Asa Ellerup is confronting an unthinkable reality: the man she was married to for nearly three decades, Rex Heuermann, stands accused of being the Gilgo Beach serial killer.
The case has shocked both the public and those closest to Heuermann, a New York City architect now charged with the murders of seven women, most of them sex workers. He has pleaded not guilty.
Ellerup, 61, filed for divorce just days after Heuermann’s 2023 arrest. Her story, along with those of her children, is now featured in the Peacock docuseries The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets. In the series, she repeatedly defends her ex-husband, stating he was “a family man” who came home to dinner and showed no signs of a secret life. Despite the charges and mounting evidence, Ellerup maintains he is not capable of such crimes.
“My husband was home here,” she said. “He didn’t do this.” Even as she faces overwhelming public scrutiny, she insists on giving him the benefit of the doubt, stating she would only believe his guilt if he told her so directly.
In contrast, their daughter, Victoria Heuermann, now 28, has shifted her position. Initially unsure, she now believes her father “most likely” committed the crimes. Her evolving view, producers say, came after reviewing the evidence in detail. Prosecutors allege Heuermann used times when the family was out of town to carry out the murders, some of which are believed to have occurred in the family’s Long Island basement.
The contrast between Ellerup’s firm belief in her husband’s innocence and her daughter’s reluctant acceptance of the possibility of guilt illustrates the emotional fracture inside the family. Director Jared P. Scott described Ellerup as “trapped in a loop,” caught between memory and the devastating reality being presented through indictments, forensic evidence, and public revelations.
Ellerup’s stance remains unchanged, even as prosecutors point to disturbing materials found in the Heuermann home, including a detailed “blueprint” of the killings, extensive torture pornography, and forensic matches such as hair evidence. She has dismissed much of this, calling the documents “absurd” and insisting investigators have the wrong man.
The series also reveals the family’s internal struggles. Victoria recalls her father being around most of the time and non-violent, though she admits he occasionally stayed behind when the family traveled. Those trips now appear critical, as prosecutors allege that’s when some of the crimes occurred.
The family plans to relocate to South Carolina, citing financial and practical reasons. Scott says the move is part of an effort to shield themselves from the fallout, though the psychological impact remains severe. He describes the Heuermann family as collateral victims — inheriting suspicion, scrutiny, and stigma, despite having no role in the alleged crimes.
