NJ jury convicts PA man in double murder of mother and daughter

⚖️ Jury convicts Pennsylvania man of double murder in Willingboro

⚖️Victim’s young son was hiding in the home during the shooting

⚖️Defendant faces 60 years to life in prison at sentencing

A 39-year-old Pennsylvania man has been convicted of double murder in Burlington County for breaking into a Willingboro home and gunning down two women — the mother and grandmother of his child.

After deliberating for a total of six hours over two days, a Burlington County jury found Junior Edwards guilty of two counts of murder, armed home invasion burglary and child endangerment for the violent attack on Oct. 30, 2024.

Edwards is a resident of Lansdowne, which is just six miles from center city Philadelphia.

Child hid as mother and grandmother were killed

An 8-year-old boy was hiding in the home as his mother and grandmother, 33-year-old Catherine Nunez and 54-year-old Marisol Nunez were killed, according to prosecutors.

Willingboro police responded after 4 a.m. to a report of a burglary at a house in the Hawthorne Park section.

Officers found the women’s bodies, each shot multiple times in an upstairs bedroom.

“Their lives were taken from us but their footprints will not be forgotten. Allow this to be a ceremony of not goodbye but see you later,” a Facebook memorial said, shared by the brother and uncle of the victims, Wilson Nunez.

A wake and funeral mass were held for Catherine and Marisol in Brooklyn, New York, where they have many surviving relatives and loved ones.

Read More: Toms River man, 42, gets 60 years in prison for double murder

Edwards faces decades behind bars

The trial began in late February in Burlington County Superior Court.

In addition to the other charges, Edwards was also convicted of two counts of unlawful weapons possession.

In New Jersey, the minimum sentence for a single conviction of first-degree murder is 30 years in state prison without parole.

For two such counts, terms are often ordered to run back to back, which could mean a mandatory minimum of 60 years without parole — with a maximum of life in prison.

Sentencing for Edwards was set for May 22.