North Carolina Couple Accused in Fatal Stony Brook Yacht Club Attack as Investigators Trace a Troubled Timeline

STONY BROOK, NY – A North Carolina couple accused of traveling to Long Island in the early hours of November 10 to confront a man tied to their ongoing personal dispute has now been indicted on murder charges, according to Suffolk County prosecutors and court records. The case, centered around the stabbing of 52-year-old Christopher Millwater in the parking lot of the Stony Brook Yacht Club, has continued to widen as new details emerge about the trio’s prior tensions, the movements of the suspects, and what investigators describe as a coordinated act of violence.

Early-morning 911 call leads police to a violent scene

Just before 4 a.m. on November 10, a fisherman called 911 after spotting a man lying unresponsive near the lot’s edge, according to police incident reports. First responders found Millwater suffering from two stab wounds to the chest. He was rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital and later pronounced dead.

Suffolk County police began canvassing the area immediately, reviewing security footage from the yacht club and surrounding waterfront businesses. Detectives determined that two vehicles, one driven by 33-year-old Kacy Corso of King, North Carolina, and the other belonging to Millwater, had entered the lot within minutes of each other. According to law-enforcement sources, the parking lot was otherwise empty aside from the fisherman who later discovered the body.

Investigators piece together the pursuit

Footage reviewed by detectives showed a sequence that authorities say supports the theory of a planned confrontation. According to prosecutors, Corso parked first. Millwater’s car pulled in soon after. At one point, Corso allegedly repositioned her vehicle to block his path. When Millwater attempted to steer around her, his vehicle was struck, disabling it enough to force him to flee on foot, according to police summaries.

Additional audio captured by nearby security systems recorded Millwater shouting for help and asking, “You’re stabbing me?” as an assailant pursued him. Prosecutors allege that the attacker was 32-year-old Victor Panebianco, Corso’s boyfriend. According to their statements in court, Panebianco chased Millwater, confronted him, and stabbed him before delivering a final kick to the head after he was already on the ground.

Digital evidence shows rapid arrival and rapid escape

One of the key elements investigators highlighted during court proceedings is the timing. According to information obtained from cell-phone records, Corso and Panebianco entered Long Island less than 90 minutes before the attack. The data also indicated that the pair left the state almost immediately afterward, a timeline prosecutors say undermines any notion of a spontaneous altercation.

Authorities in New York circulated alerts to law enforcement agencies in surrounding states. Days later, on November 19, deputies in Stokes County, North Carolina, arrested Panebianco during a coordinated operation with New York investigators. Corso, who had returned to Suffolk County after the incident, was taken into custody separately by Suffolk police.

Grand jury indictments and courtroom developments

A Suffolk County grand jury later returned an indictment charging both Corso and Panebianco with second-degree murder. Corso faces an additional count of first-degree hindering prosecution, which prosecutors say relates to her alleged role in facilitating the confrontation and helping Panebianco flee the scene.

Corso appeared in court on December 3. Panebianco was arraigned six days later. Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei ordered both defendants held without bail pending further hearings. Each faces a possible sentence of 25 years to life if convicted.

A complicated personal history comes under scrutiny

Reporting by several outlets indicates that the individuals involved had a history of conflict long before the deadly encounter. According to publicly accessible social-media posts and prior police calls reviewed by reporters, Corso had previously accused Millwater, her former boyfriend, of harassment and unwanted contact. Posts allegedly made by Millwater days before his death, in which he referenced fatigue and discouragement, have also drawn attention from investigators and the public.

Although prosecutors have not outlined a specific motive beyond referencing an ongoing dispute, the presence of both suspects in the same parking lot as Millwater, at an hour when the yacht club was closed, has fueled speculation that the meeting was not accidental. The investigation is continuing to examine communications between the parties leading up to the incident.

Community reaction and lingering questions

The Stony Brook Yacht Club area is known as a quiet, waterfront community, more associated with recreational boating and early-morning fishing than violent crime. Residents told reporters they were shaken by both the brutality of the attack and the suggestion that it stemmed from a long-running personal dispute that traveled across state lines.

Family members of Millwater attended court sessions in December, expressing frustration and grief. According to reporters who spoke with relatives outside the courthouse, Millwater had spent much of his life visiting the harbor area and fishing in the surrounding waters.

What’s next in the case

Both defendants are scheduled to return to court in January 2026 for preliminary proceedings. Prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing, including analysis of additional digital evidence, vehicle damage, and the timeline of communications between the three individuals.

Assistant District Attorney Sheetal Shetty of the Homicide Bureau is leading the prosecution, and Detective Jose Johnson of the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad is the case detective of record.

While many facts have been presented publicly, additional details, including the precise motive, the level of pre-planning, and whether any earlier confrontations contributed to the final encounter, are expected to be subjects of further testimony and evidence in the months ahead.

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