Rex Heuermann Told Ex-Wife Asa Ellerup He Killed Seven Gilgo Beach Victims at Home

Rex Heuermann told his ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, while he was in jail that he murdered most of the women in the basement of the family’s dilapidated home, according to a documentary teaser that multiple outlets tie to the final episode of “The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets.”

The Associated Press reported that Ellerup said in the teaser that Heuermann told her the eight women he has admitted to killing were his only victims, and that she asked him, “So Mr. Heuermann, I understand that you are confessing to me on these murders. Can you please tell me how many of these women did you kill?,” to which he replied, “He said, ‘Eight’.”

ABC News

NBC News likewise quoted Ellerup saying, “He said he killed eight women,” and added that she told viewers, “He said I wasn't home during all of them,” while also describing where the killings occurred.

NewsNation’s account of the same preview says Ellerup told her that the seven of the eight victims were “killed in his room downstairs,” and that Heuermann told her he did not kill any of them while she was at home.

The TelegraphHerald and KSLM Radio both repeat the same core claim that the documentary episode preview says Heuermann told Ellerup he killed seven of the women in the basement while she was away.

People described Ellerup’s description of the moment as Heuermann looked “very nervous, very nervous,” and quoted her asking how many women he killed, with Heuermann answering, “He said he killed eight women — eight.”

Across the coverage, the documentary framing is consistent: the confession is presented as a face-to-face jailhouse admission that came shortly before Heuermann’s guilty plea in court.

The documentary revelations sit inside a broader legal timeline that outlets describe as ending a long-running case tied to Gilgo Beach serial murders.

The Associated Press said Heuermann “recently pleaded guilty” and that the “latest and last installment of ‘The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets’ follows the release of the series’ first three episodes last June,” while also stating that the saga “came to a close earlier this month” when Heuermann admitted in Riverhead court to murdering seven women and also killing an eighth he had not yet been charged with over a 17-year span.

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NewsNation reported that on April 8, Heuermann pleaded guilty to those seven murders along Long Island’s Gilgo Beach and admitted for the first time to an eighth, and it described how he was scheduled to go to trial in September after years of legal filings and delays.

NBC News said Heuermann changed his plea from not guilty to guilty in a New York courtroom earlier this month, and it described the plea deal as meaning he would not face charges in the death of Vergata, who disappeared in 1996.

The Guardian described the April 8 court appearance as an “8 April court hearing” in which Heuermann pleaded guilty to seven murders during a 17-year spree, while also acknowledging that he murdered one more woman he had not been charged with.

Newsday’s local reporting added that the fourth and final episode of “Gilgo Beach Serial Killer: House of Secrets” would be available on Peacock Thursday morning, and it said the episode is one of two new documentary projects hitting major streamers that week.

People and the Independent both anchored the confession to the same April 8 plea hearing, with People stating that Heuermann admitted to killing eight women and that the final episode “airs on April 23.”

In the same legal context, multiple outlets also describe Heuermann’s age and sentencing expectations, with the Associated Press saying he “will be sentenced in June to life in prison without the possibility of parole,” and NewsNation saying he would likely speak at sentencing on June 17.

The reporting ties the confession to the case’s evidentiary and victim-specific contours, including how investigators linked Heuermann to the killings and how the victims were grouped in public descriptions.

NewsNation said detectives linked Heuermann to a truck that a witness reported seeing when one of the victims disappeared in 2010, and it added that investigators recovered a pizza crust Heuermann discarded in the trash and used it to link him to DNA from a hair recovered from one of the victim’s bodies.

It further said cellphone data showed Heuermann was in contact with some of the victims shortly before their disappearances, and it described authorities saying a review of his internet searches revealed “a history of viewing violent torture pornography and seeking information about the investigation into the killings.”

The Associated Press described Heuermann’s admissions in court as including that he strangled the women, many of them sex workers, and dismembered some of their bodies before dumping them on a desolate parkway not far from Long Island’s Gilgo Beach, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Manhattan.

NewsNation also listed the seven women he pleaded guilty to murdering—Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amber Lynn Costello, Sandra Costilla, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor and Megan Waterman—and it said he was arrested in 2023 and initially charged in the deaths of Barthelemy, Waterman and Costello.

NBC News provided a more detailed mapping of the plea admissions to specific victims and locations, saying in court he admitted to meeting all eight women, strangling them and dumping their bodies where they were found across Gilgo Beach, Manorville and Southampton.

The Independent and People both repeated the victim list and the “Gilgo Four” framing, with People stating that the women known as the “Gilgo Four” were discovered between 1993 and 2011 and that their remains were discovered along Ocean Parkway in 2010.

The Guardian added that investigators searching their suburban home later found a soundproof vault-like room, hundreds of guns and detailed plans for the killings, and it quoted Suffolk county prosecutor Ray Tierney saying, “He thought that by killing them, he could silence them forever and get away with murder. But he was wrong.”

The outlets also foreground reactions and statements from multiple sides, including Ellerup’s legal representation, her family’s lawyers, and prosecutors describing what the plea meant.

The Associated Press quoted Ellerup’s attorney, Robert Macedonio, declining to discuss new details revealed in the documentary, saying, “This has been an extremely emotional and painful process for the family to endure and come to terms with the allegations that Rex Heuermann was the Gilgo Beach serial killer,” and adding, “Ms. Ellerup would like the focus to remain where it belongs — on the victims and their families, who have suffered immeasurable and lasting losses.”

