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Sherry Lee Heffernan, 57, of Landenberg, PA, received two life sentences on Friday, May 10, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced in a news release. After a four-week trial, a jury found her guilty of two murder charges on Friday, Mar. 1.
Prosecutors said Heffernan killed 87-year-old John Enders of Surf City and 75-year-old Francoise Pitoy of Manchester back in September 2021.
"This defendant will spend the rest of her life in prison," Billhimer said in a statement. "This is an appropriate sentence and we are hopeful that this brings some measure of closure to the family and friends of John and Francois."
Surf City police conducted a wellness check at a home on North Seventh Street at around 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. Officers found the bodies of Enders and Pitoy, who were believed to have been killed around Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021.
The Ocean County Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Enders on Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. His death was ruled a homicide from several stab wounds to his neck and blunt force trauma.
Pitoy's autopsy was performed on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, and her death was also ruled a homicide from several stab wounds and a gunshot wound to the face. Further examination of Enders showed he was also shot in the face.
Investigators said Enders and Pitoy were dating. The couple regularly stayed at the Surf City home, which Enders owned.
According to NJ Advance Media, an affidavit said Heffernan was "disgruntled" that her father would not allow her to sell the home on the Manahawkin Bay waterfront. It was eventually sold in January 2022 for $1.7 million, according to a Zillow listing.
NJ Advance Media also reported Enders had removed Heffernan and her estranged sister from his will. A family member in Heffernan's home said Heffernan suspected Pitoy was motivating Enders to sell the home and she thought Pitoy was after her father's money.
Pennsylvania State Police arrested Heffernan at her Landenberg home on Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. She was extradited to New Jersey on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, and was held at the Ocean County Jail through her trial.
Heffernan was also found guilty of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (gun), unlawful possession of a weapon (gun), possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (knife), and unlawful possession of a weapon (knife).
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