Overview
- Austin Lynch, 18, requested a mental health evaluation at a Dec. 10 court appearance after pleading not guilty to second-degree murder in the Nov. 26 death of Emily Finn.
- Prosecutors say Lynch shot Finn in the back of the head at his Nesconset home as she was leaving, then shot himself in the face and survived, appearing in court with bandages.
- A judge ruled he will be held in an adult jail because he has since turned 18, and he is due back in court on Jan. 20.
- Authorities characterize the killing as planned and intentional, citing messages and a pattern of persistent contact following the breakup.
- Finn was 18, a SUNY Oneonta student and ballet dancer, and Lynch faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.