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Pennsylvania judge Sonya McKnight charged after allegedly shooting ex-boyfriend in head as he slept

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Pennsylvania judge Sonya McKnight charged after allegedly shooting ex-boyfriend in head as he slept


A Pennsylvania judge allegedly shot her ex-boyfriend in the head while he slept before she tried convincing him that he shot himself as he lay blinded in one eye.

Magisterial District Judge Sonya M. McKnight, 57, was charged with first-degree attempted murder and aggravated assault charges Thursday for shooting Michael McCoy in his Harrisburg area home on Feb. 9, according to court records.

Suspended District Judge Sonya McKnight has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting her estranged boyfriend. AP

Susquehanna Township Police wrote in the arrest affidavit that McCoy, 54, had tried “numerous times” to end his one-year relationship with McKnight, as well as trying to get her to move out of his home before she allegedly attempted to kill him.

McCoy had returned home from a tavern to find McKnight relaxing on his couch in her pajamas and again told her she needed to leave, saying he would enlist the help of her mother to get her out of his home if he had to. She allegedly agreed to go.

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“Michael McCoy stated that it was like she finally understood that it was over,” police said.

Following what seemed to be an understanding between the pair, McCoy went to bed at about 11 p.m. that Friday.

However, sometime later, he was awoken by a “massive head pain” and was blind.

He panicked, screaming in pain and confusion, which alerted McKnight to come bolting into the bedroom.

“Mike, what did you do to yourself?” McKnight asked her estranged boyfriend upon entering the room, according to police.

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The shooting happened on Friday, Feb. 9, in the home of Michael McCoy in the Harrisburg area. YouTube/FOX43 News
McKnight faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted. Dauphin County Prison

McKnight called 911 shortly before 1 a.m. that Saturday to report McCoy’s injury.

Police shared that during the call she “could not explain what happened and stated that she was sleeping and heard him screaming.”

Emergency responders rushed McCoy to the hospital where they found a gunshot wound to the right temple that exited his left temple.

Authorities say the extent of the damage left McCoy blind in his right eye.

McKnight has been an elected judge in Dauphin County since 2016. Facebook/Sonya McKnight

A gun registered to McKnight was found at the scene and she was found to have gunshot residue on her hands only an hour after the shooting, according to the affidavit.

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McCoy had told police at the scene that he did not shoot himself, a statement he reiterated while in the hospital.

Both McCoy and McKnight said no one besides them was in the home during the shooting.

McKnight had also told investigators that she did not leave the home on the night of the shooting, but that claim was quickly debunked after doorbell footage from a neighbor’s home showed her leaving the house.

McKnight allegedly tried convincing her estranged boyfriend he shot himself as he lay blinded in bed. AP

McCoy told police he believed she had followed him to the tavern he was at that Friday evening.

McKnight has since been suspended from her duties as an elected judge in Dauphin County, a position she’s held since 2016.

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She’s currently locked up in the Dauphin County Prison as of Friday and her bail set at $300,000.

Due to a conflict of interest, her case will be transferred from Dauphin County to neighboring Cumberland County and prosecuted by District Attorney Sean McCormack.

McKnight is seen leaving the Susquehanna Twp. Police department in cuffs on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. AP

In 2019, McKnight shot her estranged husband, Enoch McKnight, in his groin after asking him to come to her home to help her move furniture, Pennlive.com reported.

The couple married in 2014 but had filed for divorce two years later. However, the divorce was still pending at the time of the shooting, which was ruled to be self-defense as the pair were in the midst of a domestic dispute.

Mcknight faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted of first-degree attempted murder since she allegedly inflicted bodily harm on McCoy, according to Pennsylvania law.

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Pennsylvania DEP accuses J&K Salvage of violating order, continuing to accept waste

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Pennsylvania DEP accuses J&K Salvage of violating order, continuing to accept waste


The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection accused J&K Salvage of violating its administrative order to close the business, according to a new court filing.

During an inspection on March 23, a DEP inspector saw several vehicles enter and exit the salvage yard while hauling scrap metal, according to the petition.

The DEP said this is in violation of its March 17 administrative order that required the business to “cease accepting all solid wastes at the site.”

READ MORE | Pennsylvania DEP orders York County scrap yard to shut down, asks court to jail owner

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In his report, inspector Kalen Boyer attached several photos of vehicles that he said brought additional scrap metal to the site.

A photo submitted by DEP inspector Kalen Boyer in his inspection report. He captioned the photo, “Roll off container on the back of the roll off truck entering the Site. Scrap metal is sticking above the sides of the container.”{ }
A photo submitted by DEP inspector Kalen Boyer in his inspection report. He captioned the photo,

A photo submitted by DEP inspector Kalen Boyer in his inspection report. He captioned the photo, “Roll off truck entering the Site with roll off container containing scrap metal.”

A photo submitted by DEP inspector Kalen Boyer in his inspection report. He captioned the photo,

A photo submitted by DEP inspector Kalen Boyer in his inspection report. He captioned the photo, “Tan pick up truck that entered the Site with the scrap metal desk leaving the Site empty.”

In the petition, the DEP is requesting a judge enforce its order against J&K Salvage. It also requests the owners to pay $100 per day for each day they fail to comply with the court order.

CBS 21 reached out to J&K Salvage for comment and has not immediately heard back.

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Pa. House committee advances bill to require radon testing and mitigation in schools

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Pa. House committee advances bill to require radon testing and mitigation in schools






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Suspect arrested for shooting near basketball court in Elkins Park, Pa.

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Suspect arrested for shooting near basketball court in Elkins Park, Pa.


ABINGTON TWP., Pa. (WPVI) — Police have arrested a suspect who they say fired shots at a vehicle near a crowded basketball court in Montgomery County.

Jamell Whitmore, 18, of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, was arrested on Thursday.

The shooting happened on March 22 near a basketball court on the 300 block of Cadwalader Avenue in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.

Shooting near Elkins Park basketball courts sends stray bullet into home

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Police said multiple callers reported hearing gunfire around 8:15 p.m. and witnessed a large group of people run from the area behind the McKinley Firehouse.

As a vehicle drove by, one of the men in the group, identified by police as Whitmore, ran off to the parking lot to retrieve a gun and began firing multiple shots towards the vehicle.

Police say it’s unclear if the vehicle was hit, but one of the bullets struck a nearby home.

No one in the home was injured.

Police said no innocent bystanders or those involved in the shooting were injured.

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The motive for the shooting remains unknown.

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