Rex Heuermann appears in court on February 6, 2024 in Riverhead, New York; The home of alleged killer Rex Heuermann on July 26, 2023 in Massapequa Park, New York.Credit : James Carbone-Pool/Getty; James Carbone/Newsday RM via Getty

NEED TO KNOW

Rex Heuermann confessed to killing seven women in the the lower level of the Massapequa Park, N.Y., home he shared with his ex-wife

Police found 279 weapons and a written document detailing his methods inside the home after his 2023 arrest
His family plans to move to South Carolina and put the house up for sale due to media attention

Rex Heuermann’s unassuming home concealed decades of horrific secrets.

The Massapequa, N.Y., residence became a focal point in the Long Island Serial Killer investigation following his July 2023 arrest.

Though police had discovered over 10 bodies in the Gilgo Beach area since 2010, Heuermann only pleaded guilty to murdering seven women and admitting to intentionally causing the death of an eighth as part of a plea deal, NBC News reported.

He allegedly confessed to committing those seven murders in his home to his wife, Asa Ellerup.

“He said he killed eight women — eight,” she said in a teaser clip for the final episode of Peacock’s docuseries The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets. “He said I wasn’t home through all of them. He said they were killed in his room downstairs, all except one.”

So, what happened to the Gilgo Beach Murderer’s house? Here’s everything to know about Rex Heuermann’s childhood home and the murders he confessed to committing inside.

Where is Rex Heuermann’s house?

Police Investigators work in the backyard of Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann’s home on July 14, 2023 in Massapequa Park, New York.J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images

Heuermann’s house is located in Massapequa Park, a small village on Long Island, less than a half-hour away from Gilgo Beach, where the bodies of his victims were found.

Neighbors described him to CBS News as a quiet and reserved family man. However, the state of the small red home he shared with Ellerup and their two children was frequently in disarray.

“This house sticks out like a sore thumb,” neighbor Gabriella Libardi told the Associated Press in January 2024, per CBS News. “There were overgrown shrubs. There was always wood in front of the house. It was very creepy. I wouldn’t send my child there.”

Another neighbor, Barry Auslander, told the Associated Press that “it was weird” to see Heuermann as a businessman, dressed in a suit and tie, while his home remained “a dump.”

How long did Rex Heuermann live in his house?

The home of serial killer Rex Heuermann on July 26, 2023 in Massapequa Park, New York.James Carbone/Newsday RM via Getty

Heuermann grew up in the same Massapequa Park house where he lived at the time of his arrest.

According to the New York Post, he purchased the residence from his mother for $170,000 in 1994. The former architect resided there with his family for the next three decades, after marrying Ellerup in 1996.

Did Rex Heuermann commit any murders in his house?

Rex Heuermann poses for his booking photo on July 14, 2023.Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office via Getty

Yes, Heuermann admitted to his ex-wife that he killed seven women in the lower level of their home.

Though his victims’ remains were found in areas surrounding the neighborhood, police uncovered a disturbing amount of evidence inside his residence, including an arsenal of 279 weapons, The New York Times reported. They were found in a basement vault big enough to walk into, authorities said.

Investigators also recovered a written document that reportedly outlined the serial killer’s methods for murdering women and disposing of their remains.

After his arrest, crime scene officials spent the week digging in his backyard and found items ranging from large pieces of furniture to small bags of household possessions, per The New York Times.

What happened to Rex Heuermann’s house?

Evidence is removed from the home of Rex Heuermann, the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer, on July 18, 2023 in Massapequa Park, New York.Steve Pfost/Newsday RM via Getty

After his 2023 arrest, Heuermann’s family continued to live in the home. However, the intense scrutiny they’ve faced from the media and onlookers motivated them to relocate to another home they own in South Carolina.

“People constantly stop in front of the house, to gawk and point and take pictures,” Ellerup’s lawyer, Robert Macedonio, told The New York Times in November 2024. “She’s lost any emotional attachment she had to the premises because of everything that’s gone on, and the only way she can start recovering is to move.”

He added that Ellerup couldn’t afford to repair the damage that was made when investigators searched the home, which included cutting up floors, removing plumbing and digging up the backyard.

Ellerup reportedly planned to put the house up for sale after her divorce from Heuermann was finalized.

“The best thing that could happen is they knock that house down and build a brand-new one so that the memory of all this is obliterated,” neighbor Albert Cella told the publication.

How much is Rex Heuermann’s house worth today?

A moving container is seen outside accused serial killer Rex Heuermann’s house on November 20, 2024 in Massapequa Park, New York.Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty

Deed transfer records obtained by The U.S. Sun list the Massapequa Park home’s value at $530,000 in 2023.

Louis Scrimenti, an agent with Signature Premier Properties in Massapequa Park, told The New York Times that he thought it was more likely a builder would buy the home for around $600,000 to replace it with a house that could sell for over $1 million.

“I don’t think a regular consumer would buy that home,” he said. “I’d say nine out of 10 consumers would be turned off by it.”