Daughter Shot Dad, Girlfriend Over Will In Jersey Shore Double Murder: Police

SURF CITY, NJ — A Pennsylvania woman charged with murdering her father and his girlfriend in their Surf City home is now being charged for possessing a handgun, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced Wednesday.

Sherry Lee Heffernan, 55, of Landenberg was previously charged on Oct. 5 with two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of John Enders, 87, of Surf City, and Francoise Pitoy, 75, of Manchester. She was also charged on that date with possession of a weapon, specifically a knife, for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Police found the couple dead in Enders' home on North 7th Street two days earlier on Oct. 3 with multiple stab wounds, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

On Oct. 4, the Ocean County Medical Examiner performed a post-mortem examination of Enders and determined the cause of his death to be multiple stab wounds with severance of the right carotid artery and blunt force trauma; the manner of death was ruled to be a homicide.

A post-mortem examination of Pitoy performed on Oct. 5 determined the cause of her death to be multiple stab wounds and a gunshot wound to the face; the manner of her death was likewise ruled a homicide, Billhimer said.

Based upon the gunshot wound to Pitoy, the medical examiner performed an additional examination of Enders and found that he had also suffered a gunshot wound to the face.

“The discovery of additional evidence demonstrating that Heffernan used a handgun in the commission of this crime – in addition to a knife - precipitated the filing of these additional weapons charges,” Billhimer said Wednesday.

On Oct. 4, Heffernan was taken into custody by the Pennsylvania State Police at her residence in Landenberg. Heffernan was returned to New Jersey and served with the new weapons charges on Wednesday.

She is currently lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.

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