Bucks County man sentenced for fatally stabbing estranged wife in Springfield, Montgomery County
NORRISTOWN — As the grief-stricken sons and sisters of a Wyndmoor woman spoke about the anguish they’ve suffered since her brutal murder, the woman’s estranged husband admitted to intentionally fatally stabbing her and accepted a life prison sentence without the possibility of parole.
Kenneth Crisden Shea Jr., 37, pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in Montgomery County Court on Monday in connection with the April 10, 2024, fatal stabbing of his estranged wife, Elizabeth Shea, 57, a mother of three sons, of the Wyndmoor section of Springfield Township.
Judge William R. Carpenter imposed the life prison term as part of a plea agreement that allowed Shea to avoid a potential death penalty upon conviction at a trial.
“Mom was such a beautiful personality, a beautiful smile, a hardworking person and she will truly be missed in our family. She was a great loving mother, cared about everyone in her life, wanted the best for everyone,” Corey Bradley, the youngest son of Elizabeth Shea, said as he reflected on his loss. “We’re still trying to wrap our heads around it. She’s always watching over us in good spirits and she would want the best for us so we just got to make her proud.”
Sean Bradley said he misses his mother’s weekly phone calls and expressed sadness that his mother will never get to meet her future grandchildren or watch her sons get married. Sean Bradley said it’s difficult to accept that “this nightmare is actually a reality.”
Bob Bradley said his mother, a graduate of Springfield High School who operated Lucky Dogz Pet Daycare Center in Wyndmoor since 2011, cared about her family, her business, her customers and employees. Her sons said she devoted her life to helping people and animals. According to her obituary, Elizabeth Shea pursued her passion of dog behavior and became a certified dog trainer.
“She was just an absolutely amazing woman, such a caring person. She showed this in all aspects of life,” said Bob Bradley. “Definitely taken from us too early. We had a lot of dreams and a lot of plans and a lot of hopes. We are going to cherish her memory and she’s always going to be with us.”
The victim’s sisters, Evelyn and Ruth, characterized Kenneth Shea as a “deadly infection” and a “parasitic leech” who preyed on their sister.
“You used her and manipulated her to the extreme. You took my sister from me in one final vicious assault,” the victim’s sister, Ruth, addressed Shea directly.
Shea, who listed an address in the 2700 block of Lincoln Highway in Lower Southampton Township, appeared to choke back tears as he apologized for his conduct.
“My choice was foolish and selfish. I am so sorry. I can never make it up to you,” Shea said in the courtroom that was packed with more than two dozen of the victim’s relatives and friends, many of whom wore purple ribbons in memory of Elizabeth.
Bob Bradley said later, “I felt his apology was sincere and I do appreciate that.”
First-degree murder is an intentional killing with malice and can carry sentences of life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Assistant District Attorney Tanner Christian Beck confirmed prosecutors intended to seek the death penalty had the case gone to trial. Potential aggravating factors included that Shea had a prior burglary conviction, that the victim had an active protection from abuse order against him and “the torture element which had to do with the nature of the injuries and which ones were inflicted while she was still alive,” said Beck, who handled the case with co-prosecutor Anne O’Connell.
“This was a relationship that turned abusive and was going downhill and there was escalating conduct,” Beck said. “This was something that he was thinking about for a while. There was a lot of premeditation that went into this. That alone shows first-degree murder but also the injuries and a deadly weapon being used on vital areas of the body.”
An autopsy determined the victim’s cause of death was multiple stab wounds.
The victim’s sons supported the plea agreement that allowed the family to avoid the trauma of a lengthy jury trial.
Defense lawyer Francis Genovese said Shea wanted to give peace of mind to the victim’s children, particularly her youngest son who is going off to college in the fall.
“He was very emotional at the thought of being able to bring some closure to the situation for Ms. Shea’s sons. That is what was most important to him, especially her youngest son. That was really the deciding factor for him to plead guilty,” said Genovese, adding Shea was aware prosecutors had indicated they would file a death penalty notice if the case went to trial.
