Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw announced that a 39-year-old Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, man who was convicted of fatally shooting two women after breaking into their home in the Hawthorne Park section of Willingboro Township in October 2024 was sentenced yesterday to two consecutive life terms in state prison.
Junior Edwards was not present in the Mount Holly courtroom when his punishment was handed down by the Hon. Aimee Belgard, P.J.Cr. The judge had him removed earlier in the proceeding due to his disruptive behavior, which included multiple outbursts.
In addition to the life sentences, Edwards also received concurrent terms of 20 years for the burglary charge and 10 years for endangering.
He was convicted earlier this year by a Superior Court jury that deliberated for approximately six hours over a two-day period before finding him guilty of two counts of Murder (First Degree), Home Invasion Burglary Armed with a Firearm (First Degree), Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Second Degree), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Second Degree), and Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Second Degree).
The investigation began just after 4 a.m. on October 30, 2024, when officers from the Willingboro Township Police Department were called to the first block of Harrington Circle for a report of a burglary in progress. Officers discovered the bodies of Catherine Nunez, 33, and her mother, Marisol Nunez, 54, in an upstairs bedroom.
They were pronounced dead at the scene. Autopsies determined they had been shot multiple times. The investigation revealed Edwards and Catherine Nunez shared a son who was eight years old at the time. The child was in the home during the shootings but was not injured.
“There is no sentence that can ever heal the pain created by the loss of Catherine and Marisol Nunez,” Prosecutor Bradshaw said. “But we hope this outcome brings some sense of peace to those who loved them and still hold them close in their hearts.”
Edwards was prosecuted by BCPO Assistant Prosecutors Rachel M. Conte and Kaila Diodati. The investigation was conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Willingboro Township Police Department, with assistance from the FBI Trenton – Greater Safe Streets Task Force, Lansdowne (Pa.) Police Department, and the Philadelphia Police Department Violent Crimes Task Force. The lead investigators were BCPO Detective Sergeant Jennifer Marchese, BCPO Detective Steven Trunfio and WTPD Detective Elijah Hart.