The Schuylerville community is looking to move forward following Tuesday’s guilty verdict in the trial of Kevin Monahan, who was convicted of killing Kaylin Gillis.
After hearing two weeks of testimony, jurors returned a verdict of guilty on all counts after less than two hours of deliberation. Monahan shot Gillis on the night of April 15th, 2023 when the vehicle she was in mistakenly pulled into his Hebron driveway, as the 20-year-old and her friends looked for a nearby party.
Reading the decision to a courtroom packed with Gillis’ family and friends, the jury pronounced Monahan guilty of second-degree manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and tampering with evidence.
Gillis’ father broke into tears after hearing the verdict, and posted to the Justice for Kaylin Gillis Facebook group later that evening, saying to its 6,500 members:
“While we would trade anything to bring Kaylin back, this was the best possible outcome short of her still being here with us. KAYLING GOT HER JUSTICE. Much love to all!”
Speaking to reporters following the verdict, Donald Boyajin, who represents the Gillis family, commended the work of the District Attorney's office.
“You know, obviously, it’s a just result but still a very sad time for this family. This chapter is over and we’re just gonna try to continue to support them as we go on to the next phase,” said Boyajin.
Boyajin said the family is considering further legal action. The attorney was asked about to Andrew Gillis’ initial reaction to the verdict.
“I’m sure it was relief. Relief and still it doesn’t change what is going to be forever which is the loss of his beautiful daughter,” said Boyajin.
Mayor Dan Carpenter says the village of Schuylerville is ready to support Gillis’ family and friends.
“We are happy to see that justice has been—did prevail. You know, this whole situation is unfortunate and it never should have happened and it definitely struck a nerve in our community,” said Carpenter.
The caravan of two SUVs and a motorcycle mistakenly drove up Monahan’s winding driveway because they believed they were at the correct address for a party, but could not confirm with GPS due to a lack of cell signal.
Monahan went onto his porch with his 20-gauge shotgun shortly after the vehicles entered his property. Jurors rejected Monahan’s retelling of the evening: that he fired one shot as a warning, and the second, fatal shot was accidental.
The slug struck Gillis in the back of the neck as the SUV she was in was leaving Monahan’s driveway, and due to spotty cellphone service in the rural Hebron area, her friends were not immediately able to call 911.
Carpenter says poor cellphone reception needs to be addressed to prevent similar tragedies.
“This is an ongoing problem that we’ve had in upstate New York for as long as I can remember. And, you know, I understand that the governor is making it a priority to make sure that we have broadband and cellphone coverage across New York State and I applaud her for those efforts, it’s just taking a long time. And you are right, I’m sure it played a role in—had a negative impact in this tragedy,” said Carpenter.
In 2021 the Upstate Cellular Coverage Task Force concluded in a 74-page report that the state had major gaps in cellular coverage and estimated it could cost upwards of $700 million to fix.
