deaths of three prostitutes — Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello.
He has also been named the prime suspect in the death of another victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes, but the authorities have not been able to charge him due to missing phone records.
Following Heuermann’s arrest on July 13, law enforcement raided his Long Island home, where they discovered a slew of eerie items including a child-sized doll and an arsenal of more than 280 firearms, according to NY Post.
Why does Asa Ellerup want Rex Heuermann's guns back?
Ellerup, 59, has launched a legal battle to reclaim Heuermann's massive gun collection, which she claims is worth “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
She is also fighting to regain possession of the jewelry, clothing, and money seized during the raid on the family's Long Island home.
Ellerup claims she Is entitled to the marital assets as she and her husband’s divorce case proceeds through the courts.
“The county has no lawful right to any of it that’s not considered legal contraband,” Ellerup’s attorney Robert Macedonio told Newsday.
The attorney also revealed that he intends to file a notice of claim on the property after it is transferred to Nassau County police for consideration of possible gun charges.
How many guns did Rex Heuermann have?
During a 12-day-long extensive search, officials seized more than 280 firearms from Heuermann’s home.
After a review by Suffolk police, investigators determined some of the firearms had been possessed in violation of New York state law, according to a court filing.
According to Newsday, Heuermann’s expensive gun stash included an extensive collection of historic long guns, hunting rifles, revolvers, and semi-automatic weapons.
It also contains guns made in England, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Belgium, Romania, Israel, and France as well as weapons going back to the 1860s. Some were used in world wars, according to Newsday, while others include Uzi and Tommy guns.
A comparison of the inventory to online gun dealer pricing lists shows that the worth of the guns ranges from a few hundred dollars to more than $5,000 apiece.
Altogether, Macedonio estimates the entire collection could be worth about $300,000. “They are valuable collectors’ items that he collected legally,” he said, calling Heuermann a “gun guy” who attended NRA conferences.
Although prosecutors are attempting to have the firearms turned over to Nassau County police, it is believed that none of the victims from Gilgo Beach—Megan Waterman, 22, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, and Amber Lynn Costello, 27—were killed with firearms.