Man Slain Outside Stony Brook Yacht Club Fished There 30 Years For 'Peace And Tranquility,' Sister Says

SELDEN, NY — Christopher Millwater had been going to the Stony Brook Yacht Club to fish for the better part of 30 years.

The avid fisherman would often go there just to think.

"He went there for peace, for tranquility," his sister, Corinne Millwater, told Patch on Wednesday. "He did a lot of fishing there. I don't really know what else to say. He was just a wonderful person."

Recently, he explained to her how there were two groups of men who would fish there, and he would just watch them.

In case of tragic irony, the place that brought him so much peace was the place he died.

Millwater, a 52-year-old lifelong resident of Selden, was found stabbed to death outside of the club at about 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 10, Suffolk police said.

Corinne doesn't know any other details surrounding his death, though she did recognize the irony.

It is unknown if Millwater had been at the dock fishing.

Corinne said she does not believe he had any fishing poles with him at the time of his death, though, "I could be wrong on that," she said.

"He was just there a lot," she said. "He would sit and stare at the water."

"It was just his place of tranquility," she added.

Allegations He Was Slain By His Ex's New Beau, As She Egged Him On

Suffolk Homicide Squad detectives charged Kacy Corso, 33, of Setauket, with second-degree murder on Wednesday in connection with Millwater's death, police said.

Corso and her boyfriend, Victor Panebianco went to the yacht club, knowing Millwater would be there and Corso repeatedly used her vehicle to block him from leaving and then slammed it into him, News 12 reported, citing court documents.

The New York Post reported Suffolk prosecutors said that Panebianco asked Millwater to say he and Corso were through, as she told him, “Don’t believe him, don’t let him fool you."

Panebianco then chased Millwater on foot, pinned him to the ground, and stabbed him multiple times in the heart as lungs, as Korso egged him on, according to the outlet.

Corso had previously warned Millwater on Facebook not to contact her and called him a "grave robber," the outlet reported.

Corso pleaded not guilty at her arraignment and was remanded to the Suffolk County Correctional Facility without bail, court records show.

Her defense attorney, Christopher Gioe of Hauppauge, told Patch that she "has vehemently denied any involvement in the stabbing incident and has not admitted to the charges."

"On her behalf, we have entered a plea of not guilty," he said. "We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation into this matter and defending our client zealously."

Panebianco is awaiting extradition from North Carolina to New York, according to published reports.

It is not clear if he has legal representation.

'One Of The Best Guys,' A 'Great' Uncle Who Loved 'Loved 80s Freestyle Music'

Millwater dedicated 30 years of his life to landscaping, although he had not been working in the field recently.

In addition to fishing, he loved listening to 80s Freestyle music in his free time.

He was "one of the best guys" Corinne knew.

"He didn't have very much, but whatever he had, he would give anybody who called him what they needed," she said. "He showed up. He was definitely a really great uncle — just loved his family."

Millwater, who was an autism advocate, had a special way about him in his interactions with people with special needs, and also a lighter touch with children. He was recently teaching sign language to Corinne's granddaughter, his great niece.

In addition to Corinne, and her family, he leaves behind his brother, mother, and two grown children of his own, including a 21-year-old and an 18-year-old, one of whom is autistic.

"He had not seen his children, so that's also very heartbreaking," Corinne said.

The family was able to lay him to rest in a private ceremony with the help of more than $22, 000 in donations collected in an online fundraiser on GoFundMe.

At the time the page was created, Corinne asked for prayers that justice would be done.

One donor, a man from Rockland County who does not know the Millwater family and learned of the slaying through a local publication, addressed Corinne: "I pray that the savage that did this awful deed is soon apprehended and that justice is served. My sympathy to you and your family."

As for the person or persons responsible for her brother's death, Corinne previously told Patch that she still prays there will be justice.

"I pray; I pray," she said. "There is an active investigation, and that is all we pray for right now. We pray for justice."

Corso is due back in court on Monday, records show.

Court information for Panebianco was not available on Friday.