In the quiet early morning hours in Willingboro, New Jersey, a horrifying event shattered the peace of a neighborhood. Inside her home on Harrington Circle, 33-year-old Catherine Nunez, a dedicated mother, found her life tragically cut short. On Wednesday, October 30, 2024, she and her 54-year-old mother, Marisol Nunez, were shot and killed in what authorities have described as a home invasion.
The preliminary investigation suggests that an intruder broke into the residence by smashing a first-floor window. It was from within the house that Catherine Nunez made a desperate call to 911, reporting that someone was trying to break in.
When police arrived at the scene just after 4 a.m., they discovered the bodies of Catherine and her mother in an upstairs bedroom. Both women were pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds. Tragically, Catherine's 8-year-old son was present in the home at the time of the killings but was physically unharmed. A neighbor later recounted the harrowing detail that the young boy was hiding under a bed when his mother and grandmother were killed. A handgun, believed to be the weapon used in the homicides, was later found outside the residence.
The investigation quickly led to a suspect: Junior Edwards, a 37-year-old from Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, and the father of Catherine's son. Authorities do not believe the attack was a random act. Edwards was arrested and is facing a litany of charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, home invasion burglary while armed with a firearm, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and endangering the welfare of a child. At the time of being charged for the murders, Edwards was already in custody in Philadelphia on unrelated charges.
Family, friends, and community members gathered for a vigil outside the home to remember Catherine and Marisol, who were described by a family member as 'the epitome of goodness' and 'beautiful souls.' Catherine's boyfriend remembered her as a great mother who loved her son and was always doing everything for him. The community mourned the loss of the two women while grappling with the violence that took their lives.
