Gilgo Beach Murders: Why Rex Heuermann’s Ex-Wife Sleeps in Kill Room

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Content warning: This story contains details of murder.

Asa Ellerup is still trying to come to terms with the shocking discovery that her husband of almost thirty years was a serial killer.

Before Rex Heuermann publicly confessed in court on April 8th to the murders of eight women, he had a private meeting with Ellerup where he admitted to the crimes. Heuermann is known as the Gilgo Beach killer.

Ellerup said she’s struggling to reconcile the two sides of the man she thought she knew. In Peacock’s documentary, The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, she revealed she’s been sleeping in what investigators have called the ‘kill room’ in their Long Island home—the place where Rex Heuermann allegedly brought seven victims, and dismembered three of them.

During the April 23rd broadcast, she revealed that Rex Heuermann confessed to dismembering the bodies in that very room. She also expressed deep sympathy for the victims and their families, stating she felt a spiritual connection to their suffering and wanted to convey her sincere apologies for what they endured.

She transformed what used to be Rex Heuermann’s childhood bedroom into a usable basement space. She decorated it with a green Hello Kitty bedspread and lots of stuffed animals, including plushies and Panda bears. The docuseries shows the walls are decorated with floral paintings and a cross.

Ellerup explained that the space has been completely renovated. They replaced everything – the floors, walls, moldings, and doors – giving it a fresh start.

But she continues to be reminded of the horrors took place in the room from 1996 to 2010. 

She confessed that she’s constantly plagued by nightmares. “I can’t escape them,” she said, “they’ll stay with me forever. There’s no hope for resolution, and I’ll never be able to put this behind me.”

After Heuermann was arrested in 2023, Ellerup filed for divorce, reportedly to protect their Long Island home. However, she remained close to him and continued to believe in his innocence until he recently admitted to the crimes.

I’ve met with Rex around twelve times since he admitted to dismembering the bodies, and I’m trying to understand him better. I want to find out what led him to kill those women – what caused him to do it.

Ellerup, mother to 29-year-old Victoria Heuermann and 35-year-old Christopher Sheridan from a previous marriage, said she’s coming to terms with the news differently now that she recognizes the darkness within him.

During a court appearance on April 8th in New York, Rex Heuermann admitted to murdering seven women and confessed to killing another.

In 1993, he claims he unexpectedly killed Sandra Costilla, a 28-year-old woman. After that, he began intentionally murdering sex workers, with police finding a document on his computer suggesting detailed planning – a so-called “Hunt and Kill” list. According to the Suffolk County District Attorney, he strangled all eight victims and left their bodies scattered around Long Island, particularly near Gilgo Beach.

In a New York court on April 8th, Rex Heuermann admitted to murdering seven women and confessed to killing another.

His crimes began in 1993 with the unexpected killing of 28-year-old Sandra Costilla. He then went on to intentionally murder sex workers, and police discovered a document on his computer suggesting he carefully planned these attacks – a ‘Hunt and Kill’ list, as they believe.

I’ve been following this case for years, and it still chills me to the bone. He… he killed eight women. Eight! Costilla, and then Karen Vergata, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and poor Amber Costello. The District Attorney says he strangled them all and just… left their bodies scattered around Long Island, so many of them near Gilgo Beach. It’s just horrifying to think about.

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2026-04-30 04:17