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The Associated Press also quoted Vess Mitev, a lawyer for the couple’s two grown children, Victoria and Chris, saying the two “echo the sentiments of their mother, and wish only to move forward as best they can, given this remarkably dark chapter in their lives.”

NewsNation reported that Heuermann’s attorney Mike Brown said he would likely speak at sentencing on June 17, and when asked whether Heuermann was sorry, Brown answered, “I would hope so. … I expect at sentencing he’d have something to say.”

The Guardian quoted Suffolk county prosecutor Ray Tierney describing Heuermann’s conduct as he “walked among us playacting as a normal suburban dad when all along he was targeting these women for death,” and it added Tierney’s line, “He thought that by killing them, he could silence them forever and get away with murder. But he was wrong.”

People included Ellerup’s own emotional description, saying, “He looked nervous, very nervous,” and it also quoted her explanation that she “put a ‘wall up’” when she spoke to Heuermann.

The Independent and Newsday both repeated Macedonio’s statement about focusing on victims and families, while Newsday added that the documentary features exclusive interviews with Heuermann’s family members who were “reportedly paid more than $1 million for the access and to allow the documentary crew into their Massapequa Park house.”

NBC News reported that NBC News asked an attorney for Heuermann for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication, and it described the plea agreement as including cooperation with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit.

While all the coverage centers on the same documentary teaser and the same underlying plea, the outlets emphasize different details, creating visible divergence in how the story is framed.

The Associated Press foregrounds the jailhouse confession and the documentary’s release structure, saying the “latest and last installment” follows “the release of the series’ first three episodes last June,” and it also notes that Ellerup’s attorney Robert Macedonio “declined to discuss what other new details are revealed” in the episode.

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NBC News emphasizes the preview’s specific phrasing and the plea deal mechanics, quoting Ellerup directly as saying, “He said I wasn't home during all of them,” and describing that Heuermann “will not face charges in the death of Vergata” as part of the exchange.

NewsNation, by contrast, foregrounds the “killed 7 of his 8 victims” framing and the Behavioral Analysis Unit, reporting that as part of the plea deal Heuermann agreed to work with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit and that the unit analyzes “an offender’s motivation, victim selection, sophistication level, relationship to the particular crime and the sequence of events.”

The Guardian emphasizes the broader case narrative and courtroom characterization, quoting Ray Tierney’s “playacting as a normal suburban dad” line and adding that investigators found “a soundproof vault-like room, hundreds of guns and detailed plans for the killings.”

People and the Independent focus more tightly on Ellerup’s emotional account and the “very nervous” description, with People quoting her “He said he killed eight women — eight,” and the Independent quoting her “very nervous – very, very nervous” as Heuermann prepared to speak.

Newsday adds production and access details, saying the series features exclusive interviews with Heuermann’s family members and that the family members were “reportedly paid more than $1 million,” while also naming executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.

Even local outlets like Patch and KSLM Radio reproduce the same core confession quotes, but Patch adds a Peacock description that says the episode “picks up in August 2025” and includes “interviews with the family’s psychotherapist” and “renowned FBI profiler John Douglas.”

Across these differences, the shared anchor remains Ellerup’s account that Heuermann said “All except one” and that the killings occurred in “his room downstairs,” but each outlet chooses a different lens—legal process, investigative evidence, or documentary production access.

The next phase of the case, as described by the outlets, is sentencing and the continued handling of evidence and cooperation terms tied to the plea agreement.

The Associated Press said Heuermann “will be sentenced in June to life in prison without the possibility of parole,” and it also reported that rescue and documentary coverage were still unfolding as the “latest and last installment” aired on NBC’s streaming service Peacock.

NewsNation gave a specific date, saying Heuermann “will likely speak at his sentencing on June 17,” and it quoted attorney Mike Brown saying, “I would hope so. … I expect at sentencing he’d have something to say.”

NBC News described sentencing expectations in terms of life imprisonment and consecutive terms, stating Heuermann is expected to be sentenced to life in prison without parole, “three consecutive life sentences, followed by four sentences of 25 years to life,” and it said sentencing is set for June 17.

The Guardian also tied the schedule to June, saying Heuermann is scheduled to be sentenced on “17 June,” and it described the plea as resolving a case that had drawn intense attention for years.

In parallel with sentencing, multiple outlets describe cooperation with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, with NewsNation saying the unit analyzes “an offender’s motivation, victim selection, sophistication level, relationship to the particular crime and the sequence of events,” and with Patch stating that “As part of his plea deal, Heuermann will be working with the FBI's behavioral science unit.”

The documentary releases are also positioned as part of what comes next for the public, with People saying the final episode “airs on April 23,” and the Associated Press saying the episode airing Thursday is on Peacock.

Newsday added that “Killing Grounds: The Gilgo Beach Murders” will debut on Amazon Prime Wednesday, while the Associated Press said it “also comes out Wednesday on Amazon’s streaming service, Prime Video.”

Together, the reporting frames the immediate future as a convergence of courtroom sentencing on June 17 and continued public release of documentary material, while the legal process remains anchored to the plea deal and its cooperation terms.