Murder of Kaylin Gillis

On April 15, 2023, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis was murdered in Hebron, New York, after the car in which she was traveling turned onto the wrong driveway. The shooter, Kevin D. Monahan, was arrested after a standoff and taken into custody. On January 23, 2024, he was convicted of second-degree murder, and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, plus a consecutive sentence of $26 3/4$ to 4 years in prison on March 1, 2024.

The shooting shared similarities with two other shootings in the U.S. that occurred in the same week, including the shooting of Ralph Yarl in Kansas City, Missouri, after he mistakenly rang the wrong doorbell, and the shooting of two cheerleaders in Elgin, Texas, after they entered the wrong car.

Victim
Kaylin A. Gillis (born February 23, 2003) grew up in Schuylerville, New York, and graduated from Schuylerville High School in 2021.

Shooting
Kaylin Gillis was killed on April 15, 2023, just before 10 p.m., in Washington County, an upstate New York county that borders Vermont. Gillis and her friends were looking for a friend's house. Their vehicle was being driven by her boyfriend. Their car and another vehicle mistakenly pulled into the driveway of Kevin D. Monahan, who lived on a ridgetop plot in the rural town of Hebron, on Patterson Hill Road.

After turning into the wrong driveway, the group realized they had the wrong address, and began to back the vehicle out of the driveway to leave. Gillis was one of four people in the last car to pull away. As the group was leaving, Monahan exited his home and fired two shots at the vehicle using a 20-gauge shotgun. Gillis was struck in the neck. Unable to get cell phone reception in Hebron, the group drove toward the neighboring town of Salem, where they were able to reach 9-1-1. Gillis died before medical help could arrive.

After police arrived at Monahan's home, he initially refused to surrender to police officers and state troopers. During an hour-long standoff, he was on the phone with a police dispatcher and with his attorney before eventually surrendering. Eight police body-worn cameras captured his encounter with police. According to papers filed in Washington County Court, Monahan had initially claimed to police that he had been "in bed since 8:30 p.m." and suggested that hunters had been responsible for the killing.

Perpetrator
Kevin D. Monahan (born October 28, 1957) was charged in the killing. He was born and raised in Salem, New York. Long-time neighbors described him as frequently hostile and sour and sometimes aggressive. He had no criminal record in New York State but was arrested and charged in Vermont with aggravated assault with a weapon in 2001. That charge was later dismissed.

Legal proceedings
After his arrest, Monahan was briefly held at Washington County Correctional Facility in Fort Edward, where Gillis's father is a correctional officer, before being taken 15 mi away to the Warren County Jail in Lake George.

He was arraigned in Washington County Court on April 16, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. He was denied bail at a hearing the next day, with the prosecuting attorney saying that Monahan's reputation as "confrontational and hot-tempered", in addition to the seriousness of the crime, weighed in favor of pretrial detention.

A new indictment was issued in May 2023; in addition to second-degree murder, he also faced charges of reckless endangerment and tampering with evidence. The murder charge was also reduced from "intentional murder" to "reckless depraved indifference murder." The court again denied his request for a bond. Jury selection for the trial was set to begin in September 2023, but following further procedural delays was postponed until October 30. On October 25, the presiding judge granted a defense request for additional time to seek expert analysis of certain evidence. The court rescheduled the trial start date for January 8, 2024.

On January 23, 2024, Monahan was found guilty of second-degree murder. On March 1, 2024, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

On March 14th, 2024, Monahan was moved to Elmira Correctional Facility in Elmira, New York. However, he was later transferred to Wende Correctional Facility, where he is currently being held.