Man Who Shot And Killed Woman Who Mistakenly Drove Up His Rural New York Driveway Sentenced To 25 Years

A man who fatally shot a woman who was with a group of people who mistakenly drove up his rural driveway in upstate New York was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on Friday.

Kevin Monahan, 66, was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis.

Gillis was riding in a caravan of two cars and a motorcycle that pulled into Monahan’s long, winding driveway in Hebron last April while her friends were looking for another person’s house, PEOPLE reported.

Monahan’s conviction had a maximum sentence of 25 years to life. Prosecutors sought additional time since Monahan tampered with the murder weapon. But the defense asked for leniency.

Monahan declined an opportunity to speak.

“I think it’s important for people to know that it’s not ok to shoot people and have them killed for turning down your driveway,” Judge Adam Michelini said, adding it’s important that Monahan remain behind bars rather than be free to harm more people.

On the night of Gillis’ death, the group of friends were headed to a party when they mistakenly went into Monahan’s driveway. Monahan came out of his home and fired two shots from his deck, with the second shot hitting Gillis in the neck as she sat in the front passenger seat of an SUV driven by her boyfriend.

Monahan maintained the fatal shot was an accident involving a defective gun. He told investigators that he believed the house he shared with his wife was “under siege” by intruders.

He claimed he came out with a shotgun to try to scare the group away while his wife hid inside. However, Alexandra Whiting, a friend of Gillis, testified that the gun was facing them at the time of the incident. 

Prosecutors argued that Monahan was motivated by irrational rage toward trespassers.

A jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning guilty verdicts for murder, reckless endangerment, and tampering with physical evidence.

Gillis’ father, Andrew Gillis, has described his daughter as someone who loved animals and had dreams of becoming a marine biologist or a veterinarian. 

“Every day we wake up to the harsh reality that that she’s no longer here. We will never see her beautiful face, hear her laughter,” Andrew Gillis the victim’s father said in court Friday before Monahan’s sentence was announced.

Her boyfriend, Blake Walsh, was behind the wheel of the SUV that night. “I will never be able to forgive you,” he told Monahan, who looked on with a stony face.