An 18-year-old from Nesconset was indicted for allegedly shooting his ex-girlfriend to death before attempting to kill himself.
On the morning of November 26, Emily Finn allegedly went to Lynch’s home, on Shenandoah Boulevard North in Nesconset, to have a face-to-face conversation about the break-up of their roughly three-and-a-half-year relationship.
In 2022, Austin Lynch and Finn were 14 years old when they started dating. In the fall of 2025, Finn began her freshman year of college at SUNY Oneonta, studying early childhood education, while Lynch remained on Long Island. He planned to begin boot camp for the Marines the following February.
Two weeks before Thanksgiving, Finn broke up with Lynch. He soon allegedly became obsessive, calling and texting Finn nonstop. When she ignored his calls and ultimately blocked his number, Lynch allegedly called her from a family member’s phone and barraged her with social media messages. Witnesses alleged that Lynch was upset and angry, allegedly voicing multiple times a desire to kill himself.
On the morning of November 26 at approximately 9:50 a.m., while home from college for Thanksgiving break, Finn arrived at Lynch’s home. As she prepared to leave, Lynch allegedly shot her in the back of the head with his family’s shotgun at point-blank range. He then allegedly turned the gun on himself, severely injuring his face.
Upon hearing the gunshots, Lynch’s parents rushed into the house from the backyard area. Lynch’s father placed a call to 911. He allegedly reported that his son had shot his girlfriend and himself. When paramedics and law enforcement arrived at the home, Finn was found dead, with her car keys still in her hand, her purse beside her body, and her coat on. Lynch was found bleeding heavily from his face and was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was treated for facial fractures and a cranial leak, among other injuries.
On December 4, Lynch was arraigned on the indictment before the Honorable Judge Philip Goglas for Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A felony.
Goglas ordered Lynch remanded without bail. Lynch is due back in court on December 8 and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted on the top count.
“This is a tragic case,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “Emily Finn should still be alive and back at college. Instead, the defendant allegedly robbed her of that experience and her future.”