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Kevin Monahan, age 65, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in a Washington County courtroom on Friday, March 1.
It came one month after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and related charges in the shooting death of Kaylin Gillis outside his rural home in the town of Hebron.
Investigators said it was just before 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 15, 2023 when Gillis and three others mistakenly turned into Monohan’s driveway while looking for a friend’s house.
After realizing their mistake, they turned around and were leaving his home when Monahan fired two shots at their vehicle from a 12-gauge shotgun, striking Gillis, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Her boyfriend had to drive nearly five miles away from the shooting scene in order to get cell reception to call 911. Gillis was treated at the scene but died from her injuries.
Monahan spent roughly an hour holed up inside his home talking with 911 dispatchers before finally surrendering.
According to deputies, the group of friends never got out of their car and had no interaction with Monahan prior to the shooting.
Defense attorneys argued that Monahan and his wife felt threatened by the car pulling into his driveway and he accidentally fired the fatal shot after firing a warning shot into the air.
Jurors disagreed and convicted Monahan of second-degree murder, as well as tampering with evidence and reckless endangerment on Tuesday, Jan. 23, after deliberating for just two hours.
Meanwhile, tributes continue to pour in for Gillis, a 2021 graduate of Schuylerville High School in Saratoga County.
At a press conference shortly after her death, district superintendent Gregg Barthelmas remembered the young woman as an “avid artist” who also took part in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) program and was a member of the school’s competitive cheerleading team for two seasons.
“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.”
“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.”
Her family has since launched a GoFundMe campaign in hopes of establishing a scholarship in their daughter’s name. The campaign had raised nearly $150,000 as of Friday, March 1.
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