After a dramatic trial that captured the attention of the nation, Democratic judge Sonya M. McKnight has been convicted of shooting her ex-boyfriend in the head while he slept. The outrageous incident caught the attention of online sleuths, who discovered even more absurd actions in the disgraced judges’ past.
For context, Magisterial Judge Sonya M. McKnight is a registered Democrat who has held her position for the last eight years. McKnight won the race unopposed after defeating the incumbent in the Democratic primary, and during her tenure, she was embroiled in countless scandals.
In any case, Collin Rugg, a conservative media personality, broke the story on April 11, 2025. He said, “Pennsylvania judge convicted of trying to execute her sleeping boyfriend by shooting him in the head. Magisterial judge Sonya M. McKnight shot her then-boyfriend in the temple while he was sleeping last year.”
Providing additional details, he said, “The incident happened after Michael McCoy tried ending their relationship, telling her to move out of the home. When McCoy told McKnight he was serious about her moving out, she said, “Oh, so you’re serious.” This was the last thing McCoy heard from McKnight before he was woken up to “massive head pain” and was blind.”
Continuing to explain the case, Rugg offered insight into McCoy’s near brush with death. He reported, “McCoy was rushed to the hospital where a gunshot wound to his head was found. The bullet reportedly entered McCoy’s right temple and exited his left temple…The bullet was millimeters from ending his life.”
In the comments under his post, conservatives jumped to dig deeper into McKnight’s bizarre past. One lengthy comment read, “The unbelievable saga of PA Judge Sonya McKnight 2015 – Wins judgeship unopposed after defeating incumbent in Democratic primary 2019 – Shoots husband in the groin. Gets off on self-defense claim.”
Adding more detail, the same poster said, “Allowed to remain a judge 2021 – Charged with interfering with her son’s arrest, but acquitted by a local jury 2023 – Suspended from the bench for habitual absences, excessive vacations 2024 – Charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting boyfriend in the eye while he slept 2025 – Convicted of trying to execute her sleeping boyfriend by shooting him in the head.”
"*" indicates required fields
Watch a clip of her sentencing here:
Other commenters expressed their disbelief at the former judge’s outlandish actions. One commented, “You know exactly why she wasn’t in jail. Our system of justice is backwards.” Another joked, “Maybe this judge will issue a nationwide injunction against arresting rogue judges for homicide? ”
Building on that point, another long reply offered solutions for the blatantly corrupt judiciary. The comment said, ‘The entire judiciary needs a housecleaning, and some new rules. A couple of good ones: Only native born US citizens can be judges. Only persons who have a current license to practice law in the state and are in good standing with the state bar. Only persons who have been active in the appropriate court setting (civil or criminal) as a prosecutor or defense attorney for at least ten years.”
Rounding out the comments, other replies drew attention to how lucky McCoy was to survive the attack. One such comment read, “Crazy story. Stranger than fiction. Man survives gunshot through his head by serial killer judge.” Another added, “Dude was shot, the bullet went temple to temple, and he lived?! Michael McCoy is a tough, lucky dude.”
Featured image from embedded video