10 Photos of Emily Finn: 18-Year-Old Killed After 'Puppy Love' Turns Deadly in Botched Murder-Suicide

Emily Finn's bright future was cut tragically short in a shocking morning shooting in Nesconset, Long Island, after the 18-year-old college freshman was killed by her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend in what police described as a botched murder-suicide attempt.

The suspect survived the gunshot wound he inflicted on himself and is now expected to face a charge of second-degree murder.

The violent incident has devastated the normally close community of West Sayville, leaving family, friends and classmates grappling with how a teenage relationship once marked by innocent 'puppy love' could descend into deadly violence.

Prom Night Memories Of Young Love

Just months earlier, Emily and Austin Lynch appeared to be a happy young couple at their high school prom in June. Photographs still visible on Emily's Instagram show the teenager smiling as she pinned a corsage to her date, danced alongside him and posed beneath a floral arch and beside a carriage with friends.

Those images, filled with the optimism and excitement of youth, now stand in heartbreaking contrast to the tragedy that unfolded in November. For many in the community, the photographs represent a poignant snapshot of a life filled with possibility, abruptly overshadowed by unimaginable loss.

Fatal Shooting In Nesconset

Suffolk County Police said the shooting occurred at approximately 11:10am on Wednesday, 26 November, at a home on Shenandoah Boulevard North in Nesconset.

According to investigators, the 17-year-old shot his former girlfriend inside the property before turning the gun on himself and firing into his face. His parents discovered the scene and immediately dialled 911.

Emily was pronounced dead at the home. The teenager was rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he remains in critical but stable condition.

Police confirmed he is expected to be charged with second-degree murder. Detectives described the incident as an attempted murder-suicide linked to the couple's recent break-up, adding that no previous reports of domestic violence had been filed.

Authorities said Emily had gone to her ex-boyfriend's home to return his belongings in what was intended to be a brief, civil encounter. Instead, it escalated into fatal violence.

Community Mourns Promising Young Life

Emily, a graduate of Sayville High School, was studying childhood education and dance as a freshman at the State University of New York at Oneonta. She is remembered by loved ones as a vibrant and compassionate young woman with a contagious enthusiasm for learning and life.

Funeral services will be held on Sunday, 30 November, from 2pm to 4.30pm and 7pm to 9.30pm at Raynor & D'Andrea Funeral Home in West Sayville. A church service will follow on Monday, 1 December, at St John's Lutheran Church in Sayville.

Family members have asked mourners to wear a splash of pink, Emily's favourite colour, in tribute.

In the days since her death, a GoFundMe campaign page set up by a family friend has raised more than $62,000 (£49,000) from over 900 donations. Messages of condolence have poured in from across Long Island, reflecting the profound shock and anguish felt by the wider community.

While the criminal case moves forward, residents of West Sayville are left confronting the unbearable reality of a life lost far too soon, and a relationship that ended not with closure, but with tragedy.