Wrong Turn Shooting: Suspect In NY 20-Year-Old's Death Denied Bail; Victim's BF Blames Himself
The murder suspect, who shot a 20-year-old New York woman that unintentionally drove onto his land, will continue to be incarcerated during the ongoing legal proceedings.
Kevin Monahan, 65 years of age, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Kaylin Gillis. On Wednesday, April 19, a judge in Washington County ruled that Monahan be held without bail in the Warren County jail.
On the night of April 15th, a shooting occurred outside of Monahan's residence in Hebron, a small rural town located southeast of Glens Falls in Washington County.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office received a call from deputies reporting that a woman had been shot on Patterson Hill Road shortly before 10 p.m. on Saturday.
On Cemetery Road, which is roughly five miles away from the shooting site, emergency crews discovered four individuals inside a vehicle in the town of Salem.
Gillis received medical attention at the location, but she was later declared deceased.
According to a source in law enforcement who spoke with WNYT, Monahan used a 20-gauge shotgun to shoot Gillis.
Gillis and the three others were on the search for their friend's residence, though they unintentionally entered Monahan's driveway according to the investigators' findings.
According to deputies, as they were leaving the home after recognizing their error, Monahan shot two times at their car and hit Gillis.
They drove to the Cemetery Road spot in Salem for improved cell phone reception and dialed 911.
After approximately one hour of being in his house, Monahan had a conversation with 911 operators before giving himself up.
Deputies confirmed that before the shooting took place, Monahan didn't interact with the group of friends as they remained inside their car.
During a press conference on April 17, Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy of Washington County communicated that Monahan had declined to communicate with investigators regarding the shooting.
"He refused to cooperate," Murphy stated. "He hasn't communicated anything relevant, including a motive or other pertinent details."
As for now, those who were close to Gillis, a recent graduate of Schuylerville High School in Saratoga County, are experiencing intense shock and grief due to her sudden passing.
On Wednesday, April 19, reporters were addressed by Andrew Gillis, Kaylin's father, where he stated that it was important for Kaylin's story to be shared.
According to him, his daughter was an outstanding scholar with ambitions of pursuing a career in marine biology or veterinary science.
Gillis expressed that the man deprived them of that.
She was also anticipating the family's forthcoming relocation to Florida towards the end of the year.
Gillis stated that Kaylin was extremely thrilled about it.
He proceeded to describe a chat that he had with Blake Walsh, who was operating the vehicle during the incident and expressed his desire to wed her at some point.
During the initial encounter with Blake following the incident