Ex-Wife of Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Moves Bedroom into Basement 'Kill Room'
In a startling revelation from the Peacock documentary The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, Asa Ellerup, the ex-wife of convicted serial killer Rex Heuermann, has chosen to sleep in the very basement room where her husband tortured, murdered, and dismembered multiple victims. This bizarre decision came after she learned that seven women died at the hands of Heuermann, her spouse of nearly three decades, within that confined space.
A Haunting Attempt at Understanding and Remorse
Ellerup explains her motives as twofold: she wishes to demonstrate profound sorrow for the victims while also striving to comprehend the other side of the man she loved—the side that hunted and murdered vulnerable women over 17 years. 'I have seen Rex about 12 times since he confessed to me that he had dismembered these bodies down here,' she states in the documentary. 'I want to get to know the other side of Rex. I want to know why Rex killed these women, what his triggers were. I am processing the information in a very different way because now I see evil in him.'
The show discloses that Ellerup relocated to the basement one month before Heuermann changed his plea to guilty for the murders of seven women and admitted to an eighth killing during a Suffolk County court hearing on April 8. Between 1993 and 2010, Heuermann, now 62, led a double life as a married father-of-two and a professional architect, all while secretly operating as a sadistic serial killer.
The Horrific Details of the Crimes
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney exclusively informed the Daily Mail that Heuermann murdered seven of his eight victims inside the basement of their Massapequa Park home while Ellerup and their children were away on vacation. The victims include:
- Karen Vergata, 34
- Valerie Mack, 24
- Jessica Taylor, 20
- Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25
- Melissa Barthelemy, 24
- Megan Waterman, 22
- Amber Costello, 27
The sole exception was his first known victim, Sandra Costilla, 28, whom he killed in his Ram Charger in November 1993. Vergata's murder, which occurred just days before Heuermann married Ellerup in 1996 while she was pregnant, initiated a meticulous pattern of luring women into the home, where he would hold, torture, and strangle them. Vergata, Mack, and Taylor were also dismembered in the basement between 1996 and 2003.
The Basement's Dark History and Ellerup's Renovation Efforts
The basement room, once Heuermann's childhood bedroom in the ranch-style house he later purchased from his elderly mother, had fallen into disrepair, standing out among the well-kept suburban homes on the street. Despite divorcing Heuermann days after his July 2023 arrest, Ellerup initially stood by him, refusing to believe he was the serial killer for years. However, after a jailhouse meeting in August 2025 where he confessed, she finally accepted the truth.
'The brutal truth is that Rex Heuermann said he dismembered the bodies in this room. That is the brutal truth,' Ellerup says, seated in the basement. 'Now, there’s me. I am in this room. And I am here because I do feel spiritual. I’m trying to say spiritually in my own way that I am really sorry for what these victims went through.'
Ellerup has attempted to renovate the basement, 'completely gutting and redoing' it with new floors, doors, and moldings. Yet, she remains haunted by her husband's crimes. 'Every night when I go to sleep I am haunted by dreams. Every night,' she admits. 'It will never go away. It will follow me for the rest of my life. There will never be any justice for anyone and there will never be any way to forget about this.'
Ellerup's Complex Relationship with Heuermann
Throughout the documentary, Ellerup grapples with the reality of having been married to a serial killer for 29 years. She met Heuermann at age 18 while working at a 7-Eleven, following a difficult upbringing that included adoption from Iceland, sexual assault, and a suicide attempt. After brief marriages to others, Heuermann became her 'hero,' helping her through divorce and welcoming her and her son Christopher into his home.
Psychotherapist Alison Winter, who has worked with the family since Heuermann's arrest, notes that Heuermann had 'such a big influence' on Ellerup that she would only believe his guilt if he confessed directly. In 2024, Heuermann admitted guilt to his attorney and negotiated a plea condition allowing private meetings with Ellerup and their daughter Victoria to confess before it became public.
During their August 2025 meeting, Heuermann admitted to murdering eight women, including the seven in their home. He claimed none were planned, though he told others all but Costilla's were. Vergata's murder, which he admitted was planned, occurred when Ellerup was two months pregnant and in Sweden with Christopher; Heuermann killed Vergata, dismembered her, dumped her remains, then flew to Sweden to marry Ellerup on April 13, 1996.
Despite this, Ellerup continues to visit Heuermann in prison, seeing him 'no differently' than before. 'I am looking at him no differently than I ever saw him. That hasn't changed in my view at all,' she says. When questioned about the unknown side of him, she simply calls it 'a new side to get to know,' citing psychological interest.
Investigation and Legal Proceedings
Prosecutors maintain Ellerup knew nothing of the crimes, with DA Tierney describing their relationship as 'not typical,' with Heuermann controlling finances and home life. Fears of a serial killer emerged in 2010 when remains were found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach during a search for Shannan Gilbert, whose death investigators deem accidental and unrelated.
Heuermann was tied to the killings through a witness tip about his truck and cellphone evidence, leading to his July 2023 arrest. After fighting allegations, he pleaded guilty to seven murders and admitted to Vergata's killing, revealing all victims died by strangulation. Under his plea agreement, he waived appeal rights, faces no additional charges, and will cooperate with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. He faces multiple life sentences at his June 17 sentencing.
