Surf City, NJ – Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced the sentencing of Sherry Lee Heffernan, 57, to two consecutive life sentences in the deaths of John Enders and Francois Pitoy on September 29, 2021. Heffernan was found guilty on March 1, 2024, after a four-week trial before Judge Kimarie Rahill.
Sherry Lee Heffernan, a 57-year-old realtor from Landenberg, Pennsylvania, has been convicted of the murders of her father, John Enders, 87, and his girlfriend, Francoise Pitoy, 75. The tragic event unfolded in Enders’ Surf City home, where both victims were discovered deceased on October 3, 2021, following a wellness check by local police.
The jury found Heffernan guilty on two counts of murder, along with charges related to the unlawful possession and use of a handgun and a knife used in the commission of the crime.
Evidence presented during the trial included Heffernan’s DNA on doorknobs at the crime scene and surveillance footage suggesting her presence at the property around the time of the murders. Heffernan was arrested on October 4, 2021, and has been held at the Ocean County Jail since her extradition to New Jersey later that month.
The conviction concludes a nearly four-week trial, during which forensic analysis confirmed that both victims suffered multiple stab wounds and gunshot wounds to the face. The motivations behind the killings appear to have involved familial and financial disputes, including contention over the ownership and sale of the waterfront property where the murders took place.
Officers discovered the deceased bodies of Enders and Pitoy in their residence on North 7th Street on October 3, 2021. A post-mortem examination revealed Stab wounds, gunshot wounds, and a severed artery were the causes of death in the double homicide. Investigations revealed Heffernan, Enders’ daughter, as the perpetrator of the crimes.