March 1, 2024
TOMS RIVER, NJ (OCEAN)–Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on March 1, 2024, Sherry Lee Heffernan, 57, of Landenberg, Pennsylvania, was found guilty of two counts of Murder in connection with the deaths of John Enders and Francoise Pitoy, following a nearly four week-long jury trial before the Honorable Kimarie Rahill, J.S.C. The murders occurred in Surf City on or about September 29, 2021. In rendering its verdict, the jury concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that Heffernan purposely or knowingly caused the deaths of Mr. Enders and Ms. Pitoy. The jury also found Heffernan guilty of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose – specifically, a handgun, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (handgun), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose – specifically, a knife, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (knife). The jury determined beyond a reasonable doubt that Heffernan was guilty of utilizing a handgun and a knife in the commission of the murders of Mr. Enders and Ms. Pitoy. Heffernan is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Rahill on May 10, 2024, at which time she faces life in prison.
On October 3, 2021, at approximately 4:00 p.m., Officers from the Surf City Police Department responded to a residence on North 7th Street to conduct a welfare check upon the residents. When they arrived, Officers located the bodies of John Enders, 87, of Surf City, and Francoise Pitoy, 75, of Manchester; it was readily apparent that both victims were already deceased. On October 4, 2021, the Ocean County Medical Examiner performed a post-mortem examination of Mr. Enders and determined the cause of his death to be multiple stab wounds with severance of the right carotid artery and blunt force trauma; the manner of death was ruled to be a homicide. A post-mortem examination of Ms. Pitoy performed on October 5, 2021 determined the cause of her death to be multiple stab wounds as well as a gunshot wound to the face; the manner of her death was likewise ruled a homicide. Based upon the gunshot wound to Ms. Pitoy, the Medical Examiner performed an additional examination of Mr. Enders and found that he had also suffered a gunshot wound to the face.
An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Surf City Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, revealed that the victims were involved in a dating relationship, and that Mr. Enders was the primary owner of the residence. Ms. Pitoy stayed with him at the residence regularly. The cooperative investigation ultimately determined that Heffernan – Mr. Enders’ daughter – was responsible for the deaths of both Mr. Enders and Ms. Pitoy.
On October 4, 2021, Heffernan was taken into custody by the Pennsylvania State Police at her residence in Landenberg, Pennsylvania. On October 20, 2021, Heffernan was returned to New Jersey, and has been lodged in the Ocean County Jail since that date.
Prosecutor Billhimer applauds the outstanding efforts of Chief Trial Attorney Michael Weatherstone and Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Kristin Pressman, who ably and skillfully tried the case on behalf of the State. The Prosecutor likewise extends his gratitude to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Intelligence Squad, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Surf City Police Department, Long Beach Township Police Department, Stafford Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office, Ocean County Motor Vehicle Services, Pennsylvania State Police, Collegeville (Pennsylvania) Police Department, Horsham Township (Pennsylvania) Police Department, Montgomery County (Pennsylvania) District Attorney’s Office, Chester County (Pennsylvania) District Attorney’s Office, Maryland State Police, and North East (Maryland) Police Department, for their combined and collective efforts investigating and solving these heinous and senseless crimes – ultimately resulting in today’s guilty verdicts.
Sherry Lee Heffernan, 57, of Landenberg, Pennsylvania, was found guilty of two counts of Murder in connection with the deaths of John Enders and Francoise Pitoy, following a nearly four week-long jury trial before the Honorable Kimarie Rahill, J.S.C. The murders occurred in Surf City on or about September 29, 2021. In rendering its verdict, the jury concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that Heffernan purposely or knowingly caused the deaths of Mr. Enders and Ms. Pitoy. The jury also found Heffernan guilty of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose – specifically, a handgun, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (handgun), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose – specifically, a knife, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (knife). The jury determined beyond a reasonable doubt that Heffernan was guilty of utilizing a handgun and a knife in the commission of the murders of Mr. Enders and Ms. Pitoy. Heffernan is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Rahill on May 10, 2024, at which time she faces life in prison.
Suspicious Deaths In Surf City Being Investigated
March 1, 2024
EWING TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–A fire in the attached garage of a home on Holder Drive was contained and extinguished before it could spread to the rest of the residence this evening (Friday, March 1, 2024).
Ewing firefighters, who were alerted to the blaze at 7:49 p.m., arrived to find flames in the garage. With confirmation of a working fire, mutual aid units from Pennington Borough, Hopewell Township and Trenton were dispatched to the scene to assist.
Two hose lines were put in service and the bulk of the fire was quickly knocked down, with damage reportedly contained to the garage area.
One resident was treated on scene by Ewing EMS for burns to her hands. While the status of a pet lizard was not immediately known, other pets – dogs and cats – escaped the fire unharmed.
The Red Cross was called out to assist residents of the damaged home with temporary shelter. The cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time.
