Accused Emily Finn killer plotted robbery of her W. Sayville home from jail, DA says

Austin Lynch allegedly drew a map of his slain ex-girlfriend’s house and told a fellow inmate where to find her jewelry

The Nesconset teen accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend after their breakup in November allegedly schemed from behind bars to have someone rob her family’s West Sayville home, according to prosecutors.

Austin Lynch, 18, was arraigned Friday in Riverhead on a charge of fourth-degree conspiracy, with Acting Suffolk Supreme Court Justice Anthony Senft entering a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said Lynch, who has been held at the Suffolk County Jail on a second-degree murder charge in the Nov. 26 shooting death of 18-year-old Emily Finn inside his home, drew a map for a fellow inmate that directed him to her second-floor bedroom and its valuables.

“While awaiting trial, this defendant allegedly sought to terrorize the family of Emily Finn, the
young woman he is accused of killing,” Tierney said. “Our office will not allow
victims and their loved ones to be subjected to further harm.”

Assistant District Attorney Dena Rizopoulos said in court that Lynch had nothing to gain from the burglary except cruelty toward her family, Newsday reported.

“He wanted to continue to make this family suffer,” Rizopoulos told the court at Friday’s arraignment.

Lynch is accused of passing detailed information to a cooperating inmate between Dec. 4 and 24, telling him where a house key was hidden and that there were no security cameras on the property.

Rizopoulos said prosecutors learned of the alleged plot through a confidential informant from inside the jail, and that the level of detail could only have come from someone with intimate knowledge of the home, according to Newsday’s report.

Friends and family of Finn were in attendance, many dressed in pink and holding photographs of the dancer and aspiring teacher, Newsday reported.

Lynch’s defense attorney, William Wexler, declined to participate in Friday’s arraignment, citing a prior order that found Lynch not competent to stand trial on the murder charge. Senft ordered a new mental health evaluation and directed Lynch to return to court in May.

Lynch has pleaded not guilty to murder in Finn’s death.

Authorities have said the couple had dated for three years before Finn, a 2025 Sayville High School graduate and SUNY Oneonta freshman, broke up with him last fall. She had went to Lynch’s Nesconset home to return his belongings during Thanksgiving break.

Lynch fired a single shot into the back of Finn’s head as she was heading out the door, then turned the gun on himself, surviving a shot to his face, police said.

The incident occurred one day before Lynch’s 18th birthday.

_{Top: Austin Lynch (Facebook) and Emily Finn (Instagram)}

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