How Police Chief James Burke Aided In Covering Up Gilgo Beach Killer

In today’s episode, we break down the stunning split narrative unfolding around the Gilgo Beach murders—one fueled by Netflix’s Gone Girls, the other by Peacock’s explosive new documentary The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets. At the center of both? Asa Ellerup, the ex-wife of accused serial killer Rex Heuermann, whose reactions are raising eyebrows across the true crime world. After watching Gone Girls, Asa reportedly began wondering whether her former husband might be a fall guy—an extraordinary claim considering the decades of corruption inside Suffolk County law enforcement. From former Police Chief James Burke’s violent cover-ups to DA Thomas Spota’s obstruction charges, the county’s history is messy enough to make anyone question official narratives. But in a dramatic turn, Peacock’s documentary shows a different Asa—one calling Rex her “hero,” defending him emotionally, and describing prison visits as “first dates.” The family reportedly received substantial payment for their participation, raising ethical questions and potential legal consequences under proposed updates to New York’s Son of Sam laws. We examine the forensic battle unfolding in court, including the high-stakes Frye hearing over whole genome sequencing—a cutting-edge DNA method prosecutors say ties hairs from victims to Heuermann or members of his household. The defense, meanwhile, argues the science is untested in New York and should be excluded. Add to that:  • Over 200 firearms found in a hidden vault  • Significant damage to the Heuermann home during searches  • The children’s firsthand accounts of living with an accused killer  • Statements that could be used at trial This case now sits at the chaotic intersection of true crime media, family psychology, forensic science, and a justice system still trying to outrun its own corruption. And if Asa’s reaction is any indication, the story is far from settled. #GilgoBeachMurders #RexHeuermann #AsaEllerup #TrueCrimeNews #LongIslandSerialKiller #HiddenKillers #DNAEvidence #DocumentaryAnalysis #JusticeSystem #TrueCrimeCommunity Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

24 Dec 45min

2026 is the year Rex Heuermann finally faces trial for seven murders spanning three decades. But before the courtroom doors open, a stunning arrest just reshaped everything we thought we knew about Gilgo Beach. In December 2025, police charged Andrew Dykes — the father of "Baby Doe" — with murdering Tanya Jackson and their two-year-old daughter Tatiana. For fourteen years, investigators assumed they were victims of the Long Island Serial Killer. They weren't. Dykes had been cooperating with the investigation for months before his arrest. His name was on the child's birth certificate. That means Ocean Parkway wasn't one killer's dumping ground. It was a corridor for multiple predators. But Rex Heuermann is still facing the fight of his life. Seven victims. One trial. Judge Mazzei denied severance and admitted cutting-edge DNA evidence the defense called "magic." The prosecution has filed its statement of readiness with a 723-page evidence inventory. And then there's the planning document — a deleted Word file found on Heuermann's hard drive that prosecutors say is a literal blueprint for murder. Categories for "Body Prep." Instructions to remove heads, hands, and identifying tattoos. Notes about rope strength. References to FBI profiler John Douglas's Mindhunter. A dump site listed that matches where victims were actually found. January 13, 2026 is the next major court date. After that, we're looking at a trial date announcement. In this episode, we break down everything coming in 2026: the evidence, the victims, the family fracture, and the cold cases still waiting for answers. Karen Vergata. Asian Male Doe. Shannan Gilbert. The investigation isn't over. Rex Heuermann says he's innocent. His daughter believes otherwise. The jury will decide. #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #LISK #LongIslandSerialKiller #TrueCrime #GilgoBeachMurders #ColdCase #TrueCrimeNews #SerialKiller #Justice2026 Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

22 Dec 25min

2026 is the year Rex Heuermann finally faces trial for seven murders spanning three decades. But before the courtroom doors open, a stunning arrest just reshaped everything we thought we knew about Gilgo Beach. In December 2025, police charged Andrew Dykes — the father of "Baby Doe" — with murdering Tanya Jackson and their two-year-old daughter Tatiana. For fourteen years, investigators assumed they were victims of the Long Island Serial Killer. They weren't. Dykes had been cooperating with the investigation for months before his arrest. His name was on the child's birth certificate. That means Ocean Parkway wasn't one killer's dumping ground. It was a corridor for multiple predators. But Rex Heuermann is still facing the fight of his life. Seven victims. One trial. Judge Mazzei denied severance and admitted cutting-edge DNA evidence the defense called "magic." The prosecution has filed its statement of readiness with a 723-page evidence inventory. And then there's the planning document — a deleted Word file found on Heuermann's hard drive that prosecutors say is a literal blueprint for murder. Categories for "Body Prep." Instructions to remove heads, hands, and identifying tattoos. Notes about rope strength. References to FBI profiler John Douglas's Mindhunter. A dump site listed that matches where victims were actually found. January 13, 2026 is the next major court date. After that, we're looking at a trial date announcement. In this episode, we break down everything coming in 2026: the evidence, the victims, the family fracture, and the cold cases still waiting for answers. Karen Vergata. Asian Male Doe. Shannan Gilbert. The investigation isn't over. Rex Heuermann says he's innocent. His daughter believes otherwise. The jury will decide. #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #LISK #LongIslandSerialKiller #TrueCrime #GilgoBeachMurders #ColdCase #TrueCrimeNews #SerialKiller #Justice2026 Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

