Kevin C. Shelly

Courier Post

Politically connected hospital CEO John Sheridan was found dead with his wife Sept. 28.

A relative says Joyce Sheridan was stabbed in a %27savage%27 attack.

Relatives worry the prosecutor was too quick to write off deaths as murder-suicide.

A relative of John and Joyce Sheridan spoke out Tuesday, claiming Joyce was stabbed at least eight times in an attack described as "savage and done with rage."

John Sheridan, her husband of nearly 50 years and Cooper Health System's outgoing CEO, had "tentative" stab wounds in his left side, added Peter Mitchko, Joyce Sheridan's brother.

Mitchko said family members — while aware of some gruesome details — don't know what led to the couple's deaths Sept. 28. And he expressed unhappiness with an ongoing investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.

"I think he (Prosecutor Geoffrey D. Soriano) is totally incompetent," Mitchko said. "No one has any idea why this happened. I've got no information. I have no answer to why. I can't even conceive of a why.

"I'm tired of it," added Mitchko, who noted his information came from other members of the extended family. "I have asked for the ME's (medical examiner's) report and not gotten it."

The prosecutor's office did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement, the Sheridans' four adult sons said "real answers will only come after a full and thorough investigation."

"We do not condone releasing information in a piecemeal fashion because of frustration with the process. It is not helpful to getting to the truth about what happened to our parents," said the statement, released by family representative Tom Wilson. "We are committed to getting to the truth and that means we will not comment while the investigation is ongoing."

Authorities have said John and Joyce Sheridan died after an arson fire in the bedroom of their Skillman, Somerset County, home, but have provided no details.

Joyce Sheridan, a 69-year-old retired teacher, was stabbed repeatedly in the neck and at least once in the chest, according to Mitchko. The stab wounds to both Sheridans were apparently made by one of two knives recovered at the scene, he said.

But John Sheridan also had a penetrating wound to his neck that may have nicked his jugular, the Mitchko added.

Dr. Michael Baden, a noted forensic pathologist enlisted by the Sheridan family just days after the deaths, determined the wound was made by a distinctly different weapon, Mitchko said.

That same weapon — not yet identified or recovered — appears to have made another wound to John Sheridan's right side, he added.

To date, the prosecutor has revealed only that none of the Sheridans' four grown sons is a suspect; there is no danger to the community; and a fire in the couple's bedroom was intentionally set.

John Sheridan's body was found beneath a "huge armoire" that was set ablaze with gasoline, according to Mitchko. Joyce Sheridan was on the bedroom floor.

A gasoline can normally kept in the Sheridans' garage was found on the second floor of the home, where the couple lived since 1977. Smoke was discovered in John Sheridan's lungs, but not enough to cause his death, Mitchko added.

How the armoire got on top of John Sheridan and the why behind the deaths remain mysteries for Mitchko. He said there was no sign of forced entry. But he added the Sheridans often did not lock their front and rear doors or the door into the house from the garage.

Mitchko believes robbery is an unlikely motive. Cash was found in the bedroom and a large collection of antiques — including some from the Revolutionary War — was untouched.

Joyce Sheridan's brother said he and other members of the extended family are worried the prosecutor's office was attempting to quickly write off the case as a murder/suicide carried out by John Sheridan, but there are too many unanswered questions to draw that conclusion.

"We were all worried that they wanted to declare it was a murder/suicide, but that is inconceivable," Mitchko declared. "I want someone to say who else was in that room. And why it happened and how it happened.

"And if they don't say someone else was in the room, what am I left with?

"The prosecutor is waiting for a toxicology report about some drugs John was taking," Mitchko added. "They want to hang their hat on that as an explanation, to tie the drugs into a rage attack on her or something."

Health was an issue for both Sheridans, who operated a small antiques shop in Mullica Hill for the past eight years. The two had been in a car accident together a few years ago.

Joyce Sheridan also had a fall that hurt her ribs and bruised her heart, as well as joint issues in both shoulders. Most recently she had an operation to fuse neck vertebrae.

Kevin Shelly: kshelly@courierpostonline.com