NY Homeowner Sentenced To 25 Years To Life After Killing Woman Whose Car Pulled Into His Driveway To Turn Around - UPDATE

UPDATE 3/04/24 2:28 P.M. PST: Kevin Monahan has been sentenced to 25 years to life for shooting 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis in April 2023. The judge also added a consecutive term of one-and-three-quarters to four years for evidence tampering.

The 66-year-old man was convicted of second-degree murder, reckless endangerment, and tampering with evidence charges on January 23, per CrimeOnline. On Friday, Judge Adam Michelini showed no leniency as he handed down the maximum-allowed sentencing for the crimes — in part because he feared the man was at risk of killing again and because he showed no remorse for his actions. The judge said per the Albany Times-Union:

“You murdered Kaylin Gillis. You shot at a car full of people and you didn’t care what happened and you repeatedly lied about it. You deserve to spend the maximum time in prison allowable under our law.”

Monahan declined to speak during the sentencing, causing someone in the courtroom to shout, “Coward!” Meanwhile, Kaylin’s boyfriend and father both opened up about how good it felt to have justice served. Her boyfriend Blake Walsh, who was among the friend group at the scene of the crime, told the convicted killer:

“We all know that this was not an accident. I’ll never be able to forgive you for your actions — I wouldn’t even think about it. Words can’t describe how happy I am for the justice system, seeing this decision the way it is. But if it were my decision, you’d be under the jail.”

Oof. Her dad, Andrew Gillis, added:

“Losing her has left us with an indescribable void in our life — one that can never be filled. Every day, we wake up to the harsh reality that she is no longer here and we will never see her beautiful face, hear her laughter or simply be able to hug her.”

All because the friends pulled into this dude’s driveway by mistake. It’s just heartbreaking! We hope this sentencing continues to help the young woman’s friends and family heal from this tragedy.

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[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

What the f**k is going on with gun owners in America??

On Saturday night, a homeowner in the tiny upstate New York town of Hebron allegedly shot and killed a 20-year-old woman after her car pulled into his driveway to turn around.

The woman, who has since been identified as Kaylin A. Gillis, was with friends in a car driving through the rural village set on the Vermont border. They had been looking for a friend’s house in the area when they got lost, pulled into a driveway, and reversed to turn around.

But before they could make it out of the driveway, the owner of the home came out guns blazing. According to cops, 65-year-old Kevin D. Monahan left his home with a gun and started shooting into the car. Monahan (pictured above, in his mugshot) fired “at least two shots” into the occupied vehicle, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

That law enforcement organization sent out a new release on Monday confirming Gillis’ group had been lost, and they were simply pulling into the driveway to turn around:

“Through the preliminary investigation, it was learned that the vehicle the victim was in mistakenly pulled into the driveway at the Patterson Hill Road address.”

Sadly, at least one of the shots struck Gillis, who was seated inside the car. She was pronounced dead moments after officers and first responders arrived. There were at least three other friends with her in the car that night, but apparently they were not struck by the gunfire.

In a GoFundMe page published on Monday to raise money for Gillis’ family, friends explained more about what happened late on Saturday night:

“Kaylin just turned 20-years-old. She was traveling with friends when they mistakenly turned into the wrong driveway. As they were leaving in the vehicle, the homeowner opened fire upon their car and Kaylin was struck and killed.”

Who the f**k shoots into a car that is turning around in your driveway?! Like, what threat could they possibly pose?? It’s absolutely insane!

And it gets even crazier. According to the sheriff’s office release, Monahan initially refused to speak with police after the shooting. Cops were forced to engage in an hours-long standoff with him after he barricaded himself in his home:

“Monahan was uncooperative with the investigation and refused to exit his residence to speak with police. He was later taken into custody with the assistance of the New York State Police Special Operation Response Team after several hours.”

So he created a tragedy and then wasn’t tough enough to face the consequences. Absolutely f**king nauseating. After his arrest, though, Monahan was charged with second-degree murder. As he should be! You can’t just go around shooting people!!

Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy held a press conference informing the public of Monahan’s arrest on Monday. In the news briefing, he explained how the car went to Monahan’s driveway “in error” after it had been driving through a very rural area:

“It’s a very rural area, it’s dirt roads, there’s not a lot of cellular services or any type of internet.”

The place was so rural, in fact, that the driver of the car had to rush to the nearby city of Salem just to get cell phone service to call 911. It was there that first responders rushed to try in vain to save Gillis.

Sheriff Murphy gave his thoughts about the awful situation:

“This is a very sad case of some young adults that were looking for a friend’s house and ended up at this man’s house who decided to come out with a firearm and discharged.”

Now, Monahan is being held at Warren County Jail. He will have a court appearance “in the near future,” according to the sheriff. Per People, it is unclear if the alleged shooter is yet being represented by a lawyer.

In response to the senseless tragedy, friends Beth Palleschi and Nikki Thomas started the aforementioned GoFundMe for Gillis’ family on Monday. In it, they thanked the late woman’s loved ones and supporters for their backing:

“On behalf of the Gillis family, we would like to thank everyone who has offered their love and prayers as they embark on this incredibly difficult journey of grief and healing. The dollars raised through this fund will go directly to the Gillis family for use toward Kaylin’s funeral expenses and any immediate financial needs. … Your kindness, prayers and love are felt by the Gillis family and everyone in the community that has suffered this tragic loss.”

As of Tuesday morning, that campaign has raised more than $72,000 in donations for Kaylin’s funeral expenses and other family needs.

You can view and support the GoFundMe page HERE.

Here is more about the investigation and Monahan’s arrest via the sheriff’s press conference (below):