
Wife of accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann says he's her 'hero'
The wife of accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann says he's her 'hero'' — and that it was like falling in love with him all over again when she first saw him behind bars.
Asa Ellerup, 61, said during an explosive interview in the upcoming Peacock docu-series, 'The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets' that she is convinced cops have the wrong guy — and that her 'wonderful' husband isn't the monster who killed and mutilated seven sex workers on Long Island over nearly 30 years.
'I know what bad men are capable of doing,' she told the show, which begins airing Tuesday. 'I've seen it, and I've heard it from other men. Not my husband. You have the wrong man.'
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9 Asa Ellerup, the wife of accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann, walks outside court with the couple's daughter, Victoria, 28.
Dennis A. Clark
9 Ellerup has called her accused serial killer husband Rex Heuermann her 'hero.'
Peacock
'I want him to come back home to me,' Ellerup said. 'They're trying to sit there and tell me that, but I have no knowledge of what they keep talking about. 'Oh, you must have known.' Know what? My husband was home here. He's a family man, period.'
Heuermann, a hulking Manhattan architect, was arrested in July 2023 at his Midtown office and charged with the cold-case murders of three young sex workers.
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Suffolk County prosecutors later also charged him with the murder and mutilation of four other victims, all also sex workers whose bodies were dumped along Ocean Parkway over nearly 30 years.
He allegedly kept news clips of the brutal slayings in his basement.
Despite a mountain of evidence, including DNA matches to all the victims, among them hairs from Ellerup and the couple's daughter, Victoria, the accused fiend's wife continues to believe her husband is innocent.
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Adopted by Icelandic immigrants, Ellerup met a 'tall, dark, handsome' Heuermann when she was an 18-year-old working at a Long Island 7-11, she said, adding that the pair formed an immediate bond.
9 Ellerup said she was 18 and working at a local 7-11 when she met a 'tall, dark and handsome' Rex Heuermann.
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Ellerup said she was molested at 16 by a classmate, tried to commit suicide and was forced to hide in a dumpster for hours at 19 to foil a kidnapping attempt — making the hulking Heuermann her savior.
She said he has stuck with her through more recent travails, too, including a double mastectomy.
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'He's my hero,' she said. 'There were times where he was working, but I'd call him, and he would come by and pick me up.'
9 The last three victims linked to Heuermann were (from left) Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack.
Suffolk County Police Department
9 Heuermann was arrested July 13, 2023, outside his architecture office in Midtown Manhattan.
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The pair formed a years-long, platonic bond that eventually turned into a romance as their first marriages fizzled and they moved in together — which led to their wedding in Sweden in 1995.
The next year, their daughter Victoria was born.
These days, Ellerup said, she's brought to tears by the Buddy Holly tune, 'Crying, Waiting, Hoping.'
She denied claims that the couple had 'swinger' parties in the past, calling the notion 'absurd' — and maintained Rex would never ask.
She appeared to be in denial of some of the evidence Suffolk County prosecutors pulled from the couple's home, including sick porn involving videos, claiming she doesn't know if the footage is actually his.
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She also claimed her husband didn't solicit hookers, although she said she believes prostitution should be legal.
9 The slain victims known as the initial 'Gilgo Four' were (clockwise from top left) Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn and Megan Waterman.
Suffolk County Police Department
Ellerup filed for divorce shortly after her husband's arrest, but their daughter maintained in the documentary that the move was 'to protect the assets.'
Despite the divorce filing, Ellerup said she regularly speaks to her husband behind bars.
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'I haven't seen him in all this time, and when I went down there, I was excited, and like I was, I don't know, I guess on a first date. You're nervous, you're scared. You don't know how the date is gonna go,' she said.
But she said she hasn't gone to see him in several months and is paranoid about their conversations being recorded behind bars — which makes her afraid to be open with him.
