A Pennsylvania judge may spend decades behind bars after being convicted Wednesday, April 9, of shooting her ex-boyfriend in the head while he slept. After just two hours of deliberations, a jury found Sonya M. McKnight, 58, guilty of attempted murder and aggravated assault.
McKnight, a magisterial district judge in Dauphin County who has held the elected position since 2016, was immediately taken into custody after the trial judge rejected a defense request for her release. Due to her role sending defendants to Dauphin County Prison during her nine years on the bench, authorities transported her outside the county for incarceration.
The shooting occurred in February 2024 after McKnight’s then-boyfriend, Michael McCoy, 54, attempted to end their one-year relationship and asked her to move out of his home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. According to trial testimony, McKnight initially agreed to leave.
Prosecutors from the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office, who handled the case due to conflicts of interest in Dauphin County, argued that McKnight was a jealous partner who was unhappy about being asked to leave. The prosecution presented evidence that on February 10, 2024, McKnight shot McCoy as he slept in his Susquehanna Township home.
McCoy testified that he was awakened by what he described as a “massive head pain” and suddenly found himself blind. The bullet entered the right side of his face, traversed through his head, and exited the left side. The extensive damage left McCoy permanently blind in his right eye.
During his testimony, McCoy stated that while he couldn’t see after the shooting, McKnight was the only other person in the home at the time. The last thing he recalled hearing from McKnight before the incident was her asking, “Oh, so you’re serious?” regarding his request for her to move out.
According to police reports, McKnight called 911 following the shooting. During the call, she claimed she had been sleeping and was awakened by McCoy’s screams. She reportedly could not explain what had happened to him.
The investigation by the Susquehanna Police Department, led by Detective Sergeant Lee Tarasi, uncovered significant evidence against McKnight. Authorities found a gun registered to McKnight at the scene, and forensic testing revealed gunshot residue on her hands just an hour after the shooting. Evidence presented at trial indicated the shot came from approximately one foot away from McCoy’s head.
Both McCoy and McKnight confirmed to investigators that they were the only people in the home when the shooting occurred. McCoy explicitly stated that he did not shoot himself and had no suicidal thoughts.
McKnight’s defense attorney attempted to cast doubt on the prosecution’s case, arguing that the evidence was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she was the shooter. The defense pointed out that McCoy could not visually identify who shot him. However, after hearing two days of testimony, the jury rejected these arguments.
Cumberland County District Attorney Seán McCormack, who prosecuted the case alongside First Assistant District Attorney Courtney Hair LaRue, expressed satisfaction with the verdict. “The jury saw the truth and found her guilty,” McCormack stated after the decision was announced.
This is not McKnight’s first involvement in a shooting incident. In 2019, she shot her estranged husband, Enoch McKnight, in the groin after asking him to help her move furniture. The couple had married in 2014 and filed for divorce two years later, though the divorce was still pending at the time of that incident. That shooting was ruled self-defense, as it occurred during what authorities determined was a domestic dispute.
McKnight had already been suspended without pay since November 2023 by the Court of Judicial Discipline for a separate misconduct case. Following Wednesday’s verdict, Judge Howard F. Knisely, who presided over the trial, raised McKnight’s bail to $3 million.
McKnight now faces up to 60 years in prison for the attempted murder and aggravated assault convictions. Her sentencing is scheduled for May 28, 2025. Her attorney has indicated plans to appeal the verdict.
The case has drawn significant attention in Pennsylvania’s legal community, where McKnight had served as an elected judicial official for nearly a decade before her suspension and subsequent conviction.
