Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
- Admitted killer Rex Heuermann shares two children with his ex-wife, Asa Ellerup.
- Ellerup and the couple’s daughter, Victoria, opened up about the family and their life after Heuermann’s arrest in a Peacock documentary.
- They say Heuermann’s alleged crimes don’t fit with the father and husband they knew.
According to his ex-wife and daughter, Rex Heuermann was a devoted and protective family man. For almost three years after his arrest, they grappled with prosecutors’ claims that he secretly led another life as the Gilgo Beach killer.
On April 8, 2026, Heuermann confirmed those accusations and pleaded guilty to seven murders at a court appearance, plus admitted to the killing of eighth victim Karen Vergata, a 34-year-old Manhattan woman who disappeared in 1994.
According to CNN, Heuermann admitted to strangling the eight women and then discarding their remains on New York’s Long Island over three decades. He revealed he dismembered some of the victims and bound others by their head and legs.
Heuermann previously pleaded not guilty to seven of the murders and denied wrongdoing. His sentencing is scheduled for June 17.
Now streaming on Peacock, the three-part 2025 documentary series The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets examines the crimes of Heuermann and features interviews with Heuerman’s ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, and daughter, Victoria Heuermann.
Heuermann’s 2023 arrest not only marked a shocking turn in the decades-long investigation but also placed an intense microscope on his former home life. Here’s everything we know about his family today and what they’ve said about the charges against him.
Heuermann’s family didn’t have any suspicions
Although much of the national focus remained on Heuermann’s criminal case, House of Secrets shines new light on his family life and relationship with Ellerup and their children.
Ellerup explains she met Heuermann when she was 18 years old and immediately fell “madly in love with the man.” The pair remained in touch even as Ellerup married another man, Christopher Sheridan, with whom she had a son, also named Christopher. Ellerup says Heuermann paid for a lawyer amid her divorce from Sheridan.
Heuermann, who worked as an architect, and Ellerup married in April 1996 and had one daughter, Victoria. Along with Christopher, who became Heuermann’s stepson, they lived at his ranch house in Massapequa Park, New York.
Although Victoria said her dad had rare moments of frustration, such as throwing a plate in the sink, she maintains he wasn’t abusive and didn’t exhibit any concerning behavior. “My dad was an open book,” she said, according to US Weekly. “A lot of people who knew my dad, like long term clients and people he worked with for years: It was no secret he hunted. It was no secret he had guns.”
However, Victoria admitted in the documentary there were times as a child she was unaware of her father’s location. Heuermann was absent from multiple family vacations—including one to Atlantic City in July 2007 and another to Iceland in July 2009, when two of the murders took place.
Details of Heuermann’s double life emerged with his arrest in Manhattan on July 13, 2023. He was charged with three counts each of first- and second-degree murder related to the disappearances of three women: Melissa Barthelemy in 2009, Amber Lynn Costello in 2010, and Megan Waterman also in 2010. Heuermann was later charged with four additional murders and pleaded not guilty to all seven.
Heuermann and Ellerup are divorced but still in contact
Not surprisingly, life changed drastically for Ellerup and her children following Heuermann’s arrest. The mother of two said the allegations took an emotional toll on the family. Christopher’s developmental disabilities made comprehending the situation more difficult for her son. “He’s so distraught and doesn’t understand, and as a mother, I have no answers for him,” Ellerup told The New York Post in 2023.
Only days after Heuermann’s apprehension, an attorney for Ellerup confirmed she had filed for divorce. The split was finalized in March 2025. However, Ellerup said in the documentary their separation is solely for financial reasons and a step to protect the family’s assets. She even referred to Heuermann as “my husband” despite the finalization.
Both Victoria, around 29, and Ellerup, around 62, have kept contact with Heuermann, and the pair speak to him on the phone in the documentary. Per the Associated Press, they have regularly attended court hearings with their attorney.
Ellerup planned to attend Heuermann’s trial, scheduled to begin in September 2026, in New York despite relocating. But with his guilty plea, his sentencing date is now set for June 17.
Per the documentary, Ellerup is currently in the process of moving to South Carolina and selling the family’s home in Massapequa Park, where prosecutors say Heuermann committed multiple murders.
An NBCUniversal spokesperson declined to say how much compensation the family received for the project but told the AP the payments couldn’t be given to Heuermann or used for his defense funds.
Amid the end of her marriage and the scrutiny of her ex, Ellerup has navigated significant health challenges. In August 2023, her lawyer revealed she had been battling breast and skin cancer for several years and required a 12- to 18-month treatment. An update on her current condition hasn’t been shared publicly.
Victoria said her father is ‘most likely’ guilty
In The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, Victoria speaks candidly about her own conclusions regarding her father’s culpability. She discussed some of her feelings and her one visit with Heuermann after his arrest with Kerri Rawson, the daughter of BTK Killer Dennis Rader.
“Even when I saw him, when I visited him in jail, he just seemed like himself, how he always is, and it’s so hard to even believe the fact that he’s this sick killer,” Victoria said, according to Today. “But at the same time, because I was so young at the time, I also don’t know that he’s not this sick killer.”
Although Victoria later says she’s “on the fence” about Heuermann’s alleged role in the killings, the episode concludes with an updated text statement from producers suggesting she now believes her father is likely responsible.
“A week before the series release, Victoria Heuermann told the producers that based on publicly available facts that have been presented and explained to her, she now believes her father is most likely the Gilgo Beach killer,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, Ellerup waited for all evidence in the case to be presented before drawing any conclusions. “You want to know how I feel? They are picking, picking, picking, making assumptions for their narrative,” Ellerup said. “I’ve known Rex since I was 18 years old, I know what this room [where prosecutors say Heuermann killed] was originally used for, and they’re just allegations.”
The day before Heuermann admitted to the murders, Ellerup appeared with her lawyer Robert Macedonio, who clarified her perspective on the allegations and reports of the coming guilty plea.
“She’s now had almost three years to process that, and she is prepared for whatever outcome is going to happen in court,” Macedonio said.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