“I think his mindset is that he’s come to grips with the situation he finds himself in and he knows that it’s all of his own doing which is why he wanted to plead guilty. He didn’t want to put the family through a trial or make them relive any of the events,” Genovese added. “He has just resigned himself to the fact that he is going to spend every day for the rest of his life in prison as a result of what he did.”
At the time Shea killed his estranged wife he was awaiting court action on separate charges of simple assault and strangulation in connection with a previous January 2024 domestic assault of Elizabeth. Those charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement in the murder case.
The investigation began about 7:15 a.m. April 10 when Springfield Township police responded to the victim’s residence in the 1000 block of Cromwell Road to check on her welfare after her coworkers reported she failed to show up for her job at Lucky Dogz Pet Daycare Center in Wyndmoor, according to a criminal complaint filed by county Detective Anthony Caso and Springfield Township Detective Robert Baiada.
Arriving officers found a rear sliding glass door to the residence unlocked, entered the residence, found the door to the master bedroom locked and forced entry into the bedroom. Inside the bedroom, police observed Elizabeth Shea’s lifeless body on the floor, according to the arrest affidavit.
“They observed, what appeared to be, blood stains on the bed and obvious cut wounds to the head and neck area of Elizabeth Shea,” Caso and Baiada wrote in the arrest affidavit.
Court documents indicate detectives were aware of prior domestic incidents at the Cromwell Road residence involving Elizabeth and Kenneth Shea, including an active arrest warrant for Kenneth charging him with simple assault and strangulation of Elizabeth during the January 2024 incident.
In March 2024, the victim obtained a protection from abuse order against Shea, who was served a copy of the order on March 15, according to court papers. At the time police served the order, Shea was evicted from the Cromwell Road residence.
When detectives processed the crime scene they found a window air conditioner had been pushed inside the residence, allowing access to the residence through that window. Detectives observed the victim in the master bedroom with cut or stab wounds to her neck, court papers indicate.
“In the bathroom area of the residence they observed blood in the sink area as if someone had attempted to clean up,” Caso and Baiada wrote in court papers.
The victim’s son told detectives that his mother made him aware on March 15 that she had filed for a protection order against Shea “and detailed some of the physical abuse she was the victim of,” according to the arrest affidavit. The victim’s son told detectives his mother also changed all of the locks in her home.
During the investigation, detectives obtained records from Uber Technologies Inc. that showed Shea utilized two Uber ride-share services on April 10.
The first Uber ride was requested at 12:23 a.m. with a pickup time of 12:36 a.m. near the Comfort Inn where Shea had been staying in the 2700 block of Lincoln Highway in the Feasterville/Trevose section of Lower Southampton Township, according to court papers. Records showed Shea was dropped off at 12:55 a.m. along Wainwright Road in Wyndmoor, the road directly behind the victim’s Cromwell Road residence, detectives alleged.
The second Uber ride was requested by Shea at 3:27 a.m. with a pickup time at 3:37 a.m. on Wainwright Road and the drop-off time was 3:58 a.m. at a location near the Comfort Inn in Lower Southampton Township. Detectives also obtained video surveillance from the Comfort Inn that showed Shea arriving in the lobby area of the hotel, around the time the Uber dropped him off, and going to a room booked by a known associate of Shea, according to the criminal complaint.
At 6:06 a.m. April 10, members of the Bensalem Police Department S.W.A.T were stationed outside the hotel room when Shea opened the door, entered into the hallway and was taken into custody.
During a search of the hotel room, detectives seized camouflage pants that surveillance video depicted Shea wearing as he entered the hotel in the early morning hours of April 10.
“Staining consistent with blood was also found on the bed inside the room,” Caso and Baiada alleged. “At the time of his arrest, Kenneth Shea had injuries to his right hand. These injuries included three small cuts to his right index finger.”
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