Long Island man found competent to stand trial in ex-girlfriend's 2025 shooting death

A Long Island man has been found competent to stand trial in his ex-girlfriend's shooting death.

Austin Lynch, 18, is accused of shooting and killing Emily Finn, 18, at his Nesconset home on Nov. 26, 2025.

The Suffolk County District Attorney's office said Lynch and Finn dated for several years as teenagers until Finn ended the relationship in early November 2025.

According to authorities, after the breakup, Finn went to Lynch's house to retrieve some of her belongings, and as she was leaving, Lynch shot her in the back of the head with a shotgun, then shot himself.

Finn was pronounced dead at the scene, and Lynch was taken to a local hospital with facial fractures, a cranial leak and other injuries.

Lynch was arraigned on murder charges in December, but he was initially found not competent to stand trial and was committed to a New York State Office of Mental Health hospital.

The Suffolk County DA said after a court appearance Thursday, Lynch was found fit to stand trial. His next court date is Oct. 19.

Lynch is also accused of plotting to have someone burglarize Finn's family's home while he was in jail.

Finn graduated from Sayville High School and had danced with the American Ballet Studio in Bayport. She had been studying to become a teacher at SUNY Oneonta.