A Long Island village is looking to possibly purchase the home of accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann, which has become a magnet for hordes of curiosity seekers.
The ramshackle single-family home on First Avenue in Massapequa Park has been swarmed by reporters and gawkers of every stripe since Heuermann’s arrest earlier this month, raising concerns among his neighbors, which village Mayor Daniel Pearl and Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder sought to address at a community meeting Monday night, reported Newsday.
“They have a lot of concerns in terms of quality of life, their safety, and their property,” Pearl said.
The mayor said his village government was laying the groundwork to potentially buy the First Avenue property, where Heuermann had lived for nearly 30 years.
“Legally, we’re getting everything lined up so the village is prepared to move forward when the time comes,” he said, without going into further detail.
Heuermann purchased the humble six-room home in 1994 for $170,000.
Built in 1956, the one-story residence occupies just 1,323 square feet of space, and has a full basement and one fireplace.
The property’s current estimated price is around $635,000, according to the real estate site Zillow.com.
For now, cops will be stationed around the suspected serial killer’s home “for the foreseeable future” to keep rubberneckers away, said Nassau County Police Detective Lt. Richard LeBrun.
Any vehicle that stops in front of the Heuermann home will be slapped with a ticket, and police will be cracking down on loitering and jaywalking in the neighborhood.
The property will be under 24-hour video surveillance and will be guarded by police vehicles, Pearl said, calling the measures “proactive.”
Additionally, Massapequa Park will be installing No Parking, No Stopping, and No Standing signs and doing away with all media staging areas in the village.
Tuesday’s community meeting occurred just hours after police wrapped up their extensive search of Heuermann’s “very cluttered” home and cleared the way for his wife and two children to move back in.
It remains unclear whether Heuermann allegedly killed any of his victims inside his residence, with Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney telling reporters that “the evidence doesn’t point one way or the other.”
The search of the property turned up a huge walk-in vault in the basement and 279 weapons.
Police also dug up the suspect’s yard and brought in cadaver dogs but found no human remains.
Heuermann, 59, an architect with a Manhattan firm, was arrested July 13 and charged with murder in the deaths of three women whose bodies were found on Gilgo Beach in December 2010 — Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, and Melissa Barthelemy.
He is also considered the prime suspect in the killing of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Collectively, the victims have come to be known as the “Gilgo Four.”
Heuermann’s wife, Asa Ellerup, has filed for divorce in the wake of her husband’s arrest.
Authorities said Ellerup, her son, Christopher Sheridan, and her and Heuermann’s daughter, Victoria, were out of town during the murders.
Heuermann pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and remained held without bail.
SOURCE: New york post
