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Gilgo Beach suspect's loyal ex-wife skips key hearing as expert raises serious questions about DNA evidence
The loyal ex-wife of the alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer has skipped a key hearing - as an expert raises serious questions about DNA evidence being used in the case.
Asa Ellerup has continued to attend her ex-husband Rex Heuermann's court hearings despite their divorce in April.
But on Tuesday the mother of two was nowhere in sight.
Ellerup's attorney Robert Macedonio said there was 'no specific reason' why she was not present at court, and did not want to comment further.
Ellerup, who was married to Heuermann for 27 years and shared two children - Victoria, 27 and Christopher, 35, before she filed for divorce after his arrest in July 2023.
On Tuesday, Suffolk County Criminal court heard from Nathaniel Adams, a systems engineer with Forensics Bioinformantics Services, a biotechnology company based in Fairborn, Ohio.
Adams told the court that the IBDGem software that was used by the prosecution's star witness Richard 'Ed' Green, Phd, a biomolecular engineer and co-founder of Astrea Labs, who testified in April, did not appear to follow a formal discipline that would confirm if the software was dependable or not.
Using a powerpoint presentation, Adams spoke about the 'zone of chaos' when defects occur in the early or mid-development stages, but explained aren't caught until late development or post -release.
'All of these defects can exist and can manifest in serious problems and not be apparent to the users. They may not know that there is an error occurring.'
He noted that the IBDGem software used by Astrea Labs followed 'no quailty control framework.' One operational concern he spoke about was when the Astrea team had a reed sample in the lab that returned challenging results.
Adams concluded that if the team had a standardized processes in place that would not have taken place.
'You don't want bad software getting involved in the process,' he said. 'Formal and regular inspections of software prevents the zone of chaos from taking place.'
He further testified that there were 65 total edits - also known as commits - made on the IBDGem software since June 2020, 15 edits and four new updated versions, also called 'releases' since March 2023.
He explained that IBDGem software is not the same one that tested the data sample used in the case, and said Green's team adjusted the code after they did testing on the case adding that 'the (software) release was done after the testing.'
When defense attorney Danielle Coyosh asked Adams if these tests are not completed right can the system still be considered valid and verified, he responded, 'No, by definition it is unreliable.'
The defense witness also pointed that Green's team are scientists and don't use the same type of validity in developing code and software to do the scientific analysis as a systems engineer would.
The 38-year-old Adams who has an associate's degree in systems engineering and bachelors in computer science said he was still working on obtaining his Master's degree and working towards his master's thesis.
However, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney appeared to mock Adams and questioned his credibility during his grueling two hour cross-examination.
Tierney took apart his 10-page CV asking him why it took nearly 10 years for him to obtain his college degrees. At one point, Judge Timothy Mazzei intervened and asked Adams' what was going on between 2004 to 2011?'
His response to the judge was that he had 'various jobs' but didn't elaborate.
During the cross-examination, the DA asked the witness why he only listed 12 cases on is his CV if he was acted as an expert witness for the defense in 30 cases.
He also asked if he graduated with honors, and if had any other industry experience besides working for his current employer.
He also inquired about the journals and publication Adams had published in and the conferences he presented at.
'You're supposed to be an expert, but you don't even know who your adviser was or if you graduated summa cum laude or not,' Tierney said.
The expert witness will return to the stand on Wednesday for day two of the hearing.
Tuesday's hearing comes exactly one week after the three-part Peacock documentary The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets first aired.
The documentary reveals never-before-heard admissions from Heuermann's family and of a man accused of living a double life.
In a bombshell twist, Victoria admits to producers that she believes her father 'most likely' committed the murders though her mother steadfastly defends her ex-husband's innocence.
She came to her own conclusion after she reviewed the facts that were available on the case and what was explained to her. She shared the revelation with producers, a week before the series launch.
Though she did not speak about in the documentary, it was revealed in a statement at the end of the final episode.
Melissa Barthelemy (top left), Amber Costello (top right), Megan Waterman (bottom left), and Maureen Brainard-Barnes (bottom right) became known as the 'Gilgo Four'
Valerie Mack (left) disappeared in 2000 and parts of her body were discovered in Long Island that November. Jessica Taylor (right) vanished in 2003 with some of her remains being found in Manorville that year
Sandra Costilla (left) was murdered in 1993, making her the earliest known alleged victim. Karen Vergata's (right) remains were identified in 2023. Heuermann has not been charged in connection to her death
Heuermann has been charged with the murders of seven women during a two-decade reign of horror from 1993 to 2011.
All the victims were sex workers who vanished before their remains were found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach as well as other remote spots on Long Island.
Since his arrest, prosecutors have unveiled a trove of evidence, including hairs allegedly belonging to Heuermann and his family members found on some of the victims, cellphone data allegedly placing him in contact with them, and a chilling 'planning document' in which he allegedly outlines his killings in detail.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Fears that a serial killer or killers were operating on Long Island began in May 2010 when 24-year-old sex worker Shannan Gilbert disappeared in strange circumstances one night.
During a search for Gilbert that December, officers found the body of Melissa Barthelemy, 22, in the marshes by Gilgo Beach.
Within days, three more bodies - Amber Costello, 27, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, and Megan Waterman, 22 - had been found. They became known as the Gilgo Four.
Over the following months, the remains of seven other victims were found.
Earlier this year, Tanya Denise Jackson, 26, also known as Peaches, and her two-year-old daughter Tatiana Marie Dykes were identified this year.
Their deaths have not been linked to Heuermann.
