Convicted driveway shooter Kevin Monahan is returning to the Washington County Court Friday for sentencing on murder, reckless endangerment, and tampering conviction.
After hearing two weeks of testimony and arguments, jurors found the 66-year-old guilty on all charges after less than two hours of deliberation on January 25th.
Jurors concluded that Monahan had acted with a depraved indifference to human life when he fired upon two SUVs and a motorcycle that had mistakenly entered the winding driveway of his rural Hebron home on the night of April 15th, 2023 – fatally wounding 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis of Schuylerville.
Jurors ultimately rejected the defense’s argument that Monahan had fired one shot as a warning and the second, fatal shot was caused by a malfunction in his 20-gauge shotgun.
1st Assistant District Attorney Chris Morris reflected on the defendant’s testimony, when Monahan said he hoped to start some sort of dialogue by firing the first time.
“My hope with that, and if you were there for cross examination, is that the absurdity of something like that was just patently clear in the room. That you could hear a pin drop if anybody had any thought of actually considering that to be true,” said Morris.
The defense had also claimed Monahan could not have fired the second shot because of a decades-old wrist injury, but on cross-examination Morris highlighted that Monahan was working in construction and participated in long, high-speed motorcycle races as recently as 2018.
Speaking with WAMC, District Attorney Tony Jordan says he hopes after sentencing, those impacted by Monahan’s actions can begin a new chapter of healing.
“The most important part is for Kaylin’s family and for the young adults who were so impacted by the horrible acts on April 15th, with this looming over them it never goes away. And we always hope, and I think for them it will help, having this part of the tragedy close. And sentencing can provide that final closure as to that piece. It doesn’t provide closure to the loss of Kaylin, but it really does help them move forward without this looming over them,” said Jordan.
Gillis’ friends who were in the caravan when she was struck in the neck, bleeding to death moments later, took the stand to recount the traumatic events. They were on their way to a party just several hundred feet further down the road, and realized they were at the wrong house after only a minute in Monahan’s driveway.
Much of the defense’s case also revolved around a lack of communication between Monahan and the young adults as well as law enforcement. Told that police officers were at his home hours after shooting at the caravan for a noise complaint, prosecutors said Monahan lied and said that he had been asleep since 8:30, adding hunters in the woods behind his home could have caused the disturbance.
During closing arguments, defense attorney Art Frost reiterated the defense’s stance that the death was unintentional, echoing his opening statement.
“I told you in the beginning that when we got here, I would ask you to say two words, ‘not guilty.’ Because this was a terrible accident and you, the jury, have realized that by now,” said Frost.
Monahan faces 25 years to life.
