Incredible admission Gilgo Beach killer made to his wife as she finally reveals depth of twisted husband's depravity after murdering eight women

By JAMES GORDON, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 06:15, 21 April 2026 | Updated: 06:18, 21 April 2026 Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann sat face-to-face with his ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, for the first time since his arrest and calmly confessed to a string of murders that he revealed took place in the basement of the family home. In newly revealed footage, Ellerup described walking into the room and immediately sensing something was different. 'He looked very nervous - very, very nervous,' she said. But the tension quickly gave way to something more unsettling: a strange, almost familiar version of the man she once knew. 'When he started talking, it started feeling like that's the Rex I know,' she explained. 'But I didn't want to see that one. I wanted to see the one I needed to see.' Determined to keep emotional distance, she addressed him not as her husband, but more formally. 'So Mr Heuermann,' she recalled saying, 'I understand that you are confessing to me on these murders - can you please tell me how many of these women did you kill?' His reply was both immediate and chilling in its simplicity. Rex Heuermann told his ex-wife Asa Ellerup that he had killed eight women in a face-to-face confession Rex Heuermann, who was accused of the murders of eight women during a 17-year killing spree, pleds guilty at court in Riverhead, New York earlier this month Ellerup said Heuermann admitted seven of the victims were killed in a the basement of their Long Island home, pictured Asked if he hesitated when answering, Ellerup said: 'No - he just told me the answer.' Then came a detail that turned the conversation from unsettling to horrifying. 'He said I wasn't home during all of them,' she continued. And when pressed on where the killings had taken place, she said he admitted: 'They were killed in his room downstairs. All except one.' Heuermann's admission was as calculated as the crimes themselves as he calmly described how he waited until his wife was gone before turning their family home into a killing ground.  At one point, Ellerup said she had to mentally shut down to endure what she was hearing from the suburban husband she shared a marital home with. 'Well, I put a wall up,' she explained. Her attorney added that even the tone of the exchange reflected how far removed the moment was from their former life together.  'She called him Mr. Heuermann,' the lawyer said. 'So his response was, "Oh, are we formal now? Mrs. Ellerup?"' Ellerup explained how Heuermann told her she 'wasn't home during all of them,' indicating he acted while his family was away Asa Ellerup, who divorced Heuermann after his arrest, has always insisted that she and her children had lived in complete ignorance of the crimes Rex Heuermann, pictured alongside his ex-wife Asa Ellerup, admitted to killing eight women by strangulation Ellerup had to somehow try to reconcile the fact the suburban husband she had lived with for almost 30 years was also a wanted serial killer - and something he now freely admitted. The quiet, clinical exchange is set to air in the final part of a documentary on Peacock detailing the life and crimes of the Gilgo Beach killer which prosecutors say terrorized Long Island for decades. Only weeks ago, Heuermann brought a decades-long investigation to a dramatic close. Inside a packed courtroom in Suffolk County, the 62-year-old architect pleaded guilty to multiple murder charges tied to the notorious Gilgo Beach killings - a case that had haunted Long Island for more than 30 years. He admitted to murdering seven women between 1993 and 2010 - and acknowledged an eighth victim for which he had not been formally charged. Speaking in a flat, almost detached tone, Heuermann confirmed he strangled his victims, many of whom were young women working as escorts.  Some were dismembered before their remains were scattered along remote stretches of coastline near Gilgo Beach. The victims, including Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello and Maureen Brainard-Barnes, became known as the 'Gilgo Four,' their discovery in 2010 sparking a sprawling investigation that would drag on for more than a decade. Additional victims, including Jessica Taylor, Valerie Mack, Sandra Costilla and Karen Vergata, were later linked to the same killer through DNA and forensic evidence. The victims clockwise from left: Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla Rex Heuermann also pleaded guilty to the murder of an eighth victim, Karen Vergata The backyard of Rex Heuermann's home in Massapequa Park during a search in June 2024 Heuermann is seen in selfies that were submitted as evidence in the case Discarded pizza crust was seized for DNA testing. Such evidence later linked Heuermann to the Gilgo Beach case For years, the case seemed unsolvable, bogged down by missteps, jurisdictional tensions and a lack of clear suspects. But it all changed in 2023 when investigators quietly zeroed in on Heuermann using a combination of cellphone data, witness accounts and a crucial piece of DNA evidence retrieved from a discarded pizza crust.  The genetic material matched hairs found on victims, tying him to the killings. Prosecutors said they deliberately kept the investigation secret to avoid tipping him off. 'We wanted the one person who mattered, the murderer, to think it's business as usual,' Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said after the plea. For decades, prosecutors say, Heuermann lived a double life - a suburban husband and father on the surface who was also a Manhattan-based architect who returned each night to a quiet suburban home in Massapequa Park. But he was also a predator who used his family's absence as cover to lure women into the house and kill them out of sight.  Asa Ellerup, the estranged wife of Heuermann, and their daughter Victoria, outside Suffolk County Court ahead of the court hearing on April 8 The family are seen together before Heuermann's arrest on suspicion of being a serial killer The family's attorney said their lives had been 'destroyed' by Heuermann's actions Investigators search Heuermann's home in July 2023, days after his arrest That home, investigators believe, may have been the site of some of the most horrifying moments in the case. Ellerup's account appears to confirm what prosecutors long suspected: that at least some victims were brought inside the house, into a basement room, where they were killed while his family was away. Prosecutors have said Ellerup and the couple's children were out of town during the murders and had no knowledge of the crimes. In court, Ellerup sat quietly as her former husband detailed his actions, at times gripping her seat, at others holding hands with her daughter. After the hearing, she issued a brief statement expressing sympathy for the victims' families and asking for privacy. For those families, the guilty plea brought a measure of long-awaited closure. Suffolk County Police conduct a search on December 14, 2010, along Gilgo Beach, where four bodies were found A prosecutor has said he believes there are other bodies hidden off Ocean Parkway, the road running along Gilgo Beach There are still questions over whether Heuermann was responsible for other bodies that were found near Gilgo Beach Map shows the location of Heuermann's home compared to Gilgo Beach where the remains of several victims were found 'This has been a long journey of hope - hope that one day we would stand here and say her name with justice beside it,' Melissa Cann, sister of victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes, said after the hearing. Elizabeth Baczkiel, the mother of Jessica Taylor, said the plea lifted a burden carried for years. 'I am glad that this is over as far as him pleading guilty,' she said. 'It took a big chunk of stress off of me and my family.' Yet even with the confession, questions remain. Investigators believe there may be additional victims. Others point to disturbing evidence recovered from Heuermann's home, including what prosecutors described as a 'planning document' outlining how to select, kill and dispose of victims. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.