Kenneth Shea, 37, of Bensalem. (Credit: Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office)
The estranged husband of a Wyndmoor woman who was found dead in her home Wednesday morning has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with her death.
Kenneth Shea, 37, of Bensalem, was arraigned Thursday morning on charges of first, second- and third-degree murder and related offenses, stemming from the death of 57-year-old Elizabeth Shea. He’s currently being held without bail at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
Springfield Township Police responded to the 1000 block of Cromwell Lane at 7:30 a.m. on April 10 for a wellness check, after Shea’s coworkers called police reporting that she had failed to show up for her regularly scheduled shift at work. Arriving police located Shea’s body lying on the floor of the master bedroom with “obvious cut wounds to her head and neck,” according to a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office.
Investigators noted that four hard drives from the home’s surveillance system and three cell phones had been discarded in a bathroom sink and toilet.
An autopsy was performed Thursday morning, which determined Shea’s cause of death as multiple stab wounds and her manner of death as homicide, officials said.
An investigation by Springfield Police and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau determined that Shea had taken an Uber from the Comfort Inn in Bensalem at 12:36 a.m. and was dropped off behind the victim’s residence at 12:55 a.m., officials said. He then allegedly made entry into the home by pushing an air conditioning unit through a window and then forced entry into the master bedroom, according to the criminal complaint.
Shea then was picked up by an Uber behind the victim’s home at 3:37 a.m. and he returned to the Comfort Inn at 3:58 a.m., police said.
The criminal complaint does not mention a weapon being recovered at the scene.
Investigators said they were aware of prior domestic incidents at the victim’s home, and there was an active arrest warrant for Shea regarding an alleged assault of the victim in January 2024. Police said the victim secured a Protection from Abuse order against Shea in March, and he was evicted from the home on March 15.
Shea was taken into custody outside of his hotel room at 6 p.m. by Bensalem SWAT officers. A search warrant executed on the room uncovered clothing matching surveillance footage of Shea, along with staining that was consistent with blood on the bed inside of the hotel room, police said.
“This is a tragic case, and our hearts go out to the family of Elizabeth Shea,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele. “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.”
Court records show Shea’s next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on April 23 at 11 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Katherine McGill.
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship or is the victim of domestic violence, help is available. In Montgomery County, you can contact Laurel House at 800-642-3150 or the Women’s Center of Montgomery County at 800-773-2424. For more information on available services and assistance, click here.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
