Jurors have found Kevin Monahan guilty of killing Kaylin Gillis by shooting at a car in his driveway last year.
After deliberating for less than two hours on Tuesday, jurors found 66-year-old Monahan guilty of second-degree murder, reckless endangerment, and tampering with evidence.
Sentencing will be March 1st, with Monahan facing 25 years to life.
The courtroom was filled Tuesday with family and friends of the 20-year-old Schuylerville woman who died shortly after being shot by Monahan the night of April 15th, 2023.
Speaking to reporters after the jurors came back, District Attorney Tony Jordan said the guilty verdict could help heal those hurt by Monahan’s actions.
“We wanted them to know that we believed in what they were saying. That there’s a purpose and that there will be justice. And our hope is today that they can begin to find that little bit of faith and justice that they can begin to move forward, to heal. Because, this is not the end for them, and they have a long road ahead of them and we’re hopeful that this is a part of it.”
Jordan thanked the young men and women who were in the caravan with Gillis when she was killed for taking the stand.
1st Assistant District Attorney Chris Morris said the guilty verdict is significant for a case that made national headlines.
19:51-20:04“It’s got to be something that the people know that there are prosecutors who want the truth and hold people accountable. That their desire is to make sure that we have safe communities, and those that do wrong won’t get away with it,” said Morris
Family and friends of Gillis did not speak to reporters.
Before closing arguments began, defense attorney Kurt Mausert presented a motion for a mistrial based on prejudice. Mausert claimed that the court displayed favor to the prosecution in multiple ways, including instances of coaching the prosecution both during the trial and in a pre-trial hearing, as well as what he saw as the court limiting the defense’s ability to cross examine witnesses. It was the second request for a mistrial since arguments began more than two weeks ago.
Judge Adam Michelini rejected the motion, adding that Mausert has a “pretty odd way of interpreting things.”
“In that way, we have something in common,” Mausert responded.
Lead defense attorney Art Frost then began his summation of the trial, opening with a line he would repeat throughout his final argument: “His gun will fire even when no one pulls the trigger.”
The defense’s strategy revolved around a claim that Monahan’s 20-gauge shotgun can fire without the trigger being pulled. Frost highlighted some inconsistencies in the testimonies of the young men and women who mistakenly pulled into Monahan’s driveway, emphasizing differences between their sworn statements that night and their recounting of the night while on the stand.
Frost argued that the prosecution’s attempts to paint a picture of Monahan destroying evidence through insufficient DNA, fingerprinting, and gunshot residue fell short of the burden of proof.
Frost contended Monahan did not act with an evil, wicked disregard for human life.
“And maybe you will think it was dumb for him to be walking along that rail with a gun that will go off when no one pulls the trigger. And maybe it was. But we have a word for that, that word is not depraved. That word is not reckless. That word is negligent,” said Frost.
But prosecutors held that Monahan and his wife lied to law enforcement and on the stand during the trial.
When law enforcement arrived at Monahan’s home, he and his wife told police no one had been in their driveway prior to their arrival and that they had been asleep since 8:30. Told that police were there to question him about a noise complaint, Monahan suggested that hunters in the woods behind his home could have caused the disturbance.
Defense attorneys did not speak with reporters after the verdict came in.
