TOMS RIVER, NEW JERSEY — Sherry Lee Heffernan, a 57-year-old woman from Landenberg, Pennsylvania, has been found guilty of two counts of murder, along with several weapons charges, by an Ocean County jury. The verdict, delivered after a nearly four-week trial under Judge Kimarie Rahill, J.S.C., pertains to the 2021 murders of John Enders, 87, of Surf City, and Francoise Pitoy, 75, of Manchester.
The trial concluded that Heffernan purposefully or knowingly caused the deaths of Enders and Pitoy, using both a handgun and a knife in the commission of the crimes. Scheduled for sentencing on May 10, 2024, Heffernan faces life imprisonment.
The investigation was prompted by a welfare check conducted by the Surf City Police Department on October 3, 2021, leading to the discovery of the victims. The Ocean County Medical Examiner’s examination revealed the causes of death to be multiple stab wounds, a severed carotid artery, blunt force trauma, and gunshot wounds to the face for both victims. The manner of death for both was ruled a homicide.
Further investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Surf City Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit identified Heffernan, Enders’ daughter, as responsible for the murders. The motive was not disclosed in the announcement.
The Pennsylvania State Police apprehended Heffernan on October 4, 2021, and has been detained at the Ocean County Jail since her extradition to New Jersey on October 20, 2021. The case has highlighted the tragic end of a relationship and a domestic scenario, culminating in a legal resolution nearly two and a half years later.