NewsNation’s Nicole Berlie explored an enormous moral catch 22 situation in a up to date phase: how relations of alleged murderers generate income via promoting the rights to their stories.

On Friday, Berlie spoke with NewsNation senior story editor and contributor Paula Froelich about the $1 million deal signed with the aid of the household of alleged Gilgo Seaside serial killer Rex Heurmann to make a docuseries for Peacock. Heurmann’s wife, Asa Ellerup, filed for divorce days after her husband was once arrested for the murders of three sex employees, and there was no evidence that she had any involvement. But Ellerup and the 2 adult kids she shares with Heurmann are actually going through financial destroy, unable to search out work as a result of the stigma attached to their name, and in consequence have resorted to handing their lives over to the authentic crime entertainment business.

Ellerup has now not spoken to the media given that Heurmann’s arrest, and it’s as a result of she signed this exclusive manage Peacock. She was once viewed getting into court docket final week with a digital camera crew, which Froelich said can be perceived as “distasteful,” however she defined to Berlie what that side of the story in reality seems like:

[I]f we reach into our bag of empathy, we now have to remember the fact that Asa and her children had nothing to do with this. They declare, and I imagine them, that they had no concept what Rex used to be doing. They had been out of town when he used to be committing all these murderous acts, allegedly. And so then, all of a sudden, it comes out, he’s arrested. Her daughter, Victoria, worked with him at the structure agency. That’s now kaput. And her son [Christopher] obtained fired, and she will be able to’t work. And so long as they have got the identical closing identify, they’ll never work again. In order that they want to pay the bills.

Froelich additionally stated in a separate article that legal professionals for Ellerup and her two youngsters additionally signed deals with Peacock and described the manage Peacock as a “closing inn” for the family.

There are state laws, often called “Son of Sam” rules, that forestall criminals (and alleged criminals) from profiting off of their notoriety. It originated in New York when serial killer David Berkowitz, aka the “Son of Sam,” used to be suspected of trying to sell the rights to his personal story and earn a living. In the case of Heurmann’s family, the cash shouldn’t be going to Heurmann, and his household will not be suspected of getting had any involvement in his crimes.

Rex Heurmann has pleaded now not guilty to the murders of Amber Lynn Costello, Melissa Barthelemy, and Megan Waterman. He is the primary suspect in the homicide of Maureen Brainerd-Barnes.

Watch the video above by way of NewsNation.

The put up Family of Alleged Gilgo Seashore Serial Killer Makes $1M Deal With Peacock For Docuseries first seemed on Mediaite.