Gilgo Beach murders: Prosecutors seek DNA swab Rex Heuermann
Former NYPD detective Pat Brosnan says he can't imagine a judge refusing to swab the defendant's cheek on 'Your World.'
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's G-Unit Film & Television production company will be producing a multipart documentary series following Rex Heuermann's wife through the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer's upcoming criminal trial.
Asa Ellerup has filed for divorce since Heuermann, 60, was charged in the Long Island deaths of Amber Lynn Costello, 27, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, and Megan Waterman, 22, whose bodies were found days apart on a stretch of New York's Gilgo Beach in 2010.
Ellerup showed up to Heuermann's last court appearance in Suffolk County, New York, earlier this month with a cameraman in tow, Fox News Digital previously reported.
She also visited Heuermann in jail earlier this month, and film crews have been spotted around the family's Massapequa Park home, where Ellerup still lives with their two adult children.
Ellerup's Long Island-based attorney Bob Macedonio – who also represents members of G-Unit – could not be reached for comment at press time.
GILGO BEACH SERIAL KILLER SUSPECT REX HEUERMANN 'APPRECIATES' WIFE ATTENDING COURT, LAWYER SAYS
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's production company G-Unit will produce a documentary following Rex Heuermann's wife Asa Ellerup through his criminal trial, Peacock has confirmed. (Getty Images, James Carbone/Pool via Reuters)
Previously, Macedonio said Ellerup would "like to believe that [Heuermann] had nothing to do with it" and that she will "decide if she thinks her husband is guilty of these crimes" after watching court proceedings unfold.
She does not face criminal charges, and prosecutors say she was away on vacations when the alleged killings took place.
Deadline reported that Heuermann's kids, Victoria Heuermann, 26, and Christopher Sheridan, 33, will also receive payments for their participation in the documentary.
In addition to the alleged price tag for Ellerup's involvement, NewsNation reported that Heuermann's attorneys will each receive between $200,000 and $400,000 in the venture. Peacock has not confirmed either of these involvements, and could not be reached by Fox News Digital at press time.
Heuermann's wife – who may be called to testify against her husband – was left destitute in the wake of the accused serial killer's July 13 arrest.
GILGO BEACH MURDER VICTIMS FORGOTTEN DURING YEARS OF CORRUPTION AND SCANDAL
Asa Ellerup and Victoria Heuermann enter their home in Massapequa Park, New York on July 27, 2023. (MEGA for Fox News Digital )
Shortly after Heuermann's architectural firm collapsed, she lost her health insurance – then learned she had cancer. After police raided the family's home, leaving the already-dilapidated property in shambles, the daughter of West Coast "Happy Face" serial killer Keith Jesperson launched a fundraiser to support the reeling family.
Although the payout for her participation in the documentary is unconfirmed, NewsNation reported that Heuermann's family would receive $1 million in the deal.
A spokesperson for Peacock, which will stream the upcoming series, told People that Ellerup, 59, was not being paid for her participation, but was given a licensing fee for handing over archival footage for the project.
GILGO BEACH SUSPECT REX HEUERMANN SCOWLS IN COURT AS PROSECUTORS DETAIL 'VOLUMINOUS' EVIDENCE
Asa Ellerup, her daughter Victoria Heuermann and son Christopher Sheridan walk through a parking lot in Atlantic City, New Jersey, July 18, 2023. (Dario Alequin for Fox News Digital )
She will have no creative control over the project, the spokesperson said, and the money her family receives cannot go to Heuermann or his legal expenses. So long as none of the money flows to Heuermann, the company will skirt "Son of Sam" laws that prevent criminals from profiting from media depictions of their stories.
Texas Crew Productions and the New York Post will also have a hand in the upcoming documentary's production, the spokesperson said.
SPECULATION OF ANOTHER VICTIM OF THE SUSPECTED GILGO BEACH SERIAL KILLER SQUASHED BY POLICE
Rex Heuermann appears in Suffolk County Supreme Court with his attorney, Michael Brown, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Riverhead, New York. (James Carbone/Newsday via AP, Pool)
The deal between Ellerup and 50 Cent's production company has incensed some families linked to Heuermann's case.
"Disappointed, disgusted, flabbergasted, frustrated are a few words that come to mind right now," Shannan Gilbert's sister Sherre wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "The way that media will buy stories to further re-victimize, re-traumatize, and exploit the families & victims of serial killers is evil!"
A map created by Suffolk County Police shows the locations of the bodies found on Gilgo Beach between 2010 and 2011. (Suffolk County Police)
The search for Gilbert, a sex worker who disappeared in May 2010 after meeting with a client she met on Craigslist, led to the discovery of 11 bodies buried along Gilgo Beach, including the three women Heuermann is charged with killing.
The Peacock spokesperson told People that each of the Gilgo victim's families were contacted to participate in the upcoming documentary – all of them either declined or did not respond, per the outlet.
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Sherre Gilbert, along with family members of other victims, had participated in previous documentaries about the Long Island serial killer before Heuermann was publicly identified as a suspect, including "The Killing Season" and "Disappeared."
Frances Nicotra, co-executor of Shannan Gilbert's estate, told Fox News Digital that the upcoming documentary – and the payments associated with it – are "something that should offend any person of normal sensibilities."
"It's shocking, it's outrageous," Nicotra said on Wednesday. "There’s just something that’s wrong with it… We all know it’s wrong. There are certain ways to conduct yourself and there are certain ways not to – this is absolutely wrong."
"The stories of the victims and what they were like and who they were is far more interesting to me – the stories of the families. Sherre's… has been enduring this for years and every time something like this happens, all it does is add further upset and stress to her. It’s not fair."
When participating in earlier documentaries, Nicotra said, Sherre's primary motive was "seeking justice" rather than "to benefit financially from her sister's tragic death or the passing of any of the victims."
John Ray, the attorney who represents Gilbert's family, told People that Ellerup's participation in the upcoming documentary series is "reckless beyond words."
Rodney Harrison, Suffolk County's outgoing police commissioner who announced his resignation after Heuermann's arrest, called the documentary a "smack at the family members who lost a loved one," according to Forbes.
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