Kaylin Gillis.Photo: gofundme
An upstate New York man was convicted Tuesday ofkilling a 20-year-old womanafter the car she was riding in mistakenly pulled into his driveway last year.
A Washington County jury found Kevin Monahan, 66, guilty of second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and tampering,NBC News,ABC NewsandCNNreported, citing authorities.
On April 15, 2023, Monahan fired two shots in the direction of the car in which the 20-year-old Gillis was traveling,PEOPLE previously reported. Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said at the time that Gillis was riding in the vehicle with three other passengers looking for a friend’s house in rural Hebron, N.Y., when the shooting occurred.
Gillis was shot in the neck and was later pronounced dead at the scene.
“It’s a very rural area, it’s dirt roads, there’s not a lot of cellular services or any type of internet,” the sheriffpreviously told reporters, explaining that the group drove up Monahan’s driveway “in error.”
In an interview withNBC Newsfollowing Gillis’ death, the victim’s boyfriend of four years, Blake Walsh, told the outlet he thought the group was at the right address but they “didn’t have any cell service to figure it out.”
“As soon as we figured it out that we were at the wrong location, we started to leave, and that’s when everything happened,” he said at the time, per the outlet.
“I just feel like my soul is dead,” he testified, according to NBC News. “There’s just a hole in me. I took someone else’s life. It’s just horrible.”
Monahan’s attorney Kurt Mausert has said his client did not intend to hurt anyone and he plans to file an appeal, according to CNN.
Kevin Monahan.Lori Van Buren/The Albany Times Union via AP
Lori Van Buren/The Albany Times Union via AP
“You got a beautiful 20-year-old girl, who, of no fault of her own, is dead,” Mausert said, per CNN. “There’s no way to look at this case other than a horrible tragedy. But an accident has been turned into depraved indifference and that’s a tragedy also.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors argued Monahan acted recklessly, with District Attorney Tony Jordan telling CNN that he hopes the guilty verdict has resulted in justice for Gillis’ family. Monahan’s sentencing is scheduled for March 1, and according to CNN, the D.A. is seeking a maximum sentence of 25 years to life.
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In aGoFundMe campaigncreated after the fatal incident, Gillis’ family said she was looking forward to starting college in Florida to pursue her dream of becoming a marine biologist.
source: people.com
