Pennsylvania magistrate judge is charged with shooting her ex-boyfriend as he slept

A suspended magistrate judge in Pennsylvania is facing charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault after allegedly shooting her estranged boyfriend while he slept, as per police reports on Thursday.

Magisterial District Judge Sonya M. McKnight, 57, was found to have gunshot residue on her hands an hour after Michael McCoy was shot in his home bed in the Harrisburg area early last Saturday, according to an arrest affidavit from Susquehanna Township Police.

McKnight is currently held at Dauphin County Prison with bail set at $300,000, without a listed lawyer in court records. A previous representative declined to comment, stating he no longer represented her. Attempts to contact McKnight via cellphone were unsuccessful.

Authorities disclosed that McCoy, 54, had made several unsuccessful attempts to persuade McKnight to vacate the residence after terminating their one-year relationship. On February 9, McCoy returned home to find McKnight in pajamas on the couch. Upon his return from a restaurant, he informed her of his intention to enlist McKnight’s mother's assistance in persuading her to leave.

According to police, McCoy went to bed around 11 p.m., only to awaken to excruciating head pain and loss of vision. McKnight allegedly responded to his distress by asking, "Mike what did you do to yourself?" when he began to scream. Despite her claim of being asleep during the incident, doorbell footage from neighboring residences contradicted her account.

McKnight dialed 911 shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, unable to provide a coherent explanation and stating she was sleeping until she heard McCoy's screams. Detectives noted that both the gun used in the shooting and the residence were registered to McKnight, and both parties affirmed no one else was present at the time of the incident.

Due to a conflict of interest, the attempted murder case was transferred to Cumberland County District Attorney Sean McCormack from the Dauphin County district attorney’s office. McKnight, an elected judge since 2016, was suspended without pay in mid-November by the Court of Judicial Discipline for alleged misconduct.

The Judicial Conduct Board has accused her of various transgressions, including providing excessive vacation time to court staff, ignoring a civil complaint, and misusing a Facebook profile.

Regarding a previous incident in 2019 where McKnight shot her estranged husband, state prosecutors did not file charges, citing self-defense.