LI Teen Indicted In Execution-Style Killing Of Ex-Girlfriend, Faces 25 To Life: DA

NESCONSET, NY — A Nesconset teen has been indicted on a second-degree murder charge in the killing of his ex-girlfriend, Emily Finn, who prosecutors say was shot in the back of the head inside his home the day before Thanksgiving.

Austin Lynch, 18, was arraigned on the indictment on Dec. 4 and ordered held without bail, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Finn, also 18, of Sayville, was a freshman at SUNY Oneonta studying early childhood education. Lynch had remained on Long Island and planned to begin Marine boot camp in February, the DA said.

According to investigators, Finn went to Lynch’s home on Shenandoah Boulevard North on the morning of Nov. 26 to speak with him in person about the end of their three-and-a-half-year relationship.

The pair began dating at age 14, the DA said. Two weeks before Thanksgiving, Finn ended the relationship, and Lynch allegedly became obsessive — calling and texting repeatedly, the DA said. When Finn blocked his number, Lynch reportedly called from a family member’s phone and continued reaching out across social media, Tierney said.

Witnesses told investigators that Lynch was upset, angry, and voiced multiple times that he wanted to kill himself, the DA said.

At about 9:50 a.m. on November 26, Finn arrived at Lynch’s home while visiting from college for the holiday break, the DA said.

As Finn prepared to leave the house, Lynch took a family-owned shotgun and shot her in the back of the head at point-blank range, the DA said. He then turned the gun on himself, severely injuring his face, Tierney said.

Lynch’s parents heard the gunfire and ran inside from the backyard; his father called 911 and reported that his son had shot his girlfriend and then himself, the DA said.

When officers and paramedics arrived, Finn was found dead with her car keys still in her hand, her purse beside her, and her coat on, the DA said. Lynch was found bleeding heavily and was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was treated for facial fractures and a cranial leak, Tierney said.

Lynch was arraigned on Dec. 4 before Judge Philip Goglas on a charge of second-degree murder, a Class A felony, the DA said. He was ordered held without bail, Tierney added.

Lynch is due back in court on December 8. If convicted, he faces 25 years to life in prison, the DA said.

He is represented by attorney William Wexler, who did not immediately respond for comment.

“This is a tragic case,” Tierney said. “Emily Finn should still be alive and back at college. Instead, the defendant allegedly robbed her of that experience and her future.”