The arrest of 59-year-old architect Rex Heuermann over the historic murders of three women in Gilgo Beach has led to widespread online sleuthing into the suspect's life, with police and prosecutors describing him as a "predator" who allegedly killed the women while his wife and children were out of state.
Heuermann is charged with killing Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Costello, 27. He is also considered the prime suspect in the death of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Among the claims and speculation that have followed his arrest, some have suggested that Heuermann had worked for former President Donald Trump several years ago.
The Claim
A Reddit post, published on July 17, 2023, included a link to a news story claiming that Heuermann worked for Trump "in the past".
The article linked to in the Reddit post, mentions a tweet by user @soychicka, posted on July 15, 2023, that shows a business record listing "REX A HEUERMANN" for a job at 40 Wall Street, otherwise known as the Trump Building.
The Facts
To start, Heuermann has only been charged, with a lawyer representing him telling Newsweek that prosecutors have focused on him "despite more significant and stronger leads."
Newsweek has cross-referenced the business records shared on Twitter with other records and can confirm that one of Heuermann's firms (listed as REX A HEUERMANN ARCHITECT PC in the form shared on Twitter) was hired to complete work at the Trump Building.
A filing available via the New York City Department of Buildings shows that in 2018, Heuermann had an application approved for works on the 17th floor of the building.
A job description states it involved: "RENOVATION OF OFFICE SPACE ON THE 17 FLOOR TO INCLUDE MINOR PARTITION AND PLUMBING CHANGES. NO CHANGE TO USE, EGRESS, OR OCCUPANCY UNDER THIS APPLICATION."
The estimated total cost of the job was $205,017 and lists a Steve Lafiosca, vice president of property management at the Trump Organization, as the owner.
To ensure that the Rex Heuermann here was the same person that police arrested in relation to Gilgo Beach, Newsweek cross-referenced the details from this job form with information available via Open Corporates and the New York Department of State.
Both of these sites list the registered address of "REX A. HEUERMANN ARCHITECT, P.C" at "105 FIRST AVE, MASSAPEQUA PARK, NEW YORK, 11762", the same address listed widely by media as his residence.
Google Maps shows that this home is about 25 minutes' drive away from Gilgo Beach, where many of the victim's bodies were found.
So, we know that Heuermann did work at the Trump Building around five years ago on a contracted job. However, to say that he was among Trump's clients or that he worked for Trump is something of a stretch.
Other contract records show that he was signed off on dozens of other jobs across New York between 2018 and 2023, the Trump Building only one among them.
As the contract at the Trump Building in 2018 shows, there is no evidence to suggest that Donald Trump had any knowledge or involvement in this contract.
Indeed, Trump had already handed over management of the Trump Organization to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump when he became president in 2017, although he still owned it. The likelihood, therefore, that he had anything to do with just one job on one floor of one building he owned, that he was not managing directly at the time, seems vanishingly thin.
Newsweek has contacted a media representative for Donald Trump and the Trump Organization, and Heuermann's lawyer via email for comment.
The Ruling
Needs Context.
Rex Heuermann, a suspect in the Gilgo Beach killings, was contracted for work at the Trump Building in 2018, business records show. Cross references with licensing applications prove the Heuermann listed on a contract for the Trump Building is the same person arrested on suspicion of the Gilgo Beach murders.
However, to claim that he worked for Trump is a bit of a stretch. Other records show that Heuermann took on dozens of contracts across New York of which the 2018 job at the Trump Building is one. There is no evidence that even vaguely suggests that Trump was aware of the contract Heuermann was hired for.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
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