Cristal Vega Perez '25
20-year-old Kaylin Gillis was shot and killed after accidentally pulling into the wrong driveway while looking for her friend’s house in Hebron, New York.
Kaylin Gillis was in the passenger seat of her boyfriend’s vehicle on April 15th when 65-year-old Kevin Monahan fired two shots from his front porch. In a phone interview, Blake Walsh, her boyfriend, mentioned they were looking for a party.
He told NBC, “As soon as we figured out that we were at the wrong location, we started to leave, and that’s when everything happened.” They had just entered a rural area that had little to no cell phone service, making it impossible to use their phone’s GPS.
In a news conference, Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said,"While they were leaving the residence once they determined that they were at the wrong house, the subject came out on his porch for whatever reason and fired two shots, one of which struck the vehicle that Kaylin was in."
This death happened just days after 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot in a similar situation, which has reignited national debates on “stand your ground” laws. These laws govern the use of deadly force in self defense. But is self defense really the case in this situation?
Neighbors say Monahan’s behavior was not so uncommon. He had shown he wasn’t keen on people making wrong turns in his driveway in recent years.
Since the incident, Kevin Monahan has been charged with second degree murder. Many are distraught over young Kaylin Gillis passing in such a manner, especially her father who spoke in court.
Monahan’s attorney, Kurt Mausert, has declined to discuss details of the situation saying, "I believe we have a series of mistakes that led to a tragedy, but I don't believe my client is a villain. But not every case with a tragedy has a villain, and I think this is one of them." It is widely believed that Monahan’s behavior was completely unnecessary and unprovoked.
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