Woman Charged In Father's Murder Was Cut From Will: Affidavit

SURF CITY, NJ — A Pennsylvania woman charged with murdering her father and his girlfriend in a Surf City home had been cut out of his will, according to documents filed in court.

Sherry Lee Heffernan, 55, of Landenberg, was charged with two counts of murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon in connection with the killings of her father, John Enders, 87, and his girlfriend Francoise Pitoy, 75, of Manchester.

Police found the couple dead in Enders' home on North 7th Street on Sunday with multiple stab wounds, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Heffernan was apprehended Monday at her Pennsylvania home and charged on Tuesday.

In the complaint against Heffernan, a friend of Enders and Pitoy told police about several comments Enders told him that Heffernan made.

Heffernan, a real estate agent, told her father she wanted to be the broker on her father’s home, and became “disgruntled” when Enders did not let her sell his house, according to an affidavit of probable cause. The bayfront home on North 7th Street is currently listed for sale for $1.9 million.

They told Surf City Police Detective Sgt. Victor Rice that Enders had amended his living will within the last month, and Heffernan and his other daughter were not included. The person said Heffernan owned an RV, which they believed was a 28-foot Winnebago, Rice wrote in the affidavit.

Surveillance camera footage on the Route 72 Bridge showed a white RV similar to the one described by the friend heading east toward Long Beach Island on Sept. 29 at 4:48 p.m., according to the affidavit.

Ten minutes later, footage from a Ring doorbell showed an RV park near Enders’ home at North 7th Street. The RV left the street about an hour later with its headlights off. The same camera also captured an individual walking on 7th Street.

At 6:42 a.m., a camera captures a person hopping a backyard fence near Enders’ home while holding an orange bag and wearing clothes that were “too large for them.” Based upon the height of the fence, detectives determined the suspect was likely 5' 8", which is the height listed on Heffernan’s driver's license, according to the affidavit.

Sixteen minutes later, a surveillance camera on the bridge showed the RV heading west over the bridge as it left Long Beach Island, police said.

Police arrived at the home Sunday to conduct a welfare check requested by a relative of Pitoy’s, according to the affidavit. Upon arrival, police went to the back of the residence in an attempt to make contact with the residents. From the outside of the home, officers observed through a window what appeared to be a deceased man.

After entering the home, they found both victims, dead of apparent stab wounds. Police found bloody foot and shoe prints in the home and a discarded rubber glove on the stairs, the affidavit said.

Blood stains were also found on cabinets, draws and door knobs in the home, as well as a fence post near where the person was captured on surveillance footage.

On Monday, police went to Heffernan’s home in Chester County, Pennsylvania on a warrant for her arrest. A Winnebago was parked at the home, according to the affidavit.

After executing a search warrant on the Winnebago, Pennsylvania State Police detectives found “numerous spots of red staining on the carpet, appearing to be consistent with dried blood,” Rice wrote.

Detectives interviewed a family member from the home who said Heffernan left the house to visit her father on Long Beach Island the previous week, describing the trip as a “midnight dash,” the affidavit said.

“I can’t believe she did this,” the person told police, adding that Heffernan was the only one who drove the RV in the last two weeks. The person said they and Heffernan believe Pitoy is the reason that Enders was selling the home and that she was after his money, Rice wrote.

On Monday, Heffernan was taken into custody by the Pennsylvania State Police at her residence and lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.

Keep up to date with what's happening in your community by subscribing to your local Patch newsletter here.