Asa Ellerup, the ex-wife of convicted Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann, has revealed that he confessed to killing multiple women in the basement of their Massapequa home while she was away. The disclosure comes in a new Peacock documentary series, The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets.
In a teaser clip released on Tuesday, Ellerup recounted a jail cell meeting where she asked Heuermann how many women he had killed. He replied, 'Eight?' though he was formally charged with and pleaded guilty to seven murders. Heuermann told her that all but one of the killings took place in his downstairs room. Investigators later found a soundproof vault-like room, hundreds of guns, and detailed plans for the killings in the home.
Heuermann pleaded guilty on 8 April 2025 to seven murders committed between 1993 and 2010, including the 'Gilgo Four' – Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes – as well as Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, and Sandra Costilla. He also acknowledged the uncharged murder of Karen Vergata. He admitted to strangling his victims, dismembering some, and wrapping them in burlap sacking.
Ellerup, who finalized her divorce from Heuermann in March 2025 after 27 years of marriage, said she refused to address him as 'Rex' during the confession. She stated that her thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families and requested privacy for her own family. Heuermann's attorney said the guilty plea was made to spare the victims' relatives and his own family from a trial. Heuermann is scheduled to be sentenced to multiple life terms on 17 June.
