Johnathan Walker:New York man convicted of murdering woman after car mistakenly pulled into his driveway

An upstate New York man was convicted of second-degree murder Tuesday for fatally shooting 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis who was riding in a vehicle that mistakenly drove into his driveway last April.

Kevin Monahan,Johnathan Walker 66, had pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and tampering with physical evidence after the April 15, 2023, shooting. But within hours of deliberations on Tuesday, a jury found Monahan guilty of all charges.

Gillis and a group of friends had pulled into Monahan's rural driveway in the town of Hebron, about 55 miles north of Albany near the Vermont state line, trying to find a friend’s house for a party. As the group started to leave, authorities said Monahan fired two shots from his porch — one of which struck the car carrying Gillis and killed her.

"The actions of (Monahan) on the night of April 15 really racked an unimaginable tragedy on not only Kaylin's family, but also all of the kids that were in those vehicles," Washington County District Attorney Tony Jordan told reporters after the verdict. "Today's verdict, I hope is a small step forward for each of them to really begin to move on to the next chapter in their healing."

Jordan said prosecutors will be seeking a maximum sentence of 25 years to life during Monahan's sentencing scheduled for March 1.

Gillis' death came just days after a 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, a Black high school student, was shot and seriously wounded in Kansas City, Missouri, after going to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers. The incident drew national attention and sparked questions of racism, but the series of wrong-place shootings last April also reignited debates on self-defense laws and gun reform.

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What happened during the shooting?

On the night of April 15, 2023, Gillis and her group of six friends were traveling in two cars and a motorcycle looking for a friend's house party, according to authorities.

The group had mistakenly turned into Monahan's long dirt driveway. Spotty cell phone service in the rural area may have contributed to the confusion, Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said at the time.

After realizing their mistake, the group turned around but was met with gunfire. Authorities said Monahan had fired two gunshots and the second bullet hit Gillis in the neck as she sat in the front passenger seat of an SUV driven by her boyfriend.

Gillis' friends then drove to the neighboring town of Salem, where they called 911, according to Murphy. Emergency crews arrived and performed CPR but Gillis was pronounced dead.

When authorities responded to Monahan's residence, Murphy said Monahan was "not cooperative" and had refused to come out for more than an hour before he was arrested.

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Prosecutors argued Kevin Monahan acted recklessly

During closing arguments Tuesday, the prosecution argued that Monahan had acted recklessly and was motivated by irrational anger.

"He acted out of anger. That's the only thing that can be inferred from shooting at people within 90 seconds of being on his property," said Assistant District Attorney Christian Morris. "He grabbed his shotgun and intended to make them leave as fast as possible and he didn't care if they were hurt or killed."

When taking the stand for his own defense, Monahan said he believed his house was "under siege" by trespassers when he saw the caravan of vehicles. He added that the first shot he fired was a warning to scare the group away.

The second shot, according to Monahan, was accidentally fired after he tripped over nails on his porch and lost his balance, causing the gun to hit the deck.

Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY; The Associated Press