A Pennsylvania woman is facing life in prison after being found guilty of killing her father and his girlfriend over two years ago in New Jersey because she was angry over being left out of his will, authorities say.
On Friday, following a four-week trial, a jury found Sherry Heffernan, 57, of Landenberg, guilty of two counts of murder and weapons charges in connection with the deaths of her father, John Enders, 87, and his girlfriend, Francoise Pitoy, 75, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said in a release.
She was also convicted of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose for using a handgun and a knife in the commission of the murders, the prosecutor's office said. Heffernan's sentencing has been scheduled for May 10.
Enders, Pitoy were Found Dead at Their Home During Welfare Check
The grisly murders came to light on Oct. 3, 2021, when Pitoy's relatives asked police to perform a welfare check at Enders' waterfront home in Surf City on Long Beach Island because they'd been unable to reach her for several days, the prosecutor's office said in 2021.
There, they found the bodies of Enders, of Surf City, and Pitoy, of Manchester. Both victims died from multiple stab wounds and had both been shot in the face, the prosecutor's office said.
Enders had also suffered blunt force trauma, the prosecutor's office said. Inside the spacious six-bedroom home, investigators found bloody footprints and a bloody glove, according to an affidavit of probable cause from the prosecutor's office, PennLive reports.
Investigators Found Heffernan was Left Out of Their Father's Will, Couldn't List Beach Property for Sale
Detectives found surveillance footage showing someone going into and coming out of the house in the early morning hours of Sept. 29, 2021, when authorities say the murders took place, court records show. The footage also showed that person driving a large RV to the area, the court records show, which authorities learned belonged to Heffernan.
Interviews with neighbors and relatives revealed that Heffernan and her sister had recently been removed from her father's will, according to an affidavit written by Surf City Police Detective Sgt. Victor Rice, NJ.com reports.
Enders, who argued frequently with Heffernan and was estranged from her sister, also did not allow Heffernan, a realtor, list the beach home for sale, court records show. The home was ultimately sold for 1.7 million in Jan. 2022, according to Zillow.
Heffernan Claimed She was 'Being Framed'
On October 4, 2021, Heffernan was taken into custody by the Pennsylvania State Police at her home in Landenberg. She pleaded not guilty at the time and said she was "being framed."
During the trial, her lawyers argued that prosecutors had no evidence that she was driving the RV that morning, the Asbury Park Press reports.
However, prosecutors cited evidence tracking the vehicle and Heffernan's cellphone along that route, as well as three footprints identified as hers on blood-stained areas of the home's kitchen floor.
