Pennsylvania woman accused of murdering father, his girlfriend on LBI indicted

SURF CITY – The Pennsylvania woman accused of murdering her father and his girlfriend at a Long Beach Island home in October has been indicted on murder and weapons charges, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimmer said.

Sherry Lee Heffernan, 55, of Landenberg, Pa., was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday on two counts of first-degree murder and four weapons charges for the gun and knife she allegedly used, the Prosecutor’s Office said.

Police were conducting a welfare check at the North Seventh Street house on Oct. 3 when they discovered the bodies of John Enders, 87, and Francoise Pitoy, 75, officials said.

Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

Heffernan was arrested at her Pennsylvania residence one day later.

A neighbor who was friends with the couple told police Heffernan regularly had disagreements with her father and that she was not included in his will after it was amended last month, according to an affidavit of probable cause. The neighbor added that Heffernan is a real estate agent, and Enders chose a different agent to sell his house, which had a pending sale at a price of $1,999,000.

How we got here: Pennsylvania woman charged in fatal stabbings of father and his girlfriend at LBI home

After detectives obtained surveillance footage of Heffernan’s 2003 Ford Winnebago RV traveling to and from Long Beach Island and parking outside her father’s North Seventh Street residence during the early morning hours of September 29, Pennsylvania State Police interviewed her son, who revealed more details about the family conflict and his mother’s plot, according to the affidavit.

He told authorities that he and his mother thought Pitoy was a “gold digger” and suspected that was the reason Enders was selling the house, the affidavit states. He then said that his mom traveled to LBI in her RV either the previous Tuesday or Wednesday and had been staying up late every night because she was thinking about how she “needed to get something done,” per the document.

After obtaining a search warrant for Heffernan’s RV, detectives found dried blood on the carpet of the vehicle before getting an arrest warrant and apprehending her.

At her detention hearing on Nov. 3, assistant Ocean County prosecutor Lynn Juan said that bloody fingerprints and footprints left at the scene had been matched back to Heffernan.

More: Daughter in LBI double homicide was removed from father’s will, court documents say

Investigators also found a 9mm bullet with a head stamp that matched a shell casing found at the scene of the murders, Juan said.

Juan added that Heffernan could face life sentences for each of the murder charges.

At the hearing, Heffernan’s public defender argued against the state’s theory that her motive was money, stating that she “has assets” and was a successful businesswoman before becoming disabled in 2013.

All of Enders’ assets will be sold and invested in a trust to benefit his grandson, according to the will.

In the will, the grandson is also directed to distribute particular items and tangible property “to and among friends and family as he, in his sole discretion, thinks appropriate.”

Heffernan was extradited to New Jersey on October 20 and has since been held at the Ocean County Jail.

Nicolas Fernandes is the early morning breaking news reporter. A lifelong New Jersey resident, he has previously worked as a features writer and sports reporter. Contact him at 732-540-4401 or nfernandes@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Long Beach Island double homicide: Accused Pennsylvania woman indicted