Juliann Bachmann’s loved ones gathered after prosecutors described a public attack in Yaphank.
YAPHANK, N.Y. — Friends and relatives gathered Sunday to remember Juliann Bachmann, a 30-year-old Bellport mother of three killed after prosecutors said her boyfriend attacked her at a Long Island gas station.
The vigil came one day after Bachmann was found gravely injured at a Speedway station in Yaphank and later died at a Patchogue hospital. Michael McHenry, 40, also of Bellport, was arrested Saturday night and charged with second-degree murder. A judge ordered him held without bail.
Prosecutors said witnesses saw the attack and called 911 as it happened. They said McHenry stabbed Bachmann multiple times, including in the neck and chest, after an assault that started in her car and continued outside. Police said McHenry left the scene before officers arrived and was arrested hours later.
At the vigil, Bachmann’s sister, Kristen Bachmann, said the family was trying to understand the sudden loss. “I thought we would grow old together,” she said, according to accounts from the gathering. Friends Nay Warren and Tasha Robinson helped organize the memorial, where mourners shared memories of Bachmann and spoke about her children.
The killing has drawn attention in Suffolk County because of the public setting, the witnesses and McHenry’s recent release from prison. Records cited in reports show he was paroled in March after being sentenced in 2024 for attempted assault. Police have not announced a motive in Bachmann’s death.
McHenry appeared Sunday in First District Court in Central Islip. Prosecutors said he and Bachmann had been in a relationship. Police initially said the two were known to each other, but released few details about what happened before the violence began at the gas station.
Bachmann’s family and friends said the focus now is on her three children and the court case ahead. McHenry remains jailed without bail as Suffolk County authorities continue the investigation and prepare the next steps in the murder prosecution.
Author note: Last updated May 19, 2026.