Rex Heuermann told his ex-wife Asa Ellerup that he murdered eight women in the basement of their home while she was away, according to a new documentary premiering this week on Peacock. The confession came during a jail cell meeting after Heuermann pleaded guilty in April to seven murders spanning a 17-year killing spree.
In a teaser clip for "The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets," Ellerup describes asking her ex-husband directly how many victims he claimed to have killed. "He said he killed eight women," she recalls telling her attorney. When pressed about the discrepancy between the number he confessed to and the seven charges he faced, Ellerup said she never asked for clarification.
During his April 8 court appearance, Heuermann acknowledged murdering one additional woman beyond those he was formally charged with, though he did not elaborate at that time. The eighth victim he confessed to Ellerup may refer to Karen Vergata, 34, who disappeared in 1996 and was named during his guilty plea.
Ellerup, who finalized her divorce from Heuermann in March 2025 after 27 years of marriage, said she deliberately addressed him as "Mr. Heuermann" rather than using his first name during their conversation. She maintains that he told her the killings occurred in a room downstairs at their Massapequa home, with one exception.
The victims killed between 1993 and 2010 were largely discovered in marshes near Long Island's coastline. Heuermann pleaded guilty to the murders of Amber Lynn Costello, 27; Megan Waterman, 22; Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25; Valerie Mack, 24; Jessica Taylor, 20; and Sandra Costilla, 28. He also confessed to Vergata's death.
Investigators who searched the family home found a soundproof vault-like room, hundreds of firearms, and detailed plans connected to the crimes. Heuermann admitted to using strangulation as his method, dismembering some victims and wrapping them in burlap sacking. Hairs discovered on the burlap helped link him to the murders.
Suffolk County Prosecutor Ray Tierney characterized Heuermann as someone who "walked among us playacting as a normal suburban dad" while hunting his victims. "He thought that by killing them, he could silence them forever and get away with murder," Tierney said following the confession. "But he was wrong."
Heuermann's attorney, Michael Brown, said his client chose to plead guilty to spare the victims' families and his own relatives from enduring a trial. He is scheduled for sentencing to multiple life sentences on June 17.
Ellerup requested privacy for her family, asking that public focus remain on the victims and their families. Her attorney stated that the process has been "extremely emotional and painful" for those close to her to come to terms with what Heuermann had done.
The documentary finale airs Thursday on Peacock as part of a four-part series examining the case and its impact on those connected to it.
Author James Rodriguez: "An ex-wife forced to confront the monster she lived with for nearly three decades tells a horrifying truth: the killer himself admitted to more victims than he was charged with, and nobody asked why."
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