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A funeral for Saratoga County’s Kaylin Gillis, of Schuylerville, will get underway at 4 p.m. Friday, April 21, at the Flynn Bros. Funeral Home in Schuylerville, according to her obituary.
Gillis died Saturday night, April 15, when her boyfriend mistakenly drove onto the property of 65-year-old Kevin Monahan, located in Washington County in the town of Hebron, as they and two others looked for a friend’s house, sheriff’s officials said.
After realizing his mistake, the young man turned around and was leaving the property when Monahan allegedly fired two shots at the vehicle from a 20-gauge shotgun, striking Gillis, WNYT reports.
Being in a rural area, the group struggled to get cellphone service and had to drive five miles away before they could finally call 911.
Medics treated Gillis at the scene, but she was eventually pronounced dead.
Monahan spent roughly an hour holed up inside his home before finally surrendering.
On Wednesday, April 19, a Washington County judge ordered him jailed at the neighboring Warren County jail without bail as he faces a second-degree murder charge. Police said he has refused to cooperate with investigators.
Meanwhile, tributes continue to pour in for Gillis, a 2021 graduate of Schuylerville Central School and member of the school’s competitive cheerleading team for two seasons.
At a press conference on Tuesday, April 18, Schuylerville Central Schools Superintendent Gregg Barthelmas said Gillis was also an “avid” artist and took part in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) program.
“Her teammates and coach remember her as a sweet and passionate young lady,” Barthelmas said. “She was always smiling and laughing, and trying to make others laugh as well.”
Su Luke, Gillis’ former art teacher, remembered her as a “bright and creative young woman who put her heart into all that she did. She was a joy to work with and a positive role model for her peers.”
She was also a Disney fanatic, and could recall “every movie, hero, and princess ever created,” reads her memorial.
“Kaylin lit up any room she was in, and she was the glue of her family,” her obituary said. “She was loyal, outgoing, beautiful, and smart, it was a part of her natural instincts to always do the next right thing.”
Gillis is survived by her parents, Andrew and Angelique Gillis; and sisters, Madilyn and Lilliana.
Relatives said in lieu of flowers, contributions in her name can be made to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
Donations can also be made to the GoFundMe campaign created to help her family with memorial expenses and later establish a scholarship in her name.
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