9 Ellerup is escorted from the Suffolk County Courthouse after a hearing for her husband.
Dennis A. Clark
9 Heuermann lived in his mother's former home in Massapequa Park and had an architecture firm in Manhattan.
Rex Heuermann Consultants & Associates
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'Telling him that I love him, that will hurt him,' Ellerup said. 'What I want to say to him is, 'I love you, no matter what.' But I don't even want to say 'no matter what' because I don't believe he did this. I don't see what everybody else is saying. I don't see phone calls to sex workers.
'I'm trying to keep myself sane,' she said. 'At the same time, people are saying, 'How could you not know that your husband was a serial killer?' Wait a minute, I picked him up from the train station every single day. He was home here on the weekends. He smoked a cigar in the garage.'
9 Ellerup and Heuermann were married in Sweden in 1995.
Peacock
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'If he told me that he went out to Lowe's to pick something up and he was gone for an hour, no freaking way is this man going out soliciting sex from a sex worker, killing them and dumping them on Gilgo Beach.'
She did have one issue with her embattled husband — she doesn't like his new haircut.
Additional reporting by Mikella Schuettler and David DeTurris
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New York Post
28 minutes ago
- New York Post
What alleged Gilgo killer Rex Heuermann is really like according to closest pal: ‘methodical' with ‘self-control'
Alleged Gilgo beach serial killer Rex Heuermann was 'very methodical' and had a great deal of 'self control,' according to his closest pal. Heuermann, 61, is said to have waited until his wife and two children were out of town before allegedly killing seven sex workers and dumping their bodies by the side of the road on Long Island between 1993 and his arrest in 2023. The first four bodies were found in 2010, but Heuermann wasn't in police's sights for a decade and so far prosecutors have revealed little physical evidence against him for his forthcoming trial. Advertisement 8 Alleged serial killer Rex Heuermann with his wife Asa Ellerup in a picture from their wedding day in 1995. Peacock 8 Heuermann's friend David Jimenez credits him with being 'very methodical' and having a great deal of 'self control' which enabled him to shield his true nature from family and friends. Courtesy of David Jimenez 'I see how, if he did do it, he got away with it for so long. Advertisement 'He's very smart, he's very methodical, he's very, meticulous, pays attention to detail,' said his pal, David Jimenez, who is one of the people who appears in new documentary 'The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets.' He also told The Post such skills are virtues in the profession they were both engaged in. 'That's part of the architecture business … I never saw him angry. He [is the kind of person who] would just keep things in and kind of make mental notes,' Jimenez, 63, told The Post in an exclusive interview. 'I found out later that he was very litigious and he was suing a lot of people. I didn't know that, so he was keeping that from me.' Advertisement 8 Rex Heuermann in his police booking photo on July 14, 2023, shortly after his arrest. Getty Images 8 Promo poster for Peacock docuseries 'The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets.' Peacock 8 Heuermann is charged with murdering (top row L-R): Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, and Amber Lynn Costello; (bottom row L-R ): Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack Suffolk County Police Department Heuermann and Jimenez, who became friends in 2006, used to hunt together, smoke cigars and regularly socialize. But Jimenez had no idea of his friend's double life as an alleged sexual sadist killer. Advertisement Jimenez said because of his former pal's 'self-control' and penchant for planning, he didn't think he'd struck in Las Vegas, where he previously owned a timeshare apartment, because he didn't know the terrain or authorities in the way he did on Long Island. However, there are aspects of Heuermann's alleged crimes — which he has pleaded not guilty to — which led to his capture and will be key evidence at trial, such as sloppily wiped hard drives with apparent plans to murder on them, which were recovered by police. 8 Heuermann's wife, Asa Ellerup, has said she doesn't believe her husband can be the Gilgo beach murderer. Peacock 8 Jimenez says that for all his planning, Heuermann appears to have made some elementary mistakes when it comes to the murders he is alleged to have committed. Peacock 8 Rex Heuermann pictured during one of the many appearances he has made over the last two years as prosecutors have gathered evidence and charged him with more crimes. via REUTERS 'I'm surprised a little by the stupidity of leaving the bodies near the road. 'That's like serial killer classroom 101, don't put the bodies near the road. 'And the hard drive — any modern business person who uses computers knows if you delete something, somebody's going to undelete it. Advertisement 'As smart as he was with the tech and the cell phones, you didn't delete [the hard drive] fully. So, as smart as he is, that's really dumb.' Relatives of some of victims Heuermann is accused of murdering said the received creepy and taunting phone calls after their loved ones disappeared, from burner phones which police say they have traced back to Heuermann. 'The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets' premieres today on Peacock.

