Suffolk County prosecutors announced that a North Carolina couple has been indicted on murder charges in connection with the fatal stabbing of Christopher Millwater, of Selden, earlier this month at the Stony Brook Yacht Club.
District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said Victor Panebianco, 32, and Kacy Corso, 33, both of King, North Carolina, were arraigned on charges of Murder in the Second Degree for the killing of Corso’s ex-boyfriend, 52-year-old Christopher Millwater.
According to investigators, Suffolk County Police received a 911 call around 3:42 a.m. on November 10 after a fisherman reported an unconscious man in the yacht club parking lot. Officers found Millwater suffering from two stab wounds to the chest. He was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Detectives say video and audio surveillance, along with witness interviews, revealed that Corso and Panebianco allegedly arrived at the yacht club moments before Millwater drove in and parked beside her. After Corso repositioned her car, Panebianco approached Millwater’s vehicle. Millwater attempted to drive away, but Corso allegedly rammed his car. Millwater fled on foot, calling for help, as Panebianco chased him.
Prosecutors allege that Panebianco caught up to Millwater, threatened to kill him, and stabbed him while yelling at him to stay away from Corso. While Millwater lay motionless, Panebianco allegedly kicked him in the head before fleeing the scene with Corso.
Cell phone records show the pair arrived on Long Island less than 90 minutes before the killing and fled the state shortly afterward. Panebianco was arrested in North Carolina with assistance from the Stokes County Sheriff’s Office, while Corso was taken into custody after returning to Suffolk County.
Both defendants were arraigned before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei and ordered held without bail. Corso is also charged with Hindering Prosecution in the First Degree. They each face 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Sheetal Shetty of the Homicide Bureau, and the investigation was led by Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad Detective Jose Johnson.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
