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People Magazine Investigates season 8 episode 9 was released on December 16, 2024, on Investigation Discovery. The episode delved deep into the murders of an elderly couple, John Enders and Francoise Pitoy. They were brutally killed in John's house on the morning of September 29, 2021.
However, the murders went unnoticed for a few days until Pitoy's family members contacted local authorities after being unable to get in touch with her. Emergency responders from 911 reached the couple's house in Long Beach Island, New Jersey and found their bodies in a gruesome condition.
As investigators began looking into their deaths, they found CCTV tapes showing a shadowy figure sneaking into the residence. The search behind the culprit, made the team confront some darker truths, which was shown on the latest episode of People Magazine Investigates.
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Titled Knives Out, episode 9 of season 8 of People Magazine Investigates was released on Investigation Discovery on December 16, 2024. The latest episode as well as all the other episodes of People Magazine Investigates are available for streaming on Max.
What is the story behind the murder in People Magazine Investigates' Knives Out?
Investigators reached John Enders' house on North 7th Street in Surf City in New Jersey on October 3, 2021, to find the bodies of John and Francoise. The bodies were in a state of decomposition, showing authorities that they had been there for at least a few days. While John was found sitting on a recliner chair, his partner, Francoise was on the landing on the stairs.
Both John and Francoise were shot in their faces and stabbed multiple times with John having 51 stab wounds across his body and Francoise with 36 stab wounds. As per a People article, Michael Weatherstone, an executive assistant prosecutor in Ocean County, N.J., visited every single house on the block, inquiring about the victims' pasts.
The investigators found crucial evidence in the CCTV records
The People Magazine Investigates episode showed that during their checks of the neighbors, investigators learned that John had CCTV cameras around his property, People Executive Editor Nick Maslow said that the team went to check the surveillance footage on the $ 1.7 million waterfront home.
Maslow said that they watched the video for September 29, 2021, and the first thing they noticed was a person leaving the house before 7 am. He said that the person was seen wearing a blue rain jacket with its hood up along with gloves and "bluish rain pants." The person exited Enders' house from the back door.
What did the autopsy reports say about the victims of People Magazine Investigates' Knives Out?
John Enders' autopsy results showed that he was stabbed multiple times, including once in the carotid artery, which was likely the cause of his death. His partner, meanwhile suffered blunt-force trauma that led to her death. The murderer had repeatedly forced hits around the face and neck, leading to her death.
The murderer in People Magazine Investigates' Knives Out was John Enders' daughter
Sherry Lee Heffernan was John Enders' 55-year-old daughter, who was suspected of the murder. Ocean County prosecutors revealed that Sherry Lee Heffernan was extremely angry with her father, for cutting her off from the will.
Heffernan, who was a real estate agent, wanted to sell Enders' home but was restricted from doing so. This is believed to have been the main reason Heffernan killed her father and his partner.
People Magazine Investigates shows Sherry Lee Heffernan sentenced to lifetime imprisonment
The Pennsylvania State Police arrested Sherry Lee Heffernan, from her home in Chester County, Pennsylvania. A New Jersey courtroom sentenced Sherry Lee Feffernan to two life sentences, for the murder of John Enders and Francoise Pitoy.
Heffernan tried to claim her innocence in the jury, claiming that she had been framed. In an article in Asbury Park Press, Heffernan said that it was "horrible to lose the people you love and then be blamed for it."
"I really wish I was the one who was killed, that I was the one who died. This is horrible pain..." she said.
Andrew Vero, the son of the People Magazine Investigates episode's culprit and John Ender's grandson reflected on the murder of his grandfather. He said that the victims have not only suffered physical pain but also mental anguish. Vero attended the trial and said his grandfather loved his daughter unconditionally.
"I hate the idea that this wonderful man died trying to stop the onslaught of stabs, knowing that his little girl grew up to be the monster in front of him," he said.
During Sherry Lee Heffernan's sentencing, Vero appeared virtually in the jury and reflected on his grief of losing two family members.
Sherry Lee Heffernan was placed before Superior Court Judge Kimarie Rahill, for the double homicide of John Enders and his girlfriend Francoise Pitoy.
Check our other articles for more complete case overviews on other episodes in People Magazine Investigates season 8.
