News September 08, 2023
Melissa Moore Recalls What She Saw in Rex Heuermann’s Disturbing Vault
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In July, Rex Heuermann, who has been accused of being the Gilgo Beach Killer, was charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello.
Heuermann has plead not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder. The remains of Barthelemy, Waterman and Costello were found 13 years ago. Seven other bodies have also been found along the beach.
True Crime Daily podcast host Ana Garcia recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Melissa Moore, whose father Keith Hunter Jesperson is now serving time for murdering eight women.
Moore has made it her life’s mission to help other families trapped in the nightmare of being connected to a possible serial killer.
She visited Heuermann’s wife Asa Ellerup and kids, offering some emotional support. She shared, “When I saw Asa, I just embraced her and I just started stroking her hair. I did that because I know her pain and I just wanted her to have some kind of comfort immediately.”
One of the biggest shockers after detectives dug up Heuermann’s home, reports of a secret underground vault.
Moore saw the vault herself. She commented, “It’s incredibly large. It’s a walk-in room with wood paneling and the door, it's not soundproof. You can see all the beams in the house. The door is like a big vault door.”
According to Melissa, Heuermann’s family thought it was “used for gun storage,” adding, “That is where they removed hundreds of guns from that vault.”
The public has a tendency to go after the spouse of someone who gets arrested in high-profile cases with many wondering how could they not know. Melissa argued, “How could [Asa] have known? It took forever for the authorities to figure out he could be [Gilgo Beach Killer].”
Melissa stressed, “A serial killer is not going to tell their family what they’re doing.”
Asa has now filed for divorce. Her attorney Robert Macedonio and legal team member Ginenne Pugliese say she always look at her husband as “her hero” until the day he was arrested.
Pugliese explained, “He saved her out of a difficult situation in her first marriage. He was the best thing for her at the time and that was what their marriage was based on.”
Not only is Asa been emotionally destroyed, she’s facing financial hardship, too. To help her, Melissa started a GoFundMe page.
Melissa said, “I knew instantly that she doesn’t have access to anything or the liberties to sell anything to provide for her family.”
