Ex-Escort Who Dated Rex Heuermann Reveals Creepy Details of Their Encounter

A former escort who says she once went on a date with the man charged in three of the Gilgo Beach killings has revealed what made her feel uncomfortable about the encounter.

Rex Heuermann, 59, is charged in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Amber Costello, 27, and Megan Waterman, 22. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is also the prime suspect in the death of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25.

The remains of the women—all sex workers—were among 10 sets found along Long Island's Gilgo Beach in 2010 and 2011. The first set of remains was found while authorities were searching for another woman, Shannan Gilbert. Gilbert was found dead in December 2011, about 3 miles east of where the other 10 sets of remains were discovered.

In an appearance on NewsNation, Nicole Brass, who now works as a hairstylist, said she went on a date with Heuermann in 2015. Newsweek has contacted Heuermann's lawyer via email for comment.

Brass told Chris Cuomo that Heuermann had asked her to come to his home for the date, but they met at a restaurant.

Brass said Heuermann brought up the Gilgo Beach murders after she said she was a fan of true crime.

"He said, 'Well, have you heard of the Gilgo Beach murders?' And I said, 'Yeah, everybody from Long Island has'... and then he started like, talking about it."

The way Heuermann was talking about the case didn't "seem like a true crime fan," she said. "His body language kind of changed and his eyes were like, as if he was in (a) different place, like he was picturing it all over again."

She said he "seemed like he enjoyed talking about it too much. Not like somebody who empathizes with the victims and is following the case," she added. Newsweek has contacted Brass via social media for further comment.

The way he talked, she said, was like someone who "really wanted to be able to brag about what they did but can't."

Brass said Heuermann mentioned the burlap sacks that the victims were found wrapped in—information that she is not sure was known by the public at the time.

"He just talked about the burlap sacks and bodies going into burlap," she said.
Heuermann "made the victims seem like people who didn't matter," she added. "He was just like, well, they were all escorts anyway."

As the date went on, Brass said Heuermann became "agitated" that she did not want to go back home with him.

She "wanted out" right after he started talking about the Gilgo Beach murders, she said.

Brass said she tried to be polite, and said she did not feel comfortable driving to Nassau County where he lived. He then offered to drive them both in his car.

"That really weirded me out," she said. "I was like, 'I wouldn't get in the car with somebody I don't know.'"

Brass said she felt afraid as Heuermann tried to hug her goodbye.

"He tried to give me a hug goodbye but it was very, like uncomfortable and weird," she said. "And just everything about it was very, very strange."

Brass said she is sure that Heuermann is the man she met in 2015.

"There's no not recognizing him," she said. "He's a really big guy and his face is very recognizable."

She said she told people over the years about her suspicions that she had met the Gilgo Beach murderer.

"I've told people for years," she said. "I just always told people like I think I had dinner with the Gilgo Beach murderer. I am almost positive."

A new task force looking into the case honed in on Heuermann as a suspect early last year, prosecutors said, after connecting him to a Chevrolet Avalanche pickup truck that a witness reported seeing when one of the victims disappeared. They discovered he lived in Massapequa Park, an area linked to some victims' cell phone activity.

According to court documents, investigators matched DNA from a pizza Heuermann ate to hair found on burlap wrapped around one of the victims. They also linked him to other evidence, including burner cell phones that were used to arrange meetings with the women.

Heuermann's lawyer Michael Brown told Newsweek this week that his client is a "hardworking" licensed architect with his own firm in New York and no prior criminal history.

"There is nothing about Mr. Heuermann that would suggest that he is involved in these incidents," Brown added. "And while the government has decided to focus on him despite more significant and stronger leads, we are looking forward to defending him in a court of law before a fair and impartial jury of his peers."

Brown also described Heuermann as "a loving husband to his wife of over 25 years and an involved and dedicated father to his daughter and stepson." Heuermann's wife, Asa Ellerup, filed for divorce on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.