Accused Gilgo Beach Killer’s Family to Make $1 Million from Documentary

Accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann’s family will receive at least $1 million for participating in an upcoming documentary following his trial process, according to a new report.

Two independent sources confirmed to NewsNation on Friday that Heuermann’s wife, Asa Ellerup, along with their adult children, Victoria and Christopher, will make seven figures from an NBC/Peacock documentary or docu-series on the suspected killer.

“They will be filmed throughout the trial and after the trial’s outcome,” one source told the outlet. “The family will tell their entire story and everything about their life (with Heuermann) exclusively to the (documentary filmmakers).”

“The family’s lawyers will also be receiving compensation for their participation as well,” the outlet noted, adding that the documentary is seen as a “last resort” for Ellerup and her children’s newfound financial struggles since she filed for divorce from Heuermann six days after he was arrested and charged in July with the murders of three sex workers.

Heuermann, a 59-year-old New York architect, is the suspected perpetrator behind the Gilgo Beach serial killings, a series of murders that took place between 1996 and 2011 in which the remains of 11 victims were found in Gilgo Beach, Long Island. 

Most of the known victims were sex workers who advertised on Craigslist, and their remains were discovered over a period of months from 2010 to 2011 after the disappearance of Shannan Gilbert led to a search of the area.

Heuermann became a serious suspect in March 2022 after authorities linked his Chevrolet Avalanche to the scene of one of the killings, and discovered cell phone records that indicated communication with multiple victims. 

Court records obtained by the Washington Post also indicated that he had made internet searches for “sadistic materials, child pornography, [and] images of the victims and their relatives.”

The suspected killer was finally brought in when his DNA, which police gathered from a pizza crust he had discarded. was matched to hair “found on burlap used to restrain and transport” one of the victims.

Heuermann was charged with the first-degree murders of Amber Lynn Costello, 27; Melissa Barthelemy, 24; and Megan Waterman, 22. He is also the suspect in the slaying of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25.

Heuermann pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Because the money is going to Heuermann’s family and not the accused himself, it is allowed under New York’s “Son of Sam” law, which prohibits criminals from profiting off of their stories by selling them to the media.