Wife of Gilgo Beach murders suspect files for divorce

The wife of a man accused of murdering three women in Long Island has filed for divorce less than a week after his arrest.

Court documents show that Asa Ellerup, 59, filed to divorce Rex Heuermann on Wednesday after 27 years of marriage.

Mr Heuermann, an architect, pleaded not guilty after being charged with the killings of Megan Waterman, Amber Costello and Melissa Barthelemy.

Further charges are expected for at least one other unsolved murder case.

Ms Barthelemy, Ms Waterman and Ms Costello were found dead in 2010 near a fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes. The victims, all sex workers, were dubbed the Gilgo Beach Four. The four were among 11 sets of human remains found in the area, 50 miles (80km) east of New York City.

Prosecutors have alleged that Mr Heuermann, 59, carried out the murders when Ms Ellerup and the couple's children were travelling away from the New York area.

On Wednesday, Ms Ellerup filed for divorce from Mr Heuermann, her lawyer confirmed to CBS, the BBC's US partner.

Court documents submitted to the Suffolk County Supreme Court show the filing is "uncontested".

The BBC has reached out to her lawyer, Bob Macedonio, for comment.

Speaking to Fox News, Mr Macedonio said that the investigation "is still a whirlwind" for Ms Ellerup and the couple's children.

"Her and her children's lives have been completely turned upside down," he said.

While several of Ms Ellerup's hairs were found at the crime scenes - ultimately helping authorities track Mr Heuermann down - investigators have ruled out any possibility that she could have been aware of his alleged crimes.

Police in New York told CBS that the family was "in the dark about his double life".

Those who knew Mr Heuermann have been coming forward to describe their interactions with him.

One woman, 34-year-old Nicole Brass, told CBS she went on a date with him a few years ago in which he seemed "really excited" to discuss the Gilgo Beach murders.

"He was very detailed," she said, "and it didn't seem like somebody who was just a true crime fan.

"It seemed like somebody who as they talked about it were reliving it in their head.

"It piqued his interest."