Crime and Civil Litigation

A wrongful death lawsuit filed Monday in New York by Benjamin Torres, the son of Gilgo Beach victim Valerie Mack, accuses alleged serial killer Rex Heuermann of torturing, murdering, and dismembering Mack and seeks damages for the loss of her care and support. The suit also names Heuermann’s ex‑wife, Asa Ellerup, and daughter, Victoria Heuermann, alleging they knew of, concealed, or deliberately avoided learning key facts about the killing and later profited from the Peacock documentary "Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets," which reportedly paid the family more than $1 million. Torres is asking for compensation not only for his mother’s death but for the terror and mutilation she allegedly endured and for the alleged concealment and mutilation of her remains. The complaint further argues New York’s two‑year wrongful‑death deadline should be waived because Mack was unidentified for years and Torres was a child when she vanished in 2000. Heuermann, who was charged with Mack’s murder in late 2024 as the seventh alleged victim, is expected to plead guilty to all seven murder counts in Suffolk County court on Wednesday under a plea deal with District Attorney Ray Tierney, a pivotal turn in a case that has drawn intense national scrutiny.