1 month ago
The accused serial slayer Rex Heuermann is being sued on pinch his erstwhile woman and their daughter, by nan boy of 1 of his alleged victims.
Benjamin Torres, nan boy of Valerie Mack, 1 nan victims charged successful nan lawsuit against Heuermann, claims his mother was “tortured ferociously, and her assemblage dismembered”.
The wrongful decease lawsuit, revenge by lawyer John Ray, said that astatine nan clip of his mother’s murder, Torres was six, and he has since been “deprived of his mother’s care, guidance, protection, nurture, society, and economical support”.
The ineligible action seeks “recovery for nan wrongful torture and execution of Valerie Mack, for nan terror, restraint, pain, mutilation, and dismemberment inflicted upon her earlier and aft death, for nan concealment and mutilation of her remains, and for nan profound and prolonged harm thereby inflicted” upon her son.
Investigators judge Mack was murdered betwixt 1 September and 19 November 2000. Heuermann was charged pinch her execution successful December 2024, aft he was arrested connected a Manhattan thoroughfare successful July 2023.
Mack was a 24-year-old activity worker successful nan Philadelphia and Atlantic City areas astatine nan clip of her disappearance. Some of her remains were recovered successful a wooded area adjacent Manorville, Long Island, while others were discovered a decade later adjacent Gilgo Beach, wherever Heuermann is accused of dumping nan bodies of astir of his alleged victims.
Mack’s personality was chartless for respective years but prosecutors later said they linked Heuermann to Mack’s decease done a mitochondrial DNA study of a hairsbreadth recovered connected Mack’s body, which nan opportunity matched nan profiles of Heuermann’s woman and daughter, on pinch grounds recovered connected Heuermann’s physics devices.
The suit targets money that whitethorn person been paid to Heuermann’s erstwhile woman and their girl from a documentary they participated successful – “monies they were fixed to utilization nan bulldoze of plaintiff and to publically attenuate suspect Rex Heuermann’s atrociousness via media exploitation”.
It besides claims that Asa Ellerup, Heuermann’s ex-wife, and Victoria Heuermann, his daughter, lived astatine nan family’s Massapequa residence and “had regular entree to nan residence and its contents”. Prosecutors opportunity nan brace were retired of municipality astatine nan clip nan 7 women were murdered.
Robert Macedonio, an lawyer for Ellerup and Victoria Heuermann, told Patch nan suit was a “reckless effort by John Ray to support himself applicable successful a lawsuit wherever his only customer Shannan Gilbert had nary engagement pinch nan Gilgo Beach homicides.” Shannan Gilbert, 24, went missing successful 2010 and her assemblage was discovered months later. Heuermann has not been charged complete her death.
Macedonio added that astatine nan clip of Mack’s killing, Victoria Heuermann was 13.
“What personification successful their correct mind would deliberation a 13-year-old would beryllium progressive pinch a homicide pinch a serial killer?” Macedonio said.
Heuermann has denied his engagement successful deaths of Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello and Mack, successful what prosecutors opportunity was a 17-year crime spree.
Reports suggest, however, that Heuermann could connected Wednesday alteration his plea to blameworthy successful nan 7 charged murders and to nan execution of an eighth woman, Karen Vergata, who vanished successful 1996.
Suffolk region charismatic Ray Tierney has declined to remark connected nan negotiations to scope a plea deal.
“Nothing is done, and truthful we wait,” Tierney said during a nationalist quality past month. “It’s not my decision, and I’m not a statement to that decision. There’s a presumption of innocence and a correct to trial. And we respect those things and we’re conscionable going to person to hold and see.”
