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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

Firefighters battle 2-alarm house fire in Chester, Pa., amid sub-freezing temperatures

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Firefighters battle 2-alarm house fire in Chester, Pa., amid sub-freezing temperatures


Thursday, January 9, 2025 1:23PM

Firefighters in Chester, Pennsylvania, dealt with sub-freezing temperatures while battling the flames during a house fire.

CHESTER, Pa. (WPVI) — Firefighters in Chester, Pennsylvania, dealt with sub-freezing temperatures while battling the flames during a house fire.

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Authorities say the fire broke out in a three-story twin home at 1 a.m. on Thursday in the 200 block of West 7th Street. It grew to two alarms before firefighters were able to get it under control.

Help arrived from first responders in neighboring communities in Delaware County.

Officials said they don’t know what sparked it yet.

No injuries have been reported.

Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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Over $500,000 in cash stolen from safe in Pennsylvania home burglary

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Over 0,000 in cash stolen from safe in Pennsylvania home burglary



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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pennsylvania State Police Troopers are investigating a burglary in Indiana County where more than $500,000 in cash was recently stolen from a safe inside a home. 

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State Police from the Punxsutawney barracks say their Troopers are investigating the burglary that happened in the morning hours of New Year’s Eve last week in Canoe Township.

Troopers say a gun safe inside a home was burglarized and a firearm along with stacks of $100 bills worth more than $500,000 were taken. 

The stacks of $100 bills were said to be stapled together and State Police provided a photo showing what the bills would look like once unstapled.

473078024-621178247253419-1912519841566206705-n.jpg
A photo from the Pennsylvania State Police shows how stolen $100 bills would appear once staples were removed from the stacks of money.

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Anyone with information about the burglary or the stolen money is asked to call the State Police barracks or the State Police tip line and can also submit information online. 

State Police say a cash reward could be provided for information that leads to an arrest.



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Pennsylvania program overturns 50% of health insurance denials, new data shows

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Pennsylvania program overturns 50% of health insurance denials, new data shows


However, information about how often individual insurance companies deny coverage, and how many cases are appealed and overturned, is scarce and not publicly reported most of the time.

Insurance denials can lead to delays in care and medical debt. State officials estimate that 1 million people in Pennsylvania have some medical debt from unpaid bills and other charges.

In Pennsylvania, residents can file an appeal with the state’s Independent External Review program after they have already completed an internal appeals process with their health insurer.

If they are still denied coverage, people can then submit their case to the state review process, where independent, third-party reviewers analyze individual claims and give a final determination on whether the insurer’s denial was valid or if it must be overturned.

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The review program is open to people who have health insurance through a state health plan, the Affordable Care Act Marketplace and other commercial insurance, including employer-sponsored plans offered at private companies, nonprofits and organizations.

People who get insurance from their employer through self-funded plans, in which the employer or company pays health claims directly rather than through the insurance company, are excluded from using the state review program.



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