20 Dec 24min

For nearly three decades, Tanya Jackson was a nameless victim — known only as "Peaches" because of a tattoo on her chest. Her dismembered torso was found in 1997. Her arms, legs, and her two-year-old daughter's remains were discovered in 2011 during the Gilgo Beach investigation. Everyone assumed she belonged to the Long Island Serial Killer. Everyone was wrong. This week, police arrested Andrew Dykes, 66, in Florida — and charged him with murdering both Tanya Jackson and her daughter Tatiana. The twist that changes everything: Dykes is Tatiana's biological father. He allegedly killed his own child and the woman who was raising her, then scattered their bodies across Long Island in a pattern so similar to the Gilgo Beach killings that investigators spent years looking at the wrong suspect. Rex Heuermann faces trial for seven Gilgo Beach murders. But he didn't kill Tanya Jackson. He didn't kill Baby Doe. While the world focused on the architect with the kill lists, Andrew Dykes was living freely in Florida — even cooperating with police as recently as April 2025. This case exposes a hard truth: Gilgo Beach wasn't one killer's graveyard. It was a dumping ground for multiple predators. And the assumption that Peaches belonged to the serial killer let her real killer walk free for twenty-eight years. Tanya Jackson was a U.S. Army veteran from Alabama. She was 26. Her daughter was 2. They were never reported missing. They waited almost three decades for their names back — and for someone to finally answer for what was done to them. This is the full story. #GilgoBeach #TanyaJackson #AndrewDykes #RexHeuermann #Peaches #LongIslandSerialKiller #LISK #TrueCrime #ColdCase #BabyDoe Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

9 Dec 22min

As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, we’re unpacking one of the most haunting psychological stories to emerge from the Gilgo Beach murders — the steadfast denial of Asa Ellerup, estranged wife of accused serial killer Rex Heuermann. Even as prosecutors present a mountain of evidence — DNA matches, hair fibers from family members found on victims, burner phones, and a detailed murder planning document — Asa still calls her husband her “hero.” She describes visiting him in jail as feeling like “a first date.” She smiles when she hears his voice. She insists their home — where police say the murders were plotted — could never be a crime scene. In this gripping psychological breakdown, retired FBI Behavioral Analyst Robin Dreeke joins Tony Brueski to dissect how trauma, denial, and love can merge into something that looks like loyalty but is really self-preservation. Dreeke explains how 27 years of marriage built what he calls a “truth infrastructure” — a psychological foundation so powerful that admitting betrayal feels more dangerous than believing the lie. He unpacks the mechanics of trauma bonding, cognitive dissonance, and protective blindness, explaining how the human brain often rejects unbearable truth to preserve emotional stability. Dreeke also explores how financial stress, illness, and media exploitation may amplify Asa’s denial — especially as she battles cancer, navigates public scrutiny, and faces criticism for participating in the Peacock documentary The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets. Then, psychotherapist Shavaun Scott joins Tony to analyze the most disturbing moments captured on camera — including Rex’s recorded jail calls and Asa’s telling body language. Why does she close her eyes when confronted with evidence? Why does she describe love as something that would “hurt him”? Scott reveals how guilt, dependency, and unresolved trauma often trap partners of predators in cycles of emotional paralysis. Together, Dreeke and Scott piece together a portrait not just of denial — but of the psychological collateral damage left behind when a family’s reality is shattered by unimaginable truth. 🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Crimes, The Psychology, and The Human Blind Spots That Defined the Year. #AsaEllerup #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeachMurders #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #RobinDreeke #ShavaunScott #TraumaBonding #SerialKillerPsychology #Denial #CognitiveDissonance #TrueCrimePodcast #LongIslandSerialKiller #YearInReview #TrueCrimeToday #JusticeForVictims Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

