New York man sentenced to 25 years to life for killing Kaylin Gillis who turned up in his driveway by accident while looking for another house
- Kevin Monahan, 66, was convicted in the April 2023 shooting death of Kaylin Gillis
- He was sentenced to 25 years to life after the defense asked for leniency
- Gillis’ friend says he will “never be able to forgive” Monahan for killing her
A man who accidentally shot and killed a young woman who showed up in his rural driveway in upstate New York has been sentenced to 25 years to life.
Kevin Monahan, 66, was convicted of manslaughter in the death last April of Kaylin Gillis, 20.
She was riding in a convoy of two cars and a motorcycle trying to leave after pulling into Monahan’s long, winding driveway while looking for a party at someone else’s home in the city of Hebron.
Prosecutors asked the judge Friday for the maximum sentence of 25 years to life, with additional time for tampering with the murder weapon.
Monahan testified in his defense that he stumbled when he fired the fatal shot, after previously firing a warning shot. Prosecutors responded that he ‘acted out of anger’
Monahan is on trial for the April 2023 fatal shooting of 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis, who was shot in the neck after a car she was riding in accidentally drove into the gunman’s driveway
Gillis (right) was in the car with her boyfriend and two friends when they became lost on Monahan’s winding dirt road. He says he will “never be able to forgive” Monahan for killing her
The defense asked for leniency. Monahan declined an opportunity to speak.
“I think it’s important for people to know that it’s not okay to shoot people and have them killed for turning out of your driveway,” Judge Adam Michelini said.
Beyond the broader deterrent effect, Michelini said it is important that Monahan remains behind bars rather than being free to harm more people.
On the night of Gillis’ death, the group of friends had realized their mistake and turned around when Monahan fired a second shot, hitting Gillis in the neck as she sat in the front passenger seat of an SUV driven by her friend .
Monahan insisted the fatal shot was an accident and that the shotgun was defective. He also said he believed the house about 40 miles north of Albany was under “siege” by intruders, and said he came outside to fire a warning shot in an attempt to scare the group away while his wife hidden inside.
Prosecutors argued that Monahan was motivated by an irrational anger toward offenders.
Gilis’ father previously opened up about his grief over the sudden loss of his daughter, saying he hopes Monahan ‘dies in prison’
A NYS police officer holds Kevin Monahan’s shotgun during summonses in Monahan’s murder case
According to Zillow, Kevin Monahan’s house was built in 2004 and is estimated to cost $310,000. It is only accessible via a dirt road.
Kaylin Gillis’ father, Andrew, addressed the media after Monahan’s first court appearance in April, where he said he hoped the shooter “dies in jail.”
A jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning guilty verdicts against Monahan in January on charges of murder, reckless endangerment and tampering with physical evidence.
Gillis’ father, Andrew Gillis, has described his daughter as someone who loved animals and dreamed of becoming a marine biologist or veterinarian.
‘Every day we wake up to the harsh reality that she is gone. We will never see her beautiful face or hear her laughter,” Gillis said in court Friday before Monahan’s sentence was announced.
Her boyfriend, Blake Walsh, was behind the wheel of the SUV that evening. “I’ll never be able to forgive you,” he told Monahan, who looked on with a stony face.