Current:Home > MarketsDefense: Suspended judge didn’t shoot estranged boyfriend, is innocent of attempted murder, assault -Achieve Wealth Network
Defense: Suspended judge didn’t shoot estranged boyfriend, is innocent of attempted murder, assault
View
Date:2025-04-14 15:40:49
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The attorney representing a suspended magistrate judge in Pennsylvania says his client is not guilty of allegations that she shot her estranged boyfriend in the head as he slept earlier this month.
Magisterial District Judge Sonya McKnight, 57, was charged last week in Dauphin County with attempted murder and aggravated assault. Susquehanna Township police alleged in an arrest affidavit that McKnight had gunshot residue on her hands an hour after Michael McCoy was shot on Feb. 10 in the bed of his home in the Harrisburg area.
“Judge McKnight is innocent of the alleged charges. She did not shoot Mr. McCoy,” attorney Cory Leshner said in a statement Monday. Lesher said his client “looks forward to the whole story being told” and “intends to vigorously defend herself in this matter.”
“She believes in the criminal justice system and once all of the facts in this matter are brought to light, she is confident that she will be cleared of any wrongdoing,” Lesher said, asking the public to “keep an open mind and reserve judgment in this case until all of the facts are presented.”
McKnight was taken to the Dauphin County Prison, unable to post bail set at $300,000, according to court records.
Police wrote that McCoy, 54, had tried “numerous times” to get McKnight to move out after he ended their one-year relationship. On Feb. 9, McCoy came home to find McKnight in pajamas on the couch, and before going to bed at about 11 p.m. told her he planned to enlist her mother’s aid to get her out of the home, authorities said.
He told police he later awoke to “massive head pain” and was unable to see, and when he began to scream McKnight told him, “Mike what did you do to yourself?” He told police at the scene and at the hospital that the gunshot wound to his right temple was not self-inflicted.
When McKnight called 911 shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, she “could not explain what happened and stated that she was sleeping and heard him screaming,” police said in the affidavit. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled Feb. 26.
McKnight, an elected judge in Dauphin County since 2016, was suspended without pay in mid-November by the Court of Judicial Discipline, which handles misconduct allegations against judges. The Judicial Conduct Board, which investigates and charges misconduct cases against Pennsylvania judges, alleged in a September filing that McKnight had violated judicial probation from a previous misconduct case centered on her actions regarding a 2020 traffic stop involving her son. She was acquitted of criminal charges in that matter.
Among the pending misconduct allegations, the Judicial Conduct Board alleges that she gave excess vacation time to members of her court staff; directed an aide to ignore a woman’s civil complaint that claimed McKnight owed her for a $2,100 loan; and used a Facebook profile with her photo in judicial robes to promote sales of a consumer product.
Pennlive.com reported McKnight was not charged for shooting her estranged husband in 2019 — after inviting him to her home to help her move furniture. State prosecutors did not charge her, citing self-defense, Pennlive said.
veryGood! (23525)
Related
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- NHL Stanley Cup playoffs 2024: Scores, schedule, times, TV for second-round games
- Anna Nicole Smith's 17-Year-Old Daughter Dannielynn Looks All Grown Up at the Kentucky Derby
- Kendall Vertes Reveals Why Mother Jill Is Still the Ultimate Dance Mom
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Drive-thru food pantry in Southern California food desert provides consistent source of groceries for thousands: It's a labor of love
- Russia calls France leader Macron refusing to rule out troops for Ukraine very dangerous
- Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and wife indicted on federal bribery charges
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Where Nia Sioux Stands With Her Dance Moms Costars After Skipping Reunion
Ranking
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Russia calls France leader Macron refusing to rule out troops for Ukraine very dangerous
- Senate races are roiled by campus protests over the war in Gaza as campaign rhetoric sharpens
- As US spotlights those missing or dead in Native communities, prosecutors work to solve their cases
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- All the past Met Gala themes over the years up to 2024
- You’ll Be Down Bad For Taylor Swift’s Met Gala Looks Through The Years
- Teenager killed, 5 others injured in shooting in Buffalo
Recommendation
Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
Bruins or Maple Leafs? Predicting who wins Game 7 and goes to second round
Jewel shuts down questions about Kevin Costner romance: 'I'm so happy, irrelevant of a man'
‘The Fall Guy’ gives Hollywood a muted summer kickoff with a $28.5M opening
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
2024 NBA playoffs: Second-round scores, schedule, times, TV, key stats, who to watch
It’s Cinco de Mayo time, and festivities are planned across the US. But in Mexico, not so much
Australian police shoot dead a boy, 16, armed with a knife after he stabbed a man in Perth