- Kevin Monahan, 66, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for shooting and killing Kaylin Gillis, 20, in upstate New York.
- Monaghan was found guilty of second-degree murder for shooting Gillis in the neck after the group accidentally pulled into his driveway while looking for a party.
- He was sentenced to additional prison time for tampering with a weapon and was criticized by the judge for his lack of remorse.
A man who shot and killed a 20-year-old woman in upstate New York after the SUV she was riding in accidentally crashed into a rural driveway was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison.
Kevin Monahan, 66, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Kaylin Gillis last April. After she pulled into Monaghan’s long, winding driveway while looking for a party at her stranger’s home in the town of Hebron, she was separated from two cars and a motorcycle as she was about to leave. I was riding in a caravan.
“I think it’s important for people to know that it’s wrong to shoot someone or kill someone for refusing their driveway,” Judge Adam Michelini said. Mr Michelini said that apart from the wider deterrent effect, it was important that Mr Monaghan remained behind bars rather than being free to harm more people.
Kaylin Gillis killed in driveway shooting: father says he hopes suspect ‘dies in jail’
The judge added an additional sentence of up to four years for tampering with a weapon and reprimanded Monaghan for not showing remorse.
Kevin Monaghan, left, listens to opening statements in his murder trial in the Monaghan murder case in which he fatally shot a 20-year-old woman in the SUV he was accidentally riding in at the Washington County Courthouse in Fort Edward, New York, on January 11, 2024. . A man who crashed his car into a rural driveway in upstate New York was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison. (Will Waldron/Albany Times Union, Associated Press, Pool, via File)
The judge said: “You murdered Kaylin Gillis, you fired into a car full of people, you lied repeatedly without caring what happened. You will spend the maximum time allowed by law in prison. It’s only natural that we spend time together,” he said.
The prosecution had asked for the maximum amount. The defense asked for leniency. Monaghan declined the opportunity to speak. He was then removed from the gallery to applause and cries of “coward.”
Boyfriend of woman killed after taking wrong driveway describes the ‘frenzied’ moment she was shot by homeowner
Gillis’ death drew attention beyond upstate New York. The incident occurred just days after 16-year-old Ralph Yahr was shot and killed in Kansas City. Jarl, who is black, was attacked and injured by an 84-year-old white man who entered the wrong door to pick up his younger brothers.
The night Gillis died, her friends realized their mistake and turned around to see Monaghan fire a second shot, hitting Gillis in the neck as she sat in the passenger seat of her boyfriend’s SUV. did.
Monaghan claimed the fatal injury was an accident and that the shotgun was defective. He also said he believed his home, about 40 miles north of Albany, was “under siege” by intruders, who threatened to scare away his wife’s group while they hid inside. He said he came out to shoot.
Prosecutors argued Monaghan was motivated by irrational anger at the trespasser.
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After deliberating for less than two hours, a jury returned a guilty verdict against Monahan in January on charges of murder, reckless endangerment and tampering with physical evidence.
Gillis’ boyfriend, Blake Walsh, was behind the wheel of the SUV that night. “I will never forgive you,” he told a stone-faced Monaghan before he was sentenced.
Gillis’ father, Andrew Gillis, said his daughter loved animals and had dreams of becoming a marine biologist or veterinarian, and that losing her left an “indescribable void in our lives.” ” remained, he told the court.
“Every day we wake up to the harsh reality that she is no longer here,” he said. “We won’t be able to see her beautiful face, hear her laugh, or just hug her.”
