Kevin Monahan, suspect in Kaylin Gillis shooting, is a former motorcycle racer

The man charged with manslaughter in the shooting of Kaylin Gillis was a former professional motorcycle racer who lives with his wife, a Department of Labor official who advises on how to deal with stress, in the home where the 20-year-old lives. is killed.

Gillis was traveling through the rural town of Hebron with three other people just before 10 p.m. Saturday night when the group took a wrong turn onto the property.

They were attempting to turn the car around when the homeowner, Kevin Monahan, 65, came onto his front porch and fired two shots, according to Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy. One round hit Gillis.

Monahan’s attorney, Kurt Mausert, described his client Monday as someone with no previous criminal convictions and said he owns a contracting business in Washington County, about 60 miles northeast of Albany, close to the New York-Vermont border.

My preliminary opinion on this case is that it was a series of mistakes that led to tragedy. It’s too early to say more,’ said Mausert the New York Times. As of this writing, Monahan has yet to set a court date.

Monahan is married to Polly Jinx, 69, a Department of Labor consultant who advises people on how to manage work-related stress

The couple live along Patterson Hill Road in Hebron, New York, the area known for its poor cell phone coverage which officials say contributed to Gillis taking a wrong turn

Online records show that Monahan lives at his home off Patterson Hill Road in Salem, New York, with his wife of 35 years, Polly Jinx Monahan. He is a registered Republican.

Polly Jinx Monahan, 69, is an employment consultant with the New York State Department of Labor, she says her LinkedIn page.

Among her “specialties,” she lists “stress management,” “positivity,” and “optimism.”

Polly has served in her role since 2009, having previously served in other career guidance roles in addition to serving as president of the Washington County Youth Advisory Board.

She is a graduate of SUNY Brockport and the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

In 2009, Polly wrote an article for the Glens Falls Poster on how to deal with the stress of being unemployed.

Among the tips offered are meditation, communication, and “focus on gratitude, forgiveness, and love.”

“It’s hard to focus on gratitude, forgiveness (of yourself and others), and love and still be stressed,” she wrote.

In another paragraph, Polly advised to “quit catastrophic thoughts.”

“Ask yourself ‘what is the worst that could happen’ and then estimate the probability that the event will turn out like this,” she added.

According to Zillow, Kevin and Polly Monahan’s home was built in 2004 and is estimated to cost $310,000

The Albany Times Union notes in their report that property in the area where the shooting took place can only be accessed by unpaved driveways

The city of Hebron is located in Washington County, about 60 miles northeast of Albany, close to the border between New York and Vermont

Friends remembered Gillis over the weekend as a gentle soul who loved animals

‘I’m sure she comes from a good family. A very good family and I know them personally and she is a young girl who was taken way too young,” Sheriff Jeff Murphy said.

In October 1986, the Post Star published the announcement of the couple’s engagement. The article referred to the suspect as a professional motorcycle racer who regularly competed in the Camel Pro Series.

In May 1983, Monahan was among six racers injured and hospitalized in a crash at a Camel event in Ohio.

According to zillow, Kevin and Polly Monahan’s home was built in 2004 and is estimated to cost $310,000.

The Albany Times Union notes in their report that property in the area where the shooting took place can only be accessed by unpaved driveways. At a press conference Monday, Sheriff Murphy said Monahan has been living in the home for “a while.”

Photos of the house published by the New York Post show large panel windows at the front of the house.

A no entry sign is nailed to a tree on the property. “Hunting, fishing, trapping or trespassing for any purpose is strictly prohibited. Violators will be prosecuted,” the warning reads.

At the time of their engagement, Monahan was working for his father’s company, Robert D. Monahan Associates, a roofing contractor, in Hudson Falls, New York. The suspect grew up in nearby Lake Sunnyside as one of five siblings.

Robert Monahan was a World War II veteran who served in Europe and was a member of the Queensbury Republican Committee and of the American Motorcyclist Association.

He married his wife, Betsy, in 1942. Her obituary describes her as a passionate environmentalist and “active member of local government.”

Since then, a GoFundMe has been started by friends to cover funeral costs

“Kaylin Gillis, you will be sorely missed,” friend Chuchay Stark wrote in a Facebook tribute

After Saturday’s shooting, Gillis’s friends drove to the neighboring town of Salem, northeast of Albany near the Vermont state line, and called 911, said Murphy, who noted that the shooting occurred in an area with limited cell phone service.

Emergency services arrived and performed CPR on Gillis but were unable to save her.

When officers arrived at Monahan’s home to investigate the shooting, he refused to come out, Murphy said. According to the sheriff, authorities spoke to him through 911 and in person for about an hour before he was taken into custody.

Monahan was booked in the Warren County jail on manslaughter charges.

Authorities made an administrative decision to hold Monahan in Warren County as Gillis’ father, Andrew, is a jailer at the Washington County Jail.

Sheriff Murphy said at a news conference Monday that Gillis, who lived in Schuylerville, was “an innocent young girl who was out with friends looking for another friend’s house.”

Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot twice in the head by a white man after accidentally approaching the wrong house when he went to pick up his siblings

Andrew Lester, 84, has been charged with two counts of the April 13 shooting of Ralph Yarl, which Kansas City prosecutors say was racially motivated

The shooting occurred days after 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot and injured in Kansas City, Missouri, after going to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers.

Friends remembered Gillis over the weekend as a gentle soul who loved animals.

‘I’m sure she comes from a good family. A very good family and I know them personally and she is a young girl who was taken far too young,” Murphy said.

“Kaylin Gillis, you will be sorely missed,” Chuchay Stark wrote in a Facebook tribute.

“I’ve known you since your Barbie days with my kids. Since then you have remained a beautiful, sweet and loving person,” the post continued.

“You are still the sweetest and sweetest child I know. You love dogs, even though we all know that a certain dog was mean to you when you were younger,” Stark wrote.

“Kaylin, rest in peace, I’m sure Roxie Roo is standing next to you now as you look down on us. Thank you for all the fun memories you shared with me, Lipsha and Loren. I’m glad I had the pleasure of getting to know you,” the post concludes.

a GoFundMe has since been set up by friends to help cover funeral expenses.

The fundraiser has raised just over $38,000 of its $50,000 goal as of Monday.

‘What a terrible tragedy. My deepest condolences,” wrote one person who donated.

“I remember Kaylin from when she was a toddler hanging out with us during our sleepovers. My thoughts are with the family,” another wrote.

“I am so terribly sorry to read this devastating news. This is the second GoFundMe donation made today by me to the families of young people who accidentally went to the wrong address. Enough,” said one commenter.