Emily Finn's Family Reprimanded for Outbursts at Killer's Court Hearing

Grief and rage collided inside Riverhead Court on Friday as relatives of slain SUNY Oneonta student Emily Finn repeatedly shouted profanities and epithets at 18-year-old Austin Lynch, the man accused of killing her, drawing sharp rebukes from both a court officer and Judge Anthony Senft Jr. before the proceeding was through.

Lynch appeared in court for arraignment on a new indictment alleging he conspired, while already in Suffolk County lock-up on the murder charge, to have a fellow inmate burglarize the Finn family home in Sayville. That house, prosecutors say, is the same property where Lynch allegedly killed Emily Finn the day before Thanksgiving 2025, while she was home on break from SUNY Oneonta.

The alleged scheme was meticulous. Prosecutors say Lynch recruited an inmate housed in the same facility, handed him a hand-drawn layout of the Finn residence on a piece of paper, and supplied specific details about the property, including the locations of valuables and where a key to the home is hidden in the backyard. The alleged plot unfolded roughly one month after Lynch was first charged with Finn's murder.

Lynch's attorney, William Wexler, refused to participate in the arraignment, telling the court his client remains mentally unfit to stand trial. Judge Senft Jr. ultimately entered a plea of not guilty on Lynch's behalf.

The legal maneuvering proved too much for the Finn family to absorb in silence. As Lynch entered the courtroom wearing green scrubs and red handcuffs, one relative muttered "F–ing asshole" under their breath. Moments later, the same relative exclaimed, "I knew he would pull this! This is such garbage!" drawing an immediate reprimand from a court officer.

When Lynch declined to sign required court documents, another relative directed a pointed question across the courtroom: "So you're telling me he can draw a map of the home but can't sign his own name?"

As the proceeding neared its end, a relative screamed "Scumbag!" prompting Senft Jr. to turn sharply toward the gallery. "We will not have that in this court!" the judge exclaimed, with officers stepping forward to back him up.

The case now moves forward with Lynch having entered a not-guilty plea by judicial order. The question of his mental competency, which has already delayed the underlying murder proceedings, will continue to shape the timeline for both the original charge and the new burglary conspiracy indictment.