A Pennsylvania woman has been sentenced to two life sentences in prison for brutally murdering her father and his girlfriend.
Sherry Lee Heffernan, 57, was found guilty after a four week trial in February of two counts of murder and weapons charges over the deaths of her father John "Jack" Enders, 87, and his girlfriend, Francoise "Frenchy'' Pitoy, 75, in Long Beach Island, New Jersey on September 29, 2021.
Heffernan was taken into custody on October 4 after her estranged father's girlfriend's relatives asked local police to perform a wellness check on Enders' home, after which both he and his girlfriend were found with multiple stab wounds, and both had been shot in the face.
At the time, authorities claimed Heffernan's motive was that her father had cut her out of his will.
Per Asbury Park Press, she drove from Pennsylvania to her father's six-bedroom home in Surf City, and began a "stabbing rampage" while they were sleeping around 5am; she stabbed her father 51 times, and his girlfriend was stabbed 39 times.
During her sentencing, Heffernan continued to maintain her innocence, telling the judge, through tears: "I really wish I was the one who was killed, that I was the one who died," and: "This is horrible pain."
"It's horrible to lose people you love and then be blamed for it," she continued, adding: "They were priceless people, both my dad and Francoise… I will forever miss them. That's all I can say. Just sad."
MORE: Pauley Perrette left 'in shock' as she mourns loss of Sam Rubin and relives NCIS days
Enders' grandson, Heffernan's nephew Andrew Vero, was in attendance during the sentencing as well as during the trial, and per APP, speaking of the emotional anguish his grandfather must have suffered in addition to the physical pain, said: "This was his daughter, a daughter he adored, someone he loved 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."
Vero, who was tuning in virtually from West Virginia, noted that he couldn't attend in person as his wife was due to give birth soon to their second child, a girl.
"How am I supposed to feel about this?" he said. "I saw how much Pop loved his daughter… He loved her, and this is what happens to someone who loves and treats his daughter as well as he did?"
"Will this now happen to me and my wife in the future, no matter how much we love and care for our kids?" he wondered. "Could they do this to us? I should never have to think these things.''