In a startling and emotional turn in one of America’s most haunting cold cases, Asa Ellerup, the estranged wife of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann, is speaking out — and standing by the man prosecutors believe is responsible for the brutal murders of at least seven women.

Ellerup, 61, declares her husband of nearly 30 years as her “hero,” even as he faces charges for a string of grisly slayings that terrorized Long Island over the course of three decades. In a new Peacock docuseries titled The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets, Ellerup insists the police have the wrong man.

“I know what bad men are capable of,” she says on camera. “I’ve seen it, I’ve survived it. But not my husband. You have the wrong man.”

Ellerup’s unwavering support for Heuermann, a 60-year-old Manhattan architect, comes despite a mountain of evidence — including DNA samples linking him to the victims and even hairs allegedly belonging to both her and their daughter Victoria found on the remains. Still, Ellerup says she remains convinced of his innocence.

The two first met when Ellerup was just 18, working the night shift at a Long Island 7-11. “He was tall, dark, and handsome,” she recalls. The bond was instant. After enduring a traumatic past that included sexual assault, a suicide attempt, and a narrowly escaped kidnapping, Ellerup says Heuermann represented safety — a man who never turned away, even through her breast cancer diagnosis and double mastectomy.

“He always showed up for me,” she adds. “He’s my rock. He’s my hero.”

That hero, however, is now accused of being one of the most prolific serial killers in New York history. Arrested in July 2023, Heuermann was initially charged in connection with the so-called “Gilgo Four” — four sex workers whose bodies were discovered near Ocean Parkway. Subsequent charges expanded the alleged victim list to seven, all women involved in sex work, many of whom were found dismembered.

Still, Ellerup paints a picture of a quiet family man who smoked cigars in the garage and never stayed out late. “I picked him up from the train station every single day. He was always home on weekends. If he said he went to Lowe’s, that’s exactly where he went.”

But prosecutors say otherwise. Investigators reportedly found disturbing pornography in the couple’s Massapequa Park home, along with burner phones and online accounts linked to sex workers. They claim Heuermann kept newspaper clippings about the killings, and used aliases to arrange meetings with women — some of whom never returned.

Ellerup, however, remains skeptical of the evidence. “They say there were videos — I’ve never seen them. I don’t even know if they’re his.”

Though she filed for divorce shortly after Heuermann’s arrest, Ellerup claims the move was purely strategic — a way to protect their shared assets. She continues to speak to him regularly by phone and describes their first jailhouse visit as unexpectedly romantic. “It was like a first date. I was nervous. I was excited.”

Their daughter Victoria, now 28, also appears in the documentary and reportedly shares her mother’s belief in Heuermann’s innocence.

Yet public sentiment remains heavily divided. The case has captured national attention not only for its brutality, but for the chilling contrast between Heuermann’s ordinary suburban life and the horror prosecutors allege he carried out in secret. He lived in his late mother’s home and operated a successful architecture firm in Midtown Manhattan — while allegedly harboring a dark, violent double life.

For Ellerup, the accusations don’t add up. “People ask how I didn’t know. But what was there to know? He wasn’t out partying or disappearing at night. He was here. With us.”

She does have one criticism of her husband — his new haircut behind bars. “I don’t like it,” she laughs faintly, in a rare moment of levity amid the chaos.

As the docuseries airs and the case moves toward trial, Asa Ellerup’s defense of the man many now see as a monster is sure to spark controversy — and heartbreak. Whether her trust is misplaced or prophetic remains to be seen.

But one thing is clear: in the eyes of his wife, Rex Heuermann isn’t a killer.

“He’s still my husband,” she says softly. “And I love him. No matter what.”