Rex Heuermann told ex-wife he murdered Gilgo Beach victims at family's home, documentary reveals

NEW YORK (AP) — The man who recently pleaded guilty to New York's Gilgo Beach serial murders told his ex-wife while in jail that he killed most of his female victims in the basement of the family’s dilapidated home, the latest episode of a documentary series shows.

His ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, said in a teaser for the episode airing Thursday on NBC’s streaming service Peacock that Rex Heuermann also told her that the eight women he has admitted to killing were his only victims.

Ellerup says later in the teaser that he told her that he killed seven of them in the basement of the family's house in Massapequa Park on Long Island while she was away.

“I said to him, ‘So Mr. Heuermann, I understand that you are confessing to me on these murders. Can you please tell me how many of these women did you kill’?,” she said in the 90-second clip. “He said, ‘Eight’.”

Ellerup said she intentionally didn’t use her former husband’s first name as a way to “put a wall up” between the two.

“When he started talking, it started feeling like that’s the Rex I know,” she said. “But I didn’t want to see that one. I wanted to see the one I needed to see.”

The latest and last installment of “The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets” follows the release of the series' first three episodes last June. Another documentary, “Killing Grounds: The Gilgo Beach Murders,” also comes out Wednesday on Amazon's streaming service, Prime Video.

Ellerup's attorney, Robert Macedonio, declined to discuss what other new details are revealed in the new episode of the Peacock documentary.

“This has been an extremely emotional and painful process for the family to endure and come to terms with the allegations that Rex Heuermann was the Gilgo Beach serial killer,” he said in an email. “Ms. Ellerup would like the focus to remain where it belongs — on the victims and their families, who have suffered immeasurable and lasting losses.”

Vess Mitev, a lawyer for the couple's two grown children, Victoria and Chris, said the two “echo the sentiments of their mother, and wish only to move forward as best they can, given this remarkably dark chapter in their lives.”

Heuermann’s lawyers didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.

Earlier episodes of the documentary showed the family struggling to reconcile their memories of the architect, who had an office in Manhattan, with the portrait of the killer described by authorities.

Ellerup, who divorced Heuermann after his arrest in 2023, steadfastly defended her ex-husband’s innocence during those earlier episodes. But her daughter eventually conceded her father “most likely” committed the brutal killings that bedeviled investigators and drew intense interest from true-crime watchers for years.

The saga came to a close earlier this month when Heuermann, 62, of Massapequa Park, admitted in Riverhead court to murdering seven women and also killing an eighth he had not yet been charged with over a 17-year span.

Heuermann said in court he strangled the women, many of them sex workers, and dismembered some of their bodies before dumping them on a desolate parkway not far from Long Island's Gilgo Beach, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Manhattan.

He’ll be sentenced in June to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Follow Philip Marcelo on X: @philmarcelo.

Rex A. Heuermann, pleads guilty to murdering seven women and admitted he killed an eighth in a string of long-unsolved crimes known as the Gilgo Beach killings, at a court hearing in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, N.Y., Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (James Carbone/Newsday via AP, Pool)

Rex A. Heuermann, center, pleads guilty to murdering seven women and admitted he killed an eighth in a string of long-unsolved crimes known as the Gilgo Beach killings, at a court hearing in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, N.Y., Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (James Carbone/Newsday via AP, Pool)

Asa Ellerup, wife, of Rex Heuermann gives her statement outside the courthouse as Rex Heuermann, accused in Long Island's infamous Gilgo Beach serial killings, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Asa Ellerup, center left, wife, of Rex Heuermann and Victoria Heuermann, right, walk the hallway after departs the courtroom as Rex Heuermann, accused in Long Island's infamous Gilgo Beach serial killings, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Asa Ellerup, wife, of Rex Heuermann waits to give her statement outside the courthouse as Rex Heuermann, accused in Long Island's infamous Gilgo Beach serial killings, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

CINCINNATI (AP) — Alex Bregman hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning and the Chicago Cubs rallied for a 5-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night.

Michael Busch had three hits and Carson Kelly also went deep for the Cubs, who improved to 3-2 on their six-game trip before the All-Star break.

All of Cincinnati's runs came via the long ball as Nathaniel Lowe, Eugenio Suárez and JJ Bleday homered. The Reds fell to 6-21 against NL Central teams.

Drew Pomeranz (2-3), the second of six Chicago pitchers used, got the win. Trent Thornton came in with two outs in the ninth and runners at the corners to get Sal Stewart to hit into a game-ending ground out for his third save.

Bregman was in a 2-for-18 slump before he connected on a sweeper from Julian Garcia (0-2) and drove it down the left-field line to put the Cubs back on top. Seiya Suzuki drew a walk to lead off the inning.

The Reds jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning when Lowe and Suárez hit back-to-back homers off Javier Assad.

The Cubs got within a run on an RBI base hit by Suzuki in the fifth before Kelly led off the sixth with a solo shot to center off Nick Lodolo. The left-hander exited the game after giving up the homer due to a blister on his left index finger.

Kelly is batting .298 (14 for 47) with three home runs and 13 RBIs in his last 15 games.

Caleb Ferguson came on and gave up a single to Busch, who gave the Cubs a 3-2 lead when he scored on Ian Happ's double to left-center.

Cincinnati promptly tied it at 3 in the bottom of the frame on Bleday's drive to right field.

The Cubs send left-hander Matthew Boyd (4-1, 4.31 ERA) to the mound Sunday. Lefty Andrew Abbott (5-5, 3.92 ERA) goes for the Reds.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Cincinnati Reds' TJ Friedl, bottom, dives safely back to second base as Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) bobbles the ball during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, July 11, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Cincinnati Reds' Jose De La Cruz singles against the Chicago Cubs during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, July 11, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Cincinnati Reds' Jose De La Cruz, left, runs past Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, right, on a missed ball during the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, July 11, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch runs to score from first base on a hit by teammate Ian Happ during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Saturday, July 11, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Chicago Cubs' Carson Kelly, right, celebrates his home run against Cincinnati Reds' Nick Lodolo during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, July 11, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)