The wife of the “Long Island Serial Killer” suspect will be participating in a Peacock docuseries about the case, igniting controversy about the ethics of true crime entertainment.
Asa Ellerup is the wife of Rex Heuermann, who is currently facing charges for the murder of three women and is under investigation for another, per ABC. Peacock has just announced plans to make a docuseries following Ellerup over the course of the trial, according to The New York Times.
What’s the name of the Long Island serial killer?
After Long Island police located 11 sets of human remains along a stretch of Gilgo Beach, New York, in 2010, investigators began looking into the possibility that at least some of the deceased were victims of a serial killer, per NBC.
No arrests were made in the case of the “Long Island Serial Killer,” also known as the “Gilgo Beach Killer,” until July 2023, when 59-year-old Rex Heuermann was arrested. He was charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello and named as the prime suspect of the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, per ABC7.
What do we know about Peacock’s Long Island Serial Killer docuseries?
The series will follow Ellerup over the course of Heuermann’s trial. A Peacock spokesperson said Ellerup will have no creative control over the series and that she will not be paid for her involvement, although she did receive a licensing fee, per People. The fee cannot be used for Heuermann’s defense.
Ellerup’s attorney, Bob Macedonio, declined to comment on the docuseries but told People Ellerup has been trying to adjust to life following her husband’s arrest.
“She’s been vilified and then also victimized,” Macedonio said. “She’s going to be known as the wife or the ex-wife of an alleged serial killer. She’s gathering herself, she’s dealing with herself. She’s getting her and her children back to a safe place.”
What do the victims’ families think about the docuseries?
While not everyone involved in the case has commented on the docuseries, the family of Shannan Gilbert, who was one of the deceased found along Gilgo Beach, has spoken negatively of the project.
“Disappointed, disgusted, flabbergasted, frustrated are a few words that come to mind right now,” Gilbert’s sister Sherre said on social media. “The way that the media will buy stories to further re-victimize, re-traumatize and exploit the families & victims of serial killers is evil!”
The Gilbert family’s attorney, John Ray, said Ellerup’s participation in the project was “reckless beyond words,” per People.
Sherre Gilbert alleged in a later statement posted on social media that Ellerup had been offered an additional contract for the rights to her story, although those claims have not been verified.
“It is unethical and immoral for these TV networks/production companies to use us to tell our stories under the guise of ‘truth & justice’ while being forced to relive our trauma over and over,” she said.