Valerie Mack's Son Lost Her at Six — He's Suing the Family That Lived With Her Killer

About this episode

The episode discusses Benjamin Torres's wrongful death lawsuit against the family of his mother's killer, Rex Heuermann, and explores the psychological implications of denial within the family.

Benjamin Torres was six years old when his mother disappeared. Valerie Mack vanished in 2000. Her dismembered remains were found in Manorville that same year — unidentified for twenty years. Rex Heuermann has now pleaded guilty to her murder. For Torres, the guilty plea wasn't the ending. It was permission to start. His wrongful death lawsuit names Heuermann, ex-wife Asa Ellerup, and their daughter Victoria. The complaint alleges the two women knew about or concealed the crimes, had access to a secured vault-like room in the basement of the Massapequa Park home, and collected over a million dollars from a Peacock documentary. Attorney John Ray has argued publicly that unawareness is implausible in a house of roughly 1,300 square feet. Hair evidence linked to both women was recovered from victims' remains. The defense has called the suit reckless. Victoria was approximately three when Mack was killed. Prosecutors maintain Heuermann acted alone and timed the killings for when the family was away. Neither woman has been charged. Asa called Heuermann her savior and maintained she would have known if something was wrong. Victoria sat in the courtroom during the plea and has publicly…

People in this episode

Guest: Benjamin Torres

Topics covered

• wrongful death lawsuit
• murder case
• family dynamics
• psychology of denial
• true crime
• legal proceedings

Keywords

• Valerie Mack
• Rex Heuermann
• wrongful death
• Asa Ellerup
• Victoria
• John Ray
• psychology
• true crime
• murder

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Peacock

Places: Manorville, Massapequa Park

More episodes of The Gilgo Beach Murders: The Case Against Rex Heuermann

• Asa Ellerup Defended Rex Heuermann for 27 Years — Then He Told Her Where He Killed Them · May 14, 2026 · 15 min
• Rex Heuermann's Family Heard Every Detail and Still Went Home · May 9, 2026 · 1h 20m
• Rex Heuermann Confession: Family Reacts to Gilgo Beach Killer · April 30, 2026 · 1h 2m
• John Douglas on Rex Heuermann: More Gilgo Beach Victims? · April 30, 2026 · 19 min
• Rex Heuermann's Confession to Victoria: Gilgo Beach Revealed · April 30, 2026 · 19 min
• Rex Heuermann Controlled Asa Ellerup: Gilgo Beach Killer Psychology · April 30, 2026 · 24 min