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New York man convicted of murdering Kaylin Gillis after she mistakenly drove into his driveway
A man was convicted of second-degree murder Tuesday for fatally shooting a young woman last year when the SUV she was riding in mistakenly drove up his rural driveway in upstate New York.
A jury found Kevin Monahan, 66, guilty of second-degree murder for shooting 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis on a Saturday night last April after she and her friends pulled into his long, curving driveway near the Vermont border while they were trying to find another house.
The group’s caravan of two cars and a motorcycle began leaving once they realized their mistake. Authorities said Monahan came out to his porch and fired twice from his shotgun, with the second shot hitting Gillis in the neck as she sat in the front passenger seat of an SUV driven by her boyfriend.
During the trial, Monahan and his attorney maintained the shooting in the rural town of Hebron, about 40 miles north of Albany, was an accident involving a defective gun.
Gillis was killed days after the shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl in Kansas City. Yarl, who is Black, was wounded by an 84-year-old White man after he went to the wrong door while trying to pick up his brother.
Monahan testified during the trial that he felt like the house he shared with his wife was “under siege” when the revving motorcycle and the two other vehicles pulled up his driveway. He said he fired a warning shot to let the intruders know that he had a gun.
But he said the second, fatal shot was unintentional.
He said he tripped over nails sticking up from the deck, lost his balance and the shotgun struck the deck. That, he said, accidentally caused his gun to fire at the Ford Explorer carrying Gillis.
“I didn’t mean to shoot the second shot,” Monahan testified last week. “The gun went off.”
Prosecutors argued Monahan showed a depraved indifference to human life by firing at the SUV.
“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,” Assistant District Attorney Christian Morris told jurors in his closing arguments Tuesday. “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, just so long as they left.”
Prosecutors also presented evidence that Monahan claimed to have been sound asleep when police showed up at his house later that night.
Gillis’ father, Andrew Gillis, has described his daughter as someone who loved animals and had dreams of becoming a marine biologist or a veterinarian.
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Target cuts prices on more than 2,000 products, from food to cold medicine
Target is cutting prices on more than 2,000 products for the holiday shopping season. The move marks the continuation a recent trend among retail and fast-food chains looking to entice budget-conscious consumers with value meals and discounted items.
Minneapolis-based Target on Tuesday said it would reduce the cost of Target-owned and national brands, including food and beverages, everyday basics like cough medicine, toys and other holiday gifts.
The announcement comes after Target in May cut prices on about 5,000 of its products, bringing the total to more than 8,000 items discounted so far this year. By the end of the holiday season, the company said it will have lowered prices on more than 10,000 items during the year.
In markets across the country from Phoenix to Atlanta, most of Target’s nearly 2,000 stores, its website Target.com and its app are featuring the following lower prices, according to the retailer:
Target touted its reductions just days after Aldi unveiled its lowest-price Thanksgiving spread in five years, besting an offer by its bigger rival, Walmart, by about two bucks. The discount retailers echo the messaging of fast-food chains offering $5 value meals.
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Dangerous levels of lead in Syracuse water threaten health crisis
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