ST. PETERSBURG, Fla (WFLA) — Family members of Sherry Lynn Howard, 54, say they are experiencing a different type of heartbreak.
Not only are they hurting from the death of Sherry Lynn but also from her younger sister, 39-year-old Charee Howard, being charged with her murder.
“I know my nieces are good nieces, I know how their mother raised them, they were like two peas in a pod, so what triggered this off, I don’t know,” said Debborah Howard, the sisters’ aunt.
Charee is being charged with second-degree murder for her sister’s death. On Wednesday, a judge decided to keep Charee at the Pinellas County Jail without a bond and appointed her a public defender.
“This is a sad, sad thing for us and a sad day,” said Michael Hobbs, the sisters’ brother.
An affidavit states Charee called St. Petersburg police Tuesday afternoon saying she choked her sister to death.
Police responded to a home the women shared together on Newton Avenue South where they found Sherry Lynn’s body inside.
“She’s a good kid, I know she’s in heaven,” Debborah said.
According to the family, the sisters were very close and Sherry Lynn was like a mother figure to Charee since their parents passed away.
Sherry Lynn worked in real estate and was known for her encouraging character.
The family believes mental health problems played a role in the tragedy.
“They say she hadn’t slept for three or four days and started hallucinating whatever it is, I ain’t no doctor,” Hobbs said. “She needs more attention than just being in jail.”
The St. Petersburg Police Department is awaiting an autopsy from the medical examiner to determine Sherry Lynn’s official cause of death.