WILLINGBORO, NJ – A tragic scene unfolded early Wednesday morning when a man allegedly broke into a home in Willingboro and fatally shot two women. The victims, identified as Catherine Nunez, 33, and her mother, Marisol Nunez, 54, were discovered in an upstairs bedroom, leaving the community in shock.

Authorities allege that Junior Edward of Lansdowne, PA, forcibly entered the house by smashing a first-floor window before carrying out the shootings at approximately 4 a.m.

Notably, Edward shares an 8-year-old son with Catherine Nunez. The boy, who was present during the incident, emerged physically unharmed.

In the wake of the shootings, a handgun was reportedly found outside the home. The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and Willingboro Township Police have since detained Edward on separate charges in Philadelphia, where he was then formally charged with murder alongside additional counts of home invasion and weapons offenses.

Autopsies conducted by Dr. Ian Hood, Burlington County’s Medical Examiner, concluded that both mother and daughter succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds.

The Nunez murder investigation has been a collaborative effort across two states and involving multiple agencies. The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the Willingboro Township Police Department are leading the probe, with critical support from the FBI’s Greater Trenton Safe Streets Task Force, police from Lansdowne, PA, and the Philadelphia Police Violent Crimes Task Force.

Detectives Jennifer Marchese and Steven Trunfio from the BCPO, along with Detective Elijah Hart from Willingboro, have been tasked with unraveling the details of this horrific event.

The community remains on edge as authorities continue to gather evidence from the Nunez hom and elsewhere to piece together the circumstances surrounding these tragic killings. Residents are grappling with the loss of two lives and are focused on supporting the young boy who has been thrust into unimaginable circumstances.