An upstate New York homeowner was found guilty Tuesday of fatally shooting a young woman who accidentally walked into his driveway last spring.
Kevin Monahan, 66, was convicted of second-degree murder after less than an hour of jury deliberation following a two-week trial in the slaying of 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis.
Gillis and his friends were riding in an SUV that accidentally pulled into Monahan’s rural driveway in Hebron while looking for another house on April 15.
Monahan stepped onto his porch with a 12-gauge shotgun and unloaded two shots into the vehicle, striking Gillis – who was sitting in the passenger seat – in the neck.
Gillis’ boyfriend was behind the wheel of the SUV, and was in the process of pulling out of Monahan’s driveway when the homeowner opened fire.
Gillis was dead by the time first responders reached him.
The house they were looking for was only half a mile down the road.
Kevin Monahan, 66, was found guilty of second-degree murder after less than an hour of jury deliberations on Tuesday. AP
Throughout the trial, Monahan argued the second shot was the result of his gun malfunctioning, and that he did not intend to fire the fatal round.
“I didn’t mean to fire the second shot … the gun went off,” Monahan testified, claiming he thought his house was “surrounded” by a caravan of robbers when Gillis pulled in, and fired a warning shot to stop the group.
He claims then tripped over a nail sticking out of his deck and dropped his gun, causing it to break and strike Gillis as it fell to the ground.
Kaylin Gillis was just 20 years old when Monahan shot her after pulling into her driveway.
Prosecutors presented a much different picture of the man, who the arresting officer described as “unrepentant” for what he had done.
“He acted out of anger. That’s the only thing that can be inferred from shooting people within 90 seconds of being on his property,” Assistant District Attorney Christian Morris said during his closing arguments Tuesday.
“He had his shotgun in his hand and was intent on making them go as fast as he could and he didn’t care if they got hurt or killed.”
Monahan House in Hebron, New York, which Gillis and his friends mistook for another house on the night of April 15. Angus Mordant
Monahan had a reputation for explosive temper, neighbors told The Post after the murder.
“He’s got a short fuse. There’s no doubt he’s got a short fuse. I think he’s a bit of a narcissist,” neighbor Adam Matthews said in the spring.
“He can do no wrong, but other people don’t know jack s—t,” Matthews said, explaining Manahan is sensitive about people mistaking his driveway for a street.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
