A Pennsylvania judge is facing serious criminal charges after she allegedly shot her ex-boyfriend in the head while he slept. According to reports, Dauphin County Magisterial District Judge Sonya M. McKnight, 57, was arrested on Thursday and charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault. The incident occurred in the victim's Harrisburg-area home on February 9 and he is now blind in one eye as a result of the shooting.
According to a Susquehanna Township Police arrest affidavit obtained by the New York Post, the victim, Michael McCoy, 54, had been trying to end the year-long relationship with McKnight for some time before the incident.
McCoy had reportedly gone out to a tavern and returned to find McKnight lounging on his couch in her pajamas. He once again told her that the relationship was over and that she needed to leave. McKnight agreed to leave, but only after McCoy threatened to enlist the help of her mother.
McCoy then went to bed around 11:00 p.m. with the understanding that McKnight had finally accepted that the relationship was over. However, he later woke up in excruciating pain and realized that he could not see.
McKnight allegedly came into the bedroom, asking McCoy what he had done to himself. McCoy immediately called 911 and reported his injuries. He was later rushed to the hospital, where a gunshot wound on his right temple was discovered. The bullet had exited through his left temple, leaving him blind in his right eye.
Police also found a gun registered to McKnight at the scene and her hands tested positive for gunshot residue. Both parties claim that no one else was in the house at the time of the incident. However, a security camera from a neighbor's house showed McKnight leaving the home at some point during the night. This contradicts her statement to police that she did not leave the house that night. McCoy also revealed that he believed McKnight may have followed him to the tavern before returning home.
Currently, McKnight is suspended from her duties as a judge and is being held at the Dauphin County Prison on a $300,000 bail. The case will be heard in the neighboring county of Cumberland to avoid any prosecutorial conflicts of interest.
This is not the first time that McKnight has been involved in a shooting incident. In 2019, she was cleared of criminal intent in the shooting of her estranged husband, which occurred during a domestic dispute. The attorney general's office declined to press charges, stating that they found evidence that supported McKnight's claim of self-defense.
If found guilty, McKnight could face up to 40 years in prison for the first-degree attempted murder charge. The victim, McCoy, is currently recovering from his injuries and is blind in one eye as a result of the shooting. McKnight's legal team has not made any public statements at this time, and it is unclear if she has entered a plea.
The community has been shocked by this recent development, especially since McKnight was a sitting judge at the time of the incident. The court will continue to follow the case closely as it unfolds.