30 Nov 53min

As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, we’re diving into one of the most disturbing intersections of true crime and psychology yet — the family of Rex Heuermann, the accused Gilgo Beach serial killer, and their shocking public defense of a man prosecutors call one of the most prolific murderers in modern history. In this powerful two-part special, Tony Brueski unpacks the emotional, psychological, and ethical fallout from Peacock’s new documentary The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets — including Asa Ellerup’s chilling confession that she still calls her accused killer husband her “hero.” Heuermann’s family — wife Asa, daughter Victoria, and son Christopher — sit down for the first time on camera, describing their life before and after the 2023 arrest that turned their world upside down. Despite overwhelming forensic evidence — including DNA links, hair fibers from family members found on victims, and a manifesto allegedly detailing murder methods — Asa insists on her husband’s innocence, calling prison visits their “first dates.” Tony Brueski explores how denial, trauma bonding, and cognitive dissonance shape these responses — and why victims’ families are calling the documentary “a slap in the face.” Legal experts weigh in on the $1 million payday allegedly tied to the family’s cooperation and how this could spark an expansion of New York’s Son of Sam laws to block profiting from criminal notoriety. Then, retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke joins Tony to analyze how killers like Heuermann hide in plain sight — and how families miss the signs. Dreeke explains the “truth-default state,” why spouses detect lies only about half the time, and how suburban normalcy becomes the perfect camouflage for horror. The conversation delves into the terrifying psychology of compartmentalization, exploring how someone can live a double life so convincing that even their loved ones see only the mask. From Heuermann’s alleged burner phones to his meticulous planning during family trips, it’s a case study in deception — and the human mind’s desperate need to believe what feels safe. 🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Crimes, The Psychology, and The Families That Shook America. #RexHeuermann #AsaEllerup #GilgoBeachMurders #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #RobinDreeke #TrueCrimePodcast #SerialKillerFamily #PsychologicalDenial #HouseOfSecrets #LISK #CriminalPsychology #SonOfSamLaw #YearInReview #TrueCrimeToday Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

29 Nov 42min

As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, we’re revisiting the most disturbing, politically charged, and psychologically revealing chapter in the Gilgo Beach murder investigation — one that now includes the alleged discovery of Rex Heuermann’s “manifesto.” In this explosive special, Tony Brueski unpacks two powerful narratives unfolding in parallel: the discovery of a chilling document allegedly authored by Heuermann detailing methods for serial murder, and the growing skepticism of his ex-wife Asa Ellerup, who’s beginning to wonder if her former husband might be a pawn in a much darker story of corruption and cover-ups. Investigators reportedly found a meticulously written digital file on Heuermann’s computer — a step-by-step “how-to” guide for abducting, killing, dismembering, and disposing of victims while avoiding forensic detection. The alleged instructions include forensic countermeasures that mirror the real-world evidence found across multiple crime scenes, including Manorville and Ocean Parkway, where the remains of victims like Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack were discovered. Prosecutors say this “manifesto” could become the smoking gun in proving premeditation, linking Heuermann to multiple unsolved murders, and showing a disturbing consciousness of guilt. But with a county marred by scandal — from former police chief James Burke’s porn-and-violence scandal to DA Thomas Spota’s obstruction conviction — the defense is asking: how much of this can be trusted? Enter Asa Ellerup. After watching Netflix’s Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer, she isn’t pushing wild conspiracies — but she is questioning the system. Her legal team is raising alarms about Suffolk County’s history of corruption, claiming it taints everything from the DNA evidence (derived through a contested “whole genome sequencing” technique) to the investigative integrity itself. Could a broken system be capable of building a monster to hide its own sins? Or is this simply the final unraveling of one of America’s most terrifying suburban nightmares? 🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Crimes, The Cover-Ups, and The Chaos That Defined the Year. #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeachMurders #AsaEllerup #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #SuffolkCounty #JamesBurke #Corruption #TrueCrimePodcast #ManifestoEvidence #SerialKillerCase #YearInReview #JusticeForVictims #TrueCrimeToday Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

28 Nov 53min

As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, we’re revisiting one of the darkest and most complex cases in modern true crime — the alleged double life of Rex Heuermann, the accused Gilgo Beach serial killer who managed to live a picture-perfect suburban existence while allegedly committing unthinkable crimes. In this gripping two-part special, Tony Brueski and retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke unravel how Heuermann allegedly concealed a predatory world behind the mask of a mild-mannered architect. Dreeke dissects the psychological mechanics of deception — how a man can manipulate his own family into overlooking chaos, maintain the illusion of normalcy, and exploit society’s indifference toward marginalized victims. How do you hide something this horrifying in plain sight? By preying on a culture that doesn’t look too closely. The conversation dives deep into the psychology of incremental abnormality — how small behavioral shifts go unnoticed until the monster is fully formed. From the quiet control of his household to the alleged targeting of sex trafficking victims society ignored, Dreeke exposes the chilling behavioral blueprint of a man who thrived in the shadows of neglect. Then, the focus turns to Suffolk County’s corruption problem — one that may have allowed this case to fester for over a decade. Enter James Burke, the disgraced former police chief whose own scandals — including beating a suspect over stolen porn and sex toys — helped derail the Gilgo investigation for years. With former DA Thomas Spota later indicted for obstruction and witness tampering, the question becomes unavoidable: Did law enforcement’s rot give a serial killer room to operate? The episode also examines Asa Ellerup’s new public comments following Netflix’s Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer. Heuermann’s ex-wife isn’t pushing conspiracy theories — but she’s asking questions. Could her husband be a fall guy for a broken system? With DNA evidence hinging on a controversial technique called whole genome sequencing, the courts now face a precedent-setting decision that could make or break the case. 🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Crimes, The Corruption, and The Psychology That Defined the Year. #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeachMurders #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #RobinDreeke #AsaEllerup #JamesBurke #SuffolkCounty #TrueCrimePodcast #Corruption #SerialKillerCase #YearInReview #JusticeForVictims #TrueCrimeToday Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

27 Nov 45min