NJ Public Safety News Alerts
March 1, 2024
TOMS RIVER, NJ (OCEAN)–Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on March 1, 2024, Raphael Powell, 38, of Toms River, was sentenced by the Honorable Guy P. Ryan, P.J.Cr.P., to an aggregate term of 25 years New Jersey State Prison (NJSP), having previously been found guilty of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, Being a Certain Person Not to Possess a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of a Handgun with a prior conviction for a No Early Release Act (NERA) Offense, Terroristic Threats, Possession of Hollow Nose Bullets, Possession of a Large Capacity Magazine, and Possession of Fentanyl, all in connection with an incident that occurred in Toms River Township on July 2, 2022. Specifically, Judge Ryan sentenced Powell to 20 years NJSP with a 10-year period of parole ineligibility as to the Handgun Possession charge, and an additional five years NJSP with a 42-month period of parole ineligibility relative to the Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose offense – to run consecutive to the Handgun Possession charge. Additionally, Judge Ryan sentenced Powell to a concurrent five years NJSP with a five-year period of parole ineligibility as to the Certain Person Not to Possess a Firearm charge, concurrent to five years NJSP as to the Terroristic Threats charge, concurrent to 18 months NJSP as to the Possession of Hollow Nose Bullets charge, concurrent to 18 months NJSP as to the Possession of a Large Capacity Magazine charge, concurrent to five years NJSP as to the Possession of Fentanyl charge. In total, Powell will be required to serve at least 13.5 years of his 25-year state prison sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility.
Powell was found guilty of all offenses on January 11, 2023, after a week-long jury trial before Judge Ryan.
On July 2, 2022, at approximately 11:00 p.m., Officers from the Toms River Township Police Department were dispatched to assist a male victim who had just been assaulted. Responding Officers met with the victim, who advised that he was entering a residence on Rory Road when a male approached him and asked him what he was doing in the area. The male suspect then punched the victim in the face and removed a handgun from his waistband. The male suspect brandished the handgun and then threatened to shoot and kill the victim. Another male then appeared at the scene and the victim was able to leave the area.
An investigation conducted by the Toms River Township Police Department determined that Powell was the individual who struck and threatened the victim with the handgun on July 2, 2022. Toms River Township Police Officers located Powell outside of his residence in Toms River in the early morning hours of July 3, 2022, and he was taken into custody without incident. Powell was searched incident to his arrest, and found to be in possession of a stolen handgun loaded with 17 rounds of hollow nose bullets. Powell was also found to be in possession of 30 wax folds of Fentanyl at the time of his arrest. Powell was arrested and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he has remained lodged since July 3, 2022.
Prosecutor Billhimer commends the diligence and dedication of Assistant Prosecutor Kimberly Carr who ably and skillfully tried the case on behalf of the State. The Prosecutor likewise extends his gratitude to the Toms River Township Police Department and Berkeley Township Police Department for their combined and collective efforts in connection with this matter, ultimately leading to Powell’s lengthy state prison sentence.
Photo by EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels.com
March 1, 2024
TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–A Bucks County, Pennsylvania, man made his initial court appearance on charges of producing videos and images depicting child sexual abuse and coercing and enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual conduct, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Gregory J. Barger, 38, of Morrisville, Pennsylvania, was indicted on Feb. 15, 2024, on one count of sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography – and one count of coercion and enticement – online enticement of a minor. Barger had previously been charged by criminal complaint with the production offense. Barger was arraigned On Feb. 28, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court and was detained pending trial.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From Aug. 5, 2020, through April 7, 2022, Barger – a previously convicted, registered sex offender – used an electronic messaging application to communicate with a minor victim located in the United Kingdom. He induced, enticed, and coerced the minor victim to engage in sexual conduct with Barger. In February 2022, Barger traveled to the United Kingdom and produced images and videos of Barger engaged in sexual conduct with the minor victim. Law enforcement later recovered those images and videos from Barger’s cellular phone, which was seized from Barger at the time of his arrest on April 7, 2022, in Hamilton, New Jersey.
Because of Barger’s prior conviction, the charge of production of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 25 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of 50 years in prison, as well as a $250,000 fine. The charge of online enticement of a minor carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, as well as a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso, and members of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Ramey of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
20-077
Defense counsel: Andrea D. Bergman Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Trenton
Arrest photo from “Operation Risky Business” arrest: “Gregory Barger, 37, Morrisville, PA. (Girl, 14) Barger is a self-employed painter and a registered sex offender in Pennsylvania. Charges: Attempted sexual assault, attempted luring, attempted endangering the welfare of a child, attempted kidnapping. MCPO is prosecuting.”
Barger.IndictmentDownload 
March 1, 2024
LAKEWOOD, NJ (OCEAN)–Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer has announced that the decedent at the center of an investigation originating out of Lakewood Township has been identified as David Koscuik, 57, of Lakewood.
On February 28, 2024, at approximately 12:13 p.m., the Lakewood Township Police Department received notification concerning an unconscious male located inside the trunk of a vehicle, parked in the area of Fairway Court in Lakewood Township. Upon responding to the area, Officers located the body of a deceased male.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Lakewood Township Police Department, Manchester Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit are currently investigating this matter.
This investigation remains active and ongoing; there is no known danger to the public, and additional information will be released when it becomes available.
Anyone in possession of information regarding this investigation is urged to contact Detective Olga Brylevskaya of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027, extension 4105, or Detective Austin Letts of the Lakewood Township Police Department at 732-363-0200.
