New York man convicted for killing woman who mistakenly drove into his driveway
The guilty individual, 66-year-old Kevin Monahan from New York state, was convicted on Tuesday for the murder of 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis, as reported by The Associated Press. Monahan was also charged with reckless endangerment and tampering with physical evidence. "Of course, this is a fair outcome, but a sorrowful time for the family," stated the Gillis family's lawyer. "It doesn't lessen the everlasting loss of their beautiful daughter," he continued.
7:40 AM EST, January 24, 2024
The distressing incident occurred on a Saturday night in April of the preceding year. Two cars and a motorcycle mistakenly drove into Monahan's driveway in Hebron. Young people, including Kaylin Gillis, were searching for a different house when they realized the error and tried to exit. Monahan walked onto his porch and fired two shots. The second one struck 20-year-old Gillis in the neck as she sat in the car's front seat.
"He acted out of anger. This is the only explanation for shooting at individuals within 90 seconds of their unintentional entrance onto his property," Deputy District Attorney Christian Morris told the AP. "He rushed for his shotgun to expel them as quickly as possible. He seemed indifferent about whether they got hurt or if he killed someone," he added.
Monahan, together with his lawyer, claimed that he was accidentally shot due to a faulty firearm. According to the defence's argument, the 66-year-old believed that his home was under threat, fired a warning shot, then stumbled over protruding nails on his porch, lost his balance, and the gun fired unintentionally. The murder conviction can lead to a sentence ranging from 25 years to life imprisonment. The court will announce its sentence during the trial on March 1.
Source: AP
