EXCLUSIVE: Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann was nicknamed Peter after the dysfunctional, bumbling father in the sitcom “Family Guy,” Fox News Digital has learned.
An architect who worked with Heuermann, 59, for nearly two decades described him as “really friendly and really nice” and was stunned by the allegations his unassuming co-worker had slaughtered four sex workers for sport.
“We called him Peter the family guy mostly because of the way he looked. He was goofy,” the New York City architect said of Heuermann’s toupee-like hairstyle and plodding gait.
The Massapequa married father of two is a hulking 6-feet-4 and 240 pounds.
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The former colleague, who asked Fox News Digital to withhold his name, said he heard the news when an architect pal in Atlanta sent him a text with a link to the story and asked jokingly if he knew him.
“And I’m like, what the f—? I do know him,” he responded. “When I saw this whole thing unfold I was in shock. How was this even possible? It’s crazy. His contact is literally in my phone.”
Heuermann, who had his own firm RH Consultants & Associates, was “meticulous” and known as an expert at navigating New York City’s complex zoning and building code rules, the colleague added.
He was also a very hard worker who kept late hours. When the junior architect left Manhattan firm, he hired Heuermann as a consultant and expeditor on some of his residential projects.
New York State Police remove evidence from the home of Rex Heuermann in Massapequa Park, New York, Saturday, July 15, 2023. Heuermann is charged with six counts of murder related to three bodies found on Gilgo Beach in 2010. (Dario Alequin for Fox News Digital)
They would spend hours in Heuermann’s Midtown office, which was extremely neat and organized.
A general view of 385 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan on Friday, July 14, 2023. Rex Heuermann’s architecture firm, RH Consultants, is located within the office building. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)
After the arrest, the colleague saw images online of Heuermann’s dilapidated house with what appear to be two-by-fours holding up the roof.
“I did a double take. It’s kind of funny because he’s an architect but also disturbing,” the former co-worker said.
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He added that the respected architect was likely “very cruel to certain people” when he felt he could get away with it.
Investigators wrote in court papers that Heuermann had Googled “Gilgo Beach Killer Criminal Minds,” likely in reference to an episode of Clemente’s show.
Heuermann’s ramshackle house did not surprise Clemente, who said it showed that his priorities were not his family but planning and indulging his “violent sexual fantasies.”

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Heuermann’s lawyer, Michael Brown, previously told reporters that his client denies the charges.
Brown did not return a request for comment for this article.