SPRINGFIELD — The estranged husband of a 57-year-old woman, who had obtained a protection from abuse order against him, is accused of fatally stabbing her inside her home in the Wyndmoor section of Springfield Township, Montgomery County.
Kenneth Crisden Shea Jr., 37, who listed an address in the 2700 block of Lincoln Highway in Lower Southampton Township, Bucks County, was arraigned Thursday morning, before District Court Judge John D. Kessler, on charges of first-, second-, and third-degree murder, burglary and possessing an instrument of crime in connection with the alleged April 10 death of his estranged wife, Elizabeth Shea.
Kenneth Shea is being held without bail in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility while awaiting a May 7 preliminary hearing on the charges before District Court Judge Katherine E. McGill.
Shea’s arrest was announced on Thursday by Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Springfield Township Police Chief Michael E. Pitkow.
“This is a tragic case and our hearts go out to the family of Elizabeth Shea,” Steele said.
“I also want to thank the Bensalem Police for the significant resources they provided, including drone surveillance and a K-9, as well as numerous officers, which enabled this defendant to be taken into custody without incident,” Steele added.
The investigation began about 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, April 10, when Springfield Township police responded to Elizabeth Shea’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 alleged, adding officers took note of numerous video surveillance cameras inside and outside of the residence.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy of the victim on Thursday.
“The autopsy was completed. The cause of death was multiple stab wounds and the manner of death is homicide,” said Dr. Janine Darby, county coroner.
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 an alleged 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 alleged.
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 allegedly 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, according to court documents.
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.”
Court records did not reveal if Shea has retained a lawyer to represent him.
First-degree murder, an intentional killing, and second-degree murder, a killing committed during the course of another felony, such as burglary, are punishable by life imprisonment upon conviction.
A person convicted of third-degree murder, a killing committed with malice or hardness of heart, faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.
