Rex Heuermann’s Family Was Divided Over the Gilgo Beach Murders. His Daughter Reached a Painful Conclusion

For nearly three decades, Asa Ellerup believed she knew the man she married. But after her former husband, Rex Heuermann, was accused of being the Gilgo Beach serial killer, her family faced a devastating question: Could the man they knew as a devoted father have been hiding a horrifying secret?

In June 2025, Ellerup and her daughter, Victoria Heuermann, shared their conflicting views in the Peacock documentary series “The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets.”

Ellerup continued to defend her former husband, insisting that she had never witnessed behavior that made her believe he could commit such crimes. She struggled to reconcile her memories of their marriage with the allegations prosecutors had presented.

Heuermann, a New York architect, had been arrested in July 2023 in connection with the murders of women whose remains were discovered near Gilgo Beach on Long Island. Investigators alleged that he had led a double life while maintaining an ordinary family image.

Their daughter initially struggled to decide what to believe. Victoria said she remembered her father as someone who spent much of his time with the family and had never been violent toward them.

However, after considering the evidence described by investigators and prosecutors, she eventually reached a different conclusion from her mother.

According to the documentary’s producers, Victoria said she now believed her father had “most likely” committed the killings. Her words reflected the emotional conflict of trying to reconcile childhood memories with the possibility that someone she loved had committed terrible crimes.

The documentary also explored the family’s efforts to understand the allegations. Ellerup described her disbelief over claims that her former husband had concealed disturbing activities for years. She questioned the evidence and continued to insist that she needed answers.

Prosecutors had pointed to evidence including hair recovered from victims, electronic material seized from Heuermann’s home and an alleged planning document containing checklists related to killings. At the time of the documentary, Heuermann had pleaded not guilty to the murder charges.

The case has had devastating consequences for the victims’ families, while Heuermann’s relatives have faced intense public scrutiny and the collapse of the life they once knew.

There has since been a major development. In April 2026, Heuermann pleaded guilty to murdering seven women and admitted responsibility for an eighth killing. His plea brought a significant change to a case that had remained unresolved for years.

The family’s earlier disagreement now stands as a painful part of the case’s history. For Victoria, accepting the possibility of her father’s guilt meant confronting a reality that conflicted with her memories. For the victims’ loved ones, the case has always been about something even more important: answers, accountability and recognition of the women whose lives were taken.

Source: foxnews