Victor Panebianco sentenced to 25 years in prison in fatal stabbing of Christopher Millwater at LI yacht club

The family of a Selden man killed by his ex’s new boyfriend outside of the Stony Brook Yacht Club last November said his life was taken at a place where he sought "peace and tranquility" following battles with sobriety and cancer.

The family of Christopher Millwater told killer Victor Panebianco as he was sentenced to 25 years in state prison for manslaughter that his actions forever changed their feelings about a location that had been special to them.

"The water will still move with the tide. The beach will still be there. Life will continue in the place my uncle once went to find peace," nephew Chase Millwater said at sentencing on Tuesday. "But it will never be the same village for us."

Panebianco, 32, of North Carolina, pleaded guilty in August to first-degree manslaughter for the fatal stabbing and was sentenced to the agreed-upon disposition by State Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei in Riverhead. He admitted chasing down and stabbing Millwater, 52, as he left the club property where he regularly fished in the early morning hours on Nov. 10.

Dreams of victim

Panebianco said he had dreams of his victim, who he had never met before the killing.

"I think about it every night," Panebianco told the court as he apologized to Millwater’s family. "How things could have been different. How they should have been different."

Panebianco and his girlfriend, Kacy Corso, 34, of East Setauket, both previously admitted tracking down Millwater as he tried to drive away from the club around 3:30 a.m. the day of the killing. Corso drove her Honda Civic into Millwater’s vehicle before Panebianco attacked him, the defendants told the judge.

Prosecutors have said Corso was in a long-term romantic relationship with Millwater that ended badly. Before the stabbing both she and Panebianco accused Millwater of harassing her in posts on Facebook.

Millwater’s family members said there was nothing Millwater could have done to deserve such a violent, sudden death.

"What could possibly be so important that it was worth ending someone else’s life?" niece Serenity Verderosa asked as she held her infant daughter while addressing the court.

Millwater’s sister, Corinne Millwater, described her brother as her best friend and someone who could be relied on for support and kindness. She spoke of how he maintained his sobriety for the last 30 years of his life, beating cancer along the way.

"Christopher had fought so hard to stay alive, only to have his life taken away," Corinne Millwater said.

Video surveillance

Under the plea agreement, Panebianco admitted traveling with Corso to Long Island in the hours before the attack and stabbing Millwater multiple times with the intent of causing "serious physical injury."

Video surveillance showed the couple going to the yacht club and Corso using her car to block Millwater's vehicle in the parking lot while Panebianco ran toward him.

Prosecutors had said Millwater tried to drive away when Corso drove "full force" into his car, sending it spinning through the parking lot.

The video evidence also showed Millwater running from Panebianco while yelling for help before Panebianco straddled him as he stabbed him.

District Attorney Ray Tierney called the killing "brutal" in a statement sent following the sentencing.

"We are grateful that the court imposed the maximum sentence requested by my office," Tierney said. "We hope the victim's loved ones find some solace in knowing that justice was served."

Panebianco and Corso fled the state the morning of the killing with license plate readers tracking them across four states to North Carolina, prosecutors have said. Police later recovered the vehicle, clothing and a knife.

Corso, who admitted in July that she was looking to avoid prosecution when she fled, is expected to serve 7 years in state prison under a separate manslaughter plea agreement when she is sentenced on Wednesday.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.