Life in prison for a PA woman who killed her father and girlfriend in Surf City

SURF CITY, NJ – A Pennsylvania woman has been sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the 2021 murders of her father and his romantic partner, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday.

Sherry Lee Heffernan, 57, of Landenberg, Pennsylvania, was convicted March 1 of the murders of John Enders and Francoise Pitoy after a nearly four-week jury trial, prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

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“This defendant will spend the rest of her life in prison. “This is an appropriate sentence and we hope it brings some closure to the family and friends of John and Francois,” Billhimer said.

A jury found Heffernan guilty of killing Enders and Pitoy with a knife and a pistol, Billhimer said. She was also found guilty of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon of both a knife and a gun.

Surf City police conducted a wellness check at a home on North 7th Street on Oct. 3, 2021, Billhimer said. The bodies of Enders, 87, of Surf City, and Pitoy, 75, of Manchester, were discovered and both were already dead.

An autopsy revealed that Enders’ cause of death was multiple stab wounds severing the right carotid artery and blunt force trauma; The manner of death was ruled a homicide. Officials determined that Pitoy’s cause of death was multiple stab wounds and a gunshot wound to the face; The manner of her death was also ruled a homicide.

Pitoy’s gunshot wound prompted examiners to take another look at Enders, where a gunshot wound was also found in his face, Billhimer said.

The investigation revealed that Enders, the owner of the Surf City home, and Pitoy had a relationship and she regularly stayed at his home, Billhimer said. The investigation also determined that Heffernan, Enders’ daughter, was responsible for the deaths of Enders and Pitoy, Billhimer said.

Heffernan was taken into custody at her home in Landensburg, Pennsylvania on October 4, 2021 and was transported to the Ocean County Jail on October 20, where she has remained since.