Victor Panebianco was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in prison after admitting he fatally stabbed Christopher Millwater outside the Stony Brook Yacht Club in November 2025.
STONY BROOK, N.Y. — A North Carolina man was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in state prison for the fatal stabbing of a 52-year-old man outside the Stony Brook Yacht Club, closing one chapter in a killing prosecutors said was captured in part on surveillance video.
Victor Panebianco, 33, of King, North Carolina, had pleaded guilty Aug. 11 to first-degree manslaughter in the death of Christopher Millwater. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced the sentence Sept. 22.
Panebianco will also serve five years of post-release supervision following his prison term.
“The killing of Christopher Millwater at the hands of the defendant was brutal,” Tierney said. “We are grateful that the court imposed the maximum sentence requested by my office.”
“We hope that the victim’s loved ones find some solace in knowing that justice was served,” Tierney added.
Police Found Millwater With Two Stab Wounds
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Suffolk County police received a 911 call at about 3:42 a.m. Nov. 10, 2025, reporting an unconscious man lying in the parking lot of the Stony Brook Yacht Club.
Police and emergency medical personnel arrived and found Millwater suffering from two stab wounds to the chest. He was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators later pieced together what happened using witness interviews along with video and audio surveillance.
Prosecutors said Millwater pulled into the yacht club parking lot shortly before the 911 call. Panebianco and co-defendant Kacy Corso had also arrived and were sitting inside Corso’s vehicle.
Prosecutors Say Victim Tried to Escape
Panebianco got out of the passenger side and approached Millwater, prosecutors said.
Millwater then drove around Corso’s vehicle toward the parking lot exit, but Corso crashed into his car and prevented him from leaving, according to the district attorney’s account.
Millwater got out and tried to run.
Surveillance video showed Panebianco chasing him while swinging a knife before catching up with him, prosecutors said. During the confrontation, Panebianco threatened to kill Millwater.
A short time later, Millwater was motionless on the ground as Panebianco kicked him in the head, according to prosecutors.
Panebianco and Corso then returned to the vehicle and fled.
The killing drew an extensive Suffolk County investigation and became one of several high-profile Long Island homicide prosecutions handled over the past year.
Pair Had Arrived on Long Island Shortly Before Killing
Cellular telephone records showed Panebianco and Corso arrived on Long Island from out of state less than 90 minutes before the killing and left New York afterward, according to prosecutors.
Panebianco was arrested nine days later in North Carolina with assistance from the Stokes County Sheriff’s Office. Corso had returned to Suffolk County and was arrested there by Suffolk County police.
Panebianco ultimately pleaded guilty before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei to first-degree manslaughter, a Class B felony.
His Aug. 11 plea followed months of litigation after Panebianco and Corso had initially faced murder charges in the case. Contemporary reporting on the plea also documented Panebianco’s admission to the fatal attack.
Co-Defendant Expected to Be Sentenced Wednesday
Corso is expected to be sentenced Wednesday to seven years in prison for her role in Millwater’s death, according to the district attorney’s office.
She previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter and hindering prosecution, according to court reporting from earlier this summer.
The case remains part of Shore News Network’s continuing coverage of crime, courts and New York.
Panebianco was represented by attorney Jonathan Manley. Additional information on criminal proceedings in Suffolk County is available through the New York State Unified Court System.