Two months later, only more questions in Sheridans' deaths

The two windows that once offered a view into the master bedroom at the Sheridan household in Montgomery Township's Skillman section remain boarded up. The gaping hole in the roof of the two-story yellow house on Meadow Run Drive has been repaired.

Two months after the violent deaths of John and Joyce Sheridan, there are few answers in the mysterious and perplexing end of a couple connected to the state's politically powerful.

The Sheridans - John, CEO of the Cooper Health System, and Joyce, a retired history teacher - were pronounced dead early Sept. 28 after first responders pulled the unconscious pair from a fire in the second-floor bedroom. A neighbor called 911 to report the fire shortly before 6:15 a.m.

In the eight weeks since, the investigation into the deaths has largely been shrouded in secrecy.

"It's just such a strange overall thing," said Peter Driscoll, a Cooper Health System trustee emeritus and a senior member of the Haddonfield law firm Archer & Greiner. "It's just so beyond anything I can imagine."

Information has slowly leaked out through public documents and sources familiar with the probe, two of whom confirmed to The Inquirer that the Sheridans had been repeatedly stabbed.

Joyce Sheridan's brother, Peter Mitchko, remains in pursuit of answers about her killing, which Mitchko said was described as "savage." Her death has been ruled a homicide, according to a death certificate The Inquirer obtained this week. The cause of death on John Sheridan's death certificate was "pending investigation."

The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office has not publicly released the cause or manner of the Sheridans' deaths, continually citing the ongoing investigation. The Attorney General's Office said that because of the complexity of the case, it had recently deployed a team of lawyers, investigators, and state police detectives to assist in the probe.

Authorities have said that the fire was set and was confined to the bedroom, and that there was no threat to the community. No information has been provided about who set the fire.

The lack of information has frustrated family and friends and rattled some residents in the neighborhood where the Sheridans lived for more than 30 years and raised four sons.

"When you're in such a quiet, calm, peaceful neighborhood and a tragedy like this happens and not all the pieces necessarily appear to fit, yeah, that's probably a cause for concern," said neighbor John Forma, 43. "We probably have more questions now than we did initially."

Experts, including former prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys not involved in the Sheridan probe, say the trickle of information is not unusual in such a high-profile and complex case.

"I think they're being thorough and deliberate. I don't think at two months it would be unusual," said former Burlington County Prosecutor Stephen G. Raymond, now in private practice.

"There may be legitimate reasons that they are not releasing more information," said Raymond, who has no involvement in the case.

The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office has said it was awaiting laboratory analyses, before releasing its findings. That could mean additional weeks or even months. A spokesman declined to comment for this article.

A fatal arson investigation would likely include toxicology tests to determine whether the victims ingested alcohol or drugs and, if so, whether it was voluntary, experts say.

Investigators are likely testing any evidence found in the room. That may include blood splatter, DNA, fingerprints, or property that could help explain how the fire spread.

"The real problem in a case like this is people want an answer," said former Union County prosecutor Theodore Romankow. "People have to understand it just takes time. If you speculate, you can be dead wrong."

A source familiar with the investigation - who, like all others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation - said Joyce Sheridan was repeatedly stabbed in the upper body and chest. Her death certificate does not list a cause of death.

Mitchko, who was provided information by his nephews early in the investigation, said his sister was found on the floor with stab wounds to the head and one to the chest.

John Sheridan was found under a large armoire and had been stabbed in the neck; his jugular may have been slashed, according to a source. He was also stabbed on one side, the source said. Mitchko, 72, said that his brother-in-law's wounds were largely on the right side and that he had also suffered broken ribs.

"It was obvious it was a violent scene," said Raymond. "I would tend to think because of the violence that it was more personal than robbery."

Moorestown attorney Glenn Zeitz, who also has no role in the case, said it appeared that investigators, out of an abundance of caution, may have avoided ruling on the manner of John Sheridan's death.

"You don't want a rush to judgment and make a mistake," Zeitz said.

Authorities have said the couple's sons, Mark, Matthew, Dan, and Tim, had no involvement in the deaths. The family is working with Michael Baden, a nationally known pathologist.

They have also said Matthew Sheridan's arrest at his parents' house for alleged possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia hours after the fire was unrelated to the deaths.

Tom Wilson, a Sheridan family spokesman, declined to comment. The sons, in a statement last week, said, in part: "From the beginning we have said that no one wants answers about our parents' deaths more than us. Real answers will only come after a full and thorough investigation."

The deaths of the couple, who were well-known in political circles, stunned friends and colleagues. John Sheridan, a former state transportation commissioner, had a career spanning 40 years in state government, law, and health care. Joyce Sheridan was retired from the South Brunswick School District.

Gasoline was used to set the fire in the bedroom, and a gas can, usually kept in the garage, was found in the bedroom, two sources said.

Two knives were recovered, and one was believed to have been used to inflict the wounds on both Sheridans, one of the sources said. It is believed a third weapon, which has not been recovered, caused the wounds on John Sheridan's neck and side, the source said.

That weapon could be one of the "complexities," cited by authorities, said Warren Faulk, a former Camden County prosecutor, who also has no involvement in the case.

"At this point, it seems whatever they're focusing on has to do with the death and/or involvement of the husband," Faulk said.

Though speculation has swirled that the case may be a murder-suicide, that has remained "inconceivable" for Mitchko, a retired government bank examiner who lives in Florida. He believes an intruder or intruders are to blame.

Mitchko last saw the Sheridans while visiting New Jersey over the summer, he said, and the couple showed no signs of distress.

"Joyce, she was a wonderful girl," he said.

Mitchko, his sister, and two other siblings were raised in Lincoln Park, Morris County, he said. He remembered Joyce for her great sense of humor and passion for teaching, following in the footsteps of her mother. When she became a grandmother, he said, it "was a big milestone in her life."

Mitchko said he had made repeated unsuccessful attempts to obtain the findings of the state medical examiner regarding his sister's death. He said he had not received any updates from the Sheridans' sons in several weeks. He said he had a number of questions about the deaths.

The first: "What happened . . . in the room and why?"