Magisterial District Judge Sonya M. McKnight has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault for allegedly shooting her ex-boyfriend, Michael McCoy, inside his Dauphin County home.
According to a press release, on Feb. 15, the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office approved a criminal complaint to charge McKnight, 57, for allegedly shooting McCoy in the early hours of Feb. 10 inside his home located on Saddle Ridge Drive in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the county seat of Dauphin. McKnight — who was elected judge of Dauphin County in 2016 — allegedly shot him in the head while he was sleeping in bed. The bullet punctured McCoy on the right side of his face and traveled through his eyes, exiting the left side of his face. According to the release, the bullet wound caused him to go partially blind in one eye.
On Thursday, McKnight – who represents the 12th judicial district in Dauphin County – was taken into custody by the Susquehanna Police Department. She was arraigned before Dauphin County President Judge Scott Arthur Evans, and bail was set at $300,000. The judge is being held at the Dauphin County Central Booking Center until her preliminary hearing, which is set for Feb. 26.
What happened?
Authorities believe a nasty breakup between McKnight and McCoy led to the alleged incident, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Associated Press. Following his breakup with the judge, McCoy, 54, made several attempts to get McKnight to leave his home. Despite confiscating McKnight’s key to his residence, McCoy returned home on Friday, Feb. 9, to discover McKnight lounging on his couch in pajamas, having utilized a spare key to gain entry while he was at work.
Frustrated, McCoy told McKnight that he would seek assistance from her mother to help her vacate the premises. Then, he left the home to go to a nearby bar, the affidavit noted.
“Michael McCoy stated that it was like she finally understood that it was over,” authorities said.
McCoy returned home around 11 p.m. and went to bed, but he awoke hours later with an intense headache and could not see. As he cried out in agony, McKnight allegedly shouted, “Mike, what did you do to yourself?”
The judge dialed 911 shortly before 1 a.m. to report her now ex-boyfriend’s excruciating pain and sudden blindness, yet she claimed she couldn’t provide an explanation for the incident. She stated that she was asleep and only heard his screams, the affidavit noted. However, McCoy told authorities at the scene and later at the hospital that he did not shoot himself.
Ultimately, investigators discovered that the firearm used in the shooting was registered under McKnight’s name. Additionally, an examination conducted within an hour of the incident revealed gun residue on McKnight’s hands.
This isn’t McKnight’s first shooting offense.
According to Penn Live, in 2019, McKnight went on voluntary paid leave after she reportedly shot her estranged husband out of self-defense on May 10, 2019. The bullet wound punctured her ex-husband’s groin. She returned to the bench in June of that year.
RELATED CONTENT: I GOT QUESTIONS: Judge Mathis Talks Cancel Culture, Tough Love, American Gangsters And Trap Queens
