In a documentary airing Thursday, the ex-wife of Rex Heuerman, the Gilgo Beach serial killer, shared that she currently sleeps in the basement where he committed heinous acts against his victims. Asa Ellerup described her nightly struggles with terrifying dreams as she recounted her experience in “Gilgo Beach Killer: Secret House,” the fourth episode of a series produced in collaboration with The Post.
“The stark reality is that Rex confessed to dismembering bodies in this very room,” she stated during an interview featured in the film.
“Here I am, in this room where it all happened. I find it spiritual,” she added, indicating a sense of haunting connection to the tragic circumstances.
Ellerup, who concluded her divorce from Heuerman in March 2025, mentioned that she has attempted to cleanse the space but remains affected by his cruel actions. “Every night I go to bed haunted by dreams. It’s relentless,” she explained.
Reflecting on her feelings, she expressed that the impact of the past will linger indefinitely. “It won’t ever go away. It’ll haunt me for life. There’s no justice, no way to forget.” In the episode titled “Confessions,” she also expressed her curiosity about how Heuerman maintained his dual existence, since she believed she truly knew him when they were together.
“I want insight into Rex’s mind. What led him to kill these women? What set him off?” she wondered. Her perspective had shifted entirely; she now perceives the darkness within him.
Heuerman has admitted to taking the lives of eight women, although he has only been charged with seven murders.
“.$ Elerup recalled a visit to Heuerman in prison last summer, during which he confessed his crimes. “He told me there were eight victims, all but one murdered in the basement of the home we shared.” His confessions echoed the longstanding beliefs of the prosecutors, who maintain that Ellerup was unaware of the horrors occurring around her.
Concerns regarding the Long Island serial killer emerged in 2010 when the first remains were found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach. Subsequent discoveries continued throughout 2010 and 2011.
Heuerman has pleaded guilty in the murders of Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, and Maureen Brainerd Burns, collectively recognized as the “Gilgo Four.” Additionally, he has been linked to the murders of Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, and Sandra Costilla, a case that has troubled Long Island over the past thirty years. He has also claimed responsibility for the murder of Karen Vergata, for which he has not been charged and is slated for sentencing on June 17.
