Man convicted of murdering Kaylin Gillis, 20, who drove down wrong driveway

globalnews.ca:

fatally shooting a 20-year-old woman in the passenger seat of an SUV that drove down the wrong driveway.In April 2023, Kaylin Gillis and a group of her friends were heading to a house party when they made a wrong turn down Kevin Monahan’s long, curving driveway in rural upstate New York.The group of vehicles — two SUVs and a motorcycle — were turning to leave when Monahan fired two shots from his porch, police said at the time. One of the bullets hit Gillis in the neck.

The convoy of vehicles fled Monahan’s property and called 911 after reaching an area with cell service. Emergency responders pronounced Gillis dead at the scene.Monahan went on trial for Gillis’ death earlier this month.

On Tuesday, after a jury deliberated for less than an hour, he was found guilty of second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and tampering with physical evidence.Donald Boyajian, a lawyer and spokesperson for the Gillis family, said they were thankful for the trial’s outcome.“Obviously it’s a just result, but a very sad time for the family,” he said. “It doesn’t change what is going to be forever, which is the loss of their beautiful daughter.”The murder conviction carries a maximum sentence of 25 years to life, which Washington County District Attorney J.

Anthony Jordan said prosecutors would be seeking at Monahan’s sentencing, scheduled for March 1.Throughout the trial, Monahan and his lawyer maintained his innocence, characterizing the incident as an accident involving a defective gun.Defence lawyer Arthur Frost said Monahan was an old man scared by the group of strangers arriving at his remote home late at night. Monahan gave his wife a revolver before she hid in the closet and then he ventured out onto the porch, claimed