By Mark Scolforo, The Related Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A suspended Justice of the Peace choose in Pennsylvania shot her estranged boyfriend within the head as he slept final weekend, police stated Feb. 15 in submitting tried homicide and aggravated assault expenses in opposition to her.
Assessments confirmed Magisterial District Decide Sonya M. McKnight, 57, had gunshot residue on her palms an hour after Michael McCoy was shot within the mattress of his residence within the Harrisburg space early Feb. 10, Susquehanna Township Police wrote in an arrest affidavit.
McKnight was within the Dauphin County Jail on Feb. 16 with bail set at $300,000. No lawyer was listed for her in court docket information. A lawyer who had represented her beforehand stated he didn’t presently signify her and declined remark. A message was left on McKnight’s cellphone.
Authorities say McCoy is now blind in his proper eye.
Police wrote that McCoy, 54, had tried “quite a few instances” to get McKnight to maneuver out after he ended their one-year relationship. On Feb. 9, McCoy got here residence to search out McKnight in pajamas on the sofa. When he returned from a restaurant he informed her he deliberate to get McKnight’s mom’s assist to get her out of the house.
“Michael McCoy said that it was like she lastly understood that it was over,” police stated. He went to mattress at about 11 p.m.
McCoy awoke to “huge head ache” and was unable to see, police stated, and when he started to scream McKnight informed him, “Mike what did you do to your self?” He had suffered a gunshot wound to the best temple that exited his left temple, police stated. McCoy informed police on the scene and later on the hospital that he didn’t shoot himself.
When McKnight known as 911 shortly earlier than 1 a.m. Feb. 10, she “couldn’t clarify what occurred and said that she was sleeping and heard him screaming,” police stated within the affidavit.
Investigators discovered doorbell movies from neighboring houses that contradicted McKnight’s declare that she didn’t depart the house the evening of the taking pictures. McCoy suspected she had checked on him on the tavern. Detectives wrote within the affidavit that the gun was registered to McKnight and each of them stated nobody else was within the residence on the time of the taking pictures.
The tried homicide case was transferred from the Dauphin County district legal professional’s workplace, which cited a battle of curiosity, to a neighboring prosecutor, Cumberland County District Legal professional Sean McCormack. A message was left searching for remark from McCormack.
McKnight, an elected choose in Dauphin County since 2016, was suspended with out pay in mid-November by the Court docket of Judicial Self-discipline, which handles misconduct allegations in opposition to judges. The Judicial Conduct Board, which investigates and expenses misconduct circumstances in opposition to Pennsylvania judges, claimed in a September submitting that McKnight had violated judicial probation from a earlier misconduct case centered on her actions concerning a 2020 site visitors cease involving her son. She was acquitted of felony expenses in that matter.
Among the many pending misconduct allegations, the Judicial Conduct Board alleges that she gave extra trip time to members of her court docket workers; directed an aide to disregard a girl’s civil criticism that claimed McKnight owed her for a $2,100 mortgage; and used a Fb profile along with her picture in judicial robes to advertise gross sales of a shopper product.
Pennlive.com reported McKnight was not charged for taking pictures her estranged husband in 2019 — after inviting him to her residence to assist her transfer furnishings. State prosecutors didn’t cost her, citing self-defense, Pennlive stated.
