Pennsylvania Woman Sentenced To 2 Consecutive Life Sentences For The 2021 Murder Of Her Father & His Girlfriend
Saturday, May 11, 2024, 6:00 A.M. ET. By George Petruska: Englebrook Independent News,
TOMS RIVER, NJ.- On Friday, May 10, 2024, a 57-year-old Landenberg, Pennsylvania woman, who was convicted on charges for driving from Pennsylvania to New Jersey in 2021, and then stabbing and shooting her 87-year-old father and his 75-year-old girlfriend to death inside his Surf City home.
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, on Friday, Sherry Lee Hefferman, 57, of Landenberg, Pennsylvania appeared in Ocean County Superior Court and was sentenced by the Honorable Kimarie Rahill, J.S.C. to two consecutive life sentences in New Jersey State Prison in connection with the murders of John Enders, 87, of Surf City, New Jersey, and Francois Pitoy, 75, of Manchester, New Jersey, on or about September 29, 2021.
Following a four-week trial, on March 1, 2024, an Ocean County jury found Ms. Hefferman guilty of murder and multiple weapons offenses.
The conviction and sentence stem from an investigation that unfolded when on October 3, 2021, members of the Surf City Police Department responded to a residence on North 7th Street in Surf City to conduct a welfare check on the residents.
Upon arrival, Police Officers entered the home and discovered the bodies of John Enders, 87, and Francoise Pitoy, 75, apparently who had been dead for a couple of days. A subsequent autopsy performed by the Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office on October 4, 2021, determined the cause of Mr. Enders' death to be multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma, and the manner of death ruled homicide. On October 5, 2021, the Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy on Ms. Pitoy and determined the cause of death to be multiple stab wounds and a gunshot wound to her face, and the manner to also be a homicide.
Following the determination of a gunshot wound to Ms. Pitoy's face, the Medical Examiner performed an additional examination on Mr. Enders and discovered a gunshot wound to his face.
A swift-moving investigation by Ocean County Authorities quickly determined Ms. Hefferman, Mr. Enders' daughter as the suspect and the individual responsible for the deaths of Mr. Enders and Ms. Pitoy.
On October 4, 2021, Ms. Hefferman was taken into custody by Pennsylvania State Troopers at her Landenberg, Pennsylvania residence. On October 20, 2021, Ms. Hefferman was returned to New Jersey and was lodged in the Ocean County Jail where she has remained since that date.
"This defendant will spend the rest of her life in prison. This is an appropriate sentence and we are hopeful that this brings some measure of closure to the family and friends of John and Francois," Prosecutor Billhimer stated.
FILED UNDER: MAY 11, 2024: LAW, LOCAL, OCEAN: