An upstate New York man who fatally shot a young woman as she entered the wrong driveway has been found guilty of her murder.
One Saturday night last April, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis, her boyfriend, and others were out for a fun night out at a friend's house in New York. hebron, a rural area in upstate New York near the Vermont border, about 40 miles north of Albany. The group got into the SUV with Gillis' boyfriend at the wheel and her in the passenger seat next to him.
That particular area was dark and overgrown with trees, making it difficult for the young people to find their way. At one point, they made the really fatal mistake of parking in a driveway they thought belonged to a friend.
they were wrong. As Blaze News reported last year, they accidentally parked their car in the driveway of a home owned by Kevin Monaghan and his wife.
The group quickly realized their mistake and Gillis' boyfriend began trying to turn the car around. However, before they could leave the premises, Monaghan fired two shots from his shotgun, the second hitting Gillis in the neck.
Gillis has previously passed away. first responders May attempt to assist. Police later estimated that the errant SUV had been on Monaghan's property for no more than 90 seconds.
Monaghan was arrested later that night and charged with second-degree murder. Police officers at the scene claimed that the suspect “showed no remorse at all.”
At trial earlier this month, defense attorneys repeatedly argued that Monaghan believed his home was “under siege” and had no intention of harming anyone. Mr. Monahan also took the stand and testified that he fired the first shot as a warning to scare away intruders. Unfortunately, he explained to the jury, there was a nail on the balcony that caused him to trip. He then accidentally dropped the weapon and when it hit the ground, it “disappeared”.
“I had no intention of firing the second shot,” Monaghan insisted.
The jury didn't buy it. It took less than two hours for Monaghan, 66, to be found guilty Tuesday, despite two weeks of testimony and other arguments. He currently faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
Kaylin's father Andy Gillis insisted the family was “very pleased” with the verdict. “It's been a long nine months and we've been waiting for justice and waiting for justice,” he said.
“Obviously, it doesn't change anything. We can't bring Kaylin back, but this is the beginning of us beginning to heal.”
After Kaylin's unreasonable death, the Gillis family grieved and moved to Florida to start a new life. Andy Gillis said he hasn't forgiven Monaghan yet, but he may “someday”. “Right now, I'm not thinking about it,” he said. WNYT. “But you never know. Time will tell.”
Neighbors in Hebron had little to offer in Mr. Monaghan's defense, arguing that he often became enraged when drivers mistook his driveway for the road. “His fuse was short,” Adam Matthews said shortly after Monaghan's arrest. “There was no question that he had a short fuse. I think he was a bit of a narcissist.”
“He couldn't have done anything wrong, but no one else knew about Jack S***.”
Do you like Blaze News? Avoid censorship and sign up for our newsletter to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. Please register here!
