North Carolina Woman Indicted for Murder of Holtsville Man During Burglary
Dynasty Sanders, 21, shot Stephen McCoy in the head during an October 2024 burglary at his Holtsville home; McCoy died 15 months later after countless surgeries.
A 21-year-old North Carolina woman was indicted on a murder charge after the man she allegedly shot during a Holtsville home burglary survived more than a year of surgeries before dying from the wound.
Dynasty Sanders was arraigned April 7 on a superseding indictment charging her with Murder in the Second Degree and related counts, including first-degree burglary, first-degree criminal use of a firearm, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced the charges.
According to prosecutors, Sanders broke into Stephen McCoy's home on the afternoon of October 20, 2024, pointed a gun at McCoy and his wife, and demanded money. McCoy, then 52, fought back despite the weapon. Sanders overpowered him and shot him in the head. His wife escaped the scene. Sanders fled without taking anything.
McCoy did not die quickly. He underwent countless surgeries and treatments over the following 15 months, finally succumbing to complications from the gunshot wound on January 24, 2026. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death.
Sanders had been arrested in August 2025 and initially charged with attempted murder. When McCoy died in January, prosecutors upgraded the charges. She has been held in the Suffolk County Jail since her arrest, though not without legal challenge: in February 2026, Sanders filed a federal habeas corpus petition alleging unconstitutional conditions and civil rights violations at the facility. A federal judge dismissed the petition without prejudice in March 2026, ruling she must first exhaust her claims through state courts.
"After allegedly forcing her way into the victim's home and shooting him in the head, the defendant was left to endure countless surgeries and unimaginable pain before he ultimately lost his life," Tierney said. "My office will ensure this defendant is held accountable for the suffering she allegedly caused."
Sanders is next scheduled to appear in court on April 28. If convicted on the top count, she faces up to 25 years to life in prison. As with any indictment, the charges are allegations; Sanders has not been convicted and will have the opportunity to contest the case in court.
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