Giglo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann's wife reveals she is 'finding things hard to comprehend' as she breaks her silence after announcing divorce plans

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The wife of the suspected Giglo Beach serial killer has revealed that she is 'finding things hard to comprehend'.

Asa Ellerup, 59, was married to Rex Heuermann for two decades before he was dramatically arrested last week at his architectural office in Manhattan. The pair lived together in Massapequa Park, Long Island, with their two adult children. Ellerup filed for divorce Wednesday in Suffolk County Supreme Court.

Cops say Heuermann was behind the deaths of three sex workers in 2010 who were buried at Giglo Beach. He is the prime suspect in a fourth killing. 

Attorney Robert Macedonio said the family had been blindsided by the shocking murder charges. 'Obviously this has been a shocking time for them and a pretty difficult time to comprehend,' he told the US Sun.

'As with any family, it's extremely upsetting and they're totally shocked and caught off guard. The family doesn't want to make any further comment than that.'

Asa Ellerup retained attorney Robert Macedonio and filed for divorce from her husband Rex Heuermann who was arrested and named the prime suspect in the Gilgo Beach murders. Pictured: Ellerup, 59, with her daughter Victoria Heuermann, 26, and son Chris Sheridan

Rex Heuermann, 59, was arrested outside his Manhattan firm and charged with the murder of three women. He is the prime suspect in a fourth homicide

Roller skates are loaded onto a truck as law enforcement and forensic teams continue to clean out Rex Heuermann's home in Massapequa Park this week

Law enforcement and forensic teams are seen removing boxes from Rex Heuermann's home in Massapequa Park on Thursday - a week after he was arrested

Ellerup was at home Thursday when police burst into the property at the same time they arrested Heuermann outside his architectural firm in Manhattan.

Heuermann has been charged with murder in the deaths of Amber Lynn Costello, 27, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, and Megan Waterman, 22. He pleaded not guilty on Friday.

Ellerup was shocked but was then shown 'certain pictures' by the police to help her come to terms with the fact that he is suspected of carrying out the notorious killings that have haunted the area for decades.

'When we told the wife, she was shocked, she was embarrassed,' Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told Fox 5. 'But there was a point where we showed her certain pictures and she said, "OK, it is what it is."'

The police commissioner did not reveal what images were shown to his wife, but Heuermann has been pictured in an array of images that range from posing for selfies while allegedly hooking up with sex workers to surveillance video footage of him buying a burner phone.

Macedonio told DailyMail.com on Wednesday that police executed a search warrant at the family's New York home in Massapequa Park the same time they arrested Heuermann in Midtown Manhattan.

'She was in complete shock,' as were her two adult children, the lawyer said. 'Their entire lives have been turned upside down.'

Ellerup emigrated to the United States from Iceland as a child, and grew up near Heuermann on Long Island. 

Ellerup was at home Thursday when police burst into the property at the same time they arrested Heuermann outside his architectural firm in Manhattan

Crime lab teams are camped outside Heuermann's home on Thursday

Teams continue to clean out Heuermann's home in Massapequa Park looking for evidence

It has now emerged Heuermann owns two other homes - in Las Vegas and South Carolina - and police are investigating if he could be connected to any unsolved killings there

She was away when the women were murdered, and neighbors said the couple were rarely seen together.

It has now emerged Heuermann owns two other homes - in Las Vegas and South Carolina - and police are investigating if he could be connected to any unsolved killings there.

Under New York State law, all filings in divorce proceedings are sealed from public scrutiny, but the cases and party's names are docketed and posted.

Asa Ellerup v. Rex Heuermann is listed as an 'uncontested' matrimonial filing dated Wednesday, with a complaint, summons and 'notice concerning continuation of health care coverage' filed and processed.

Macedonio told DailyMail.com Wednesday: 'I can confirm that we did file a summons complaint for the divorce today in Suffolk County Supreme Court.'

He said Ellerup was home at the time of her husband's arrest in Manhattan, and that authorities simultaneously swooped in to search the residence.

'When they made the arrest, they executed the search warrants at exactly the same time, so there's no tipoff for anyone to destroy any kind of evidence,' Macedonio said.

'So as they're taking him down in Manhattan, there was already a team waiting on the house to do it as soon as they got him so he doesn't call and say 'hey.'

Ellerup was walking with a cane on Wednesday as she was spotted with her daughter, Victoria Heuermann, 26 (left)

The suspect's house sits directly north of Gilgo Beach across the South Oyster Bay 

Ellerup attended Farmingdale High School and married briefly in her 20s, divorcing in the early 1990s in Queens. It was unclear if she had a professional life outside the home.

Their daughter Victoria Heuermann, 26, worked with her father as a receptionist.

Chris Sheridan, Heuermann's stepson, had worked at a Burlington Coat Factory store in Massapequa where he stocked shelves.

A young man with special needs, his co-workers said he had some difficulty performing simple tasks and was either let go, or left, a few months ago.

They saw him as a spirited colleague who’d post friendly, uplifting messages and photos on the internal branch website, one showing him cuddling with his dog at home.

Coworkers reacted with shock when they learned his stepdad is the alleged Long Island serial killer.

‘It’s beyond eerie,’ one staffer who knew him told DailyMail.com. ‘I hope he’s okay.’

Ellerup was said to have been traveling to Maryland, New Jersey and Iceland during the murders of Megan Waterman, Amber Costello and Melissa Barthelemy, whose bodies were found dumped on Gilgo Beach.

The first victim, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, was discovered by Suffolk County Police on December 11, 2010. The body of Megan Waterman, 22, was found two days later

Maureen Brainard-Barnes was 25 years old when she went missing (left). Amber Lynn Costello was 27 years old. Their bodies were found near Barthelemy's the same day

When sex worker Barthelemy disappeared from her Bronx home on July 12, 2009, travel records showed Asa was in Iceland.

She left for her homeland on July 8, 2009, and remained there until August.

A year later, Megan Waterman, a 22-year-old prostitute, was last seen on June 6, 2010.

Records suggest her phone likely traveled to Massapequa Park, and the cell site location was near Heuermann's home.

Ellerup was in Maryland during this period, traveling from New York on July 4, 2010, and returning four days later, according to cellphone billing records.

Amber Costello, a 27-year-old also working as a sex worker, was last seen by acquaintances on September 2, 2010.

Ellerup was again traveling at the time, leaving home on August 28, 2010, and returning from New Jersey on September 5, billing records show, according to court documents.