37 minutes ago
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Newsweek
42 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Daughter of Gilgo Beach Murder Suspect Breaks Silence in New Docuseries
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The daughter of Rex Heuermann told producers of a new documentary series that she believes her father is most likely responsible for killing several women whose bodies were found near Gilgo Beach. Victoria Heuermann, 28, was interviewed in the three-part Peacock documentary series The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets. In the final episode, a statement displayed on screen read, "A week before the series' release, Victoria Heuermann told producers that based on the publicly available facts that have been presented and explained to her, she now believes her father is most likely the Gilgo Beach killer." In Victoria's interview, she said she was "on the fence" about the allegations being made about her father. "As always my clients maintain their privacy and reiterate that they will wait for the legal action process to run its course in a courtroom and not in the court of public opinion," Vess Mitev, an attorney representing Heuermann's children, told Newsweek. Newsweek reached out to attorney Michael Brown, who is representing Rex Heuermann, for comment. Victoria Heuermann attends the FRYE hearing for Rex Heuermann on March 28, 2025, at the Suffolk County Criminal Court in Riverhead, New York. Victoria Heuermann attends the FRYE hearing for Rex Heuermann on March 28, 2025, at the Suffolk County Criminal Court in Riverhead, New York. The Context The Gilgo Beach case, centering on the remains of multiple women found along Long Island's South Shore, became a national focus in 2010 after authorities searching for missing woman Shannan Gilbert uncovered several bodies near Ocean Parkway. The investigation intensified over the next decade, leading to the 2023 arrest of Rex Heuermann, a Manhattan architect charged with the murders of seven women, including the so-called "Gilgo Four"—Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello. In subsequent months, authorities added charges relating to the deaths of Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla and Valerie Mack, all of whom disappeared between 1993 and 2010. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains in custody as legal proceedings continue. What To Know The new Peacock docuseries, The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, offers exclusive interviews with Rex's daughter, Victoria, and ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, alongside insights into the aftermath of his arrest. The series features commentary that reveals the personal impact and complexity surrounding the ongoing case. Executive produced by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, the documentary covers both the accused's family and the stories of the victims. Victoria, who previously worked at her father's architecture consulting firm, discussed her evolving feelings about the allegations in the series, noting the difficulty of reconciling public accusations with her own memories. "Now that I do look back on my childhood, I do find it very hard to believe my dad actually did all this," Victoria said. She said she was "inspired" to work alongside her dad at the architecture firm. "I looked up to him. I felt 'damn, I have some really big shoes to fill,'" she said. Victoria recalled her dad coming home from work "frustrated" at times. "He never hit any of us," Victoria said. "The worst he would do was he would throw a plate in the sink." Ellerup and her children still lived in the family's Massapequa Park home at the time the documentary series was filmed, but Ellerup indicated that they planned to move out. "Now that this life in this house is coming to an end, it makes me feel like there's a new beginning," Ellerup said. The family's public profile has grown since the arrest, with both Ellerup and Victoria participating in court appearances and sharing their perspectives in the documentary. What People Are Saying Victoria Heuermann, in The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets: "I feel like I can't know whether or not he did or didn't because I was not around, I was too young to understand." Asa Ellerup, in The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets: "I would need to hear it from Rex, face-to-face, for me to believe he killed these girls." What Happens Next The broader investigation into the Gilgo Beach killings has linked over ten sets of remains to the area since 2010. Authorities recently identified Tanya Denise Jackson and her daughter, Tatiana Marie Dykes, among the victims discovered, though it remains unclear if their cases are directly connected to the main Gilgo Beach homicides. Police and prosecutors continue to encourage public tips and caution against online speculation as the case unfolds. Rex Heuermann's next court appearance is scheduled for June 17. Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@