The son of Valerie Mack, a victim of the Gilgo Beach murders, has initiated a wrongful death lawsuit against Rex Heuerman, the accused serial killer, along with his wife and daughter. This lawsuit comes just days before Heuerman is expected to plead guilty to the murders of seven women.
Filed on Monday by attorney John Ray, this marks the first known lawsuit from a family member of a Gilgo victim directed at the 62-year-old suspect from Massapequa Park. Newsday reported on the filing.
The lawsuit claims that Benjamin Torres has been deprived of his mother’s care and protection, as Heuerman allegedly killed her sometime between September 1, 2000, and November 19, 2000. This was recorded in a filing made in Suffolk County State Supreme Court.
Valerie Mack vanished when Torres was merely six years old. The complaint alleges that Heuerman inflicted “severe torture” upon her and mutilated her remains.
Valerie, who was working as an escort under the name Melissa Taylor at the time of her disappearance, was only 24. Tragically, her body was found on November 19, 2000, near a wooded area in Manorville, according to Newsday.
Like many other cases involving sex workers found on Gilgo Beach, Mack’s was unsolved for years until Heuerman was arrested in July 2023.
In the lawsuit, Torres is pursuing reparations for the “unjust torture and murder” of his mother, citing the fear, suffering, and severe harm caused during and after her death.
The lawsuit also seeks compensation for profits that Heuerman’s ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, and daughter, Victoria Heuerman, may have earned from the documentary “Gilgo Beach Killer: Secret House,” released in June.
Heuerman’s family reportedly received over $1 million for allowing documentary crews access to their home and lives, as reported by Newsday.
While Mr. Ellerup has not been charged in connection with Heuerman’s alleged crimes, the lawsuit contains startling allegations that she and their daughter could have played a part in Valerie Mack’s death.
According to the complaint, “Asa Ellerup and Victoria Heuerman, at some point, knew, concealed, intentionally ignored, or intentionally avoided knowing material facts regarding the assault, murder, dismemberment, concealment, and disposition of Valerie Mack.”
Robert Macedonio, representing Ellerup and Victoria Heuerman, described the lawsuit as a reckless attempt by John Ray to draw attention to a case unrelated to his sole client, Shanann Gilbert, who has no ties to the Gilgo Beach murders.
Macedonio expressed confidence that the case would be dismissed, reiterating that neither Ellerup nor Victoria Heuerman were involved in or aware of Heuerman’s alleged crimes.
The complaint argued that the standard two-year statute of limitations for wrongful death claims in New York should be waived for Torres, considering his mother’s age at the time of death and the complications in identifying her due to her brutal dismemberment.
Michael J. Brown, an attorney for Mr. Macedonio, Mr. Ray, and Mr. Heuerman, did not provide a comment when requested.
Officials indicated that there was a fast-tracked plea deal in the works for Heuerman, to address the seven murders, with more details expected in an upcoming Suffolk County court appearance.
While the specific charges Heuerman intends to plead guilty to were not immediately available, District Attorney Ray Tierney has linked him to the murders of Mack, Jessica Taylor, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Burns, Amber Lynn Costello, and Sandra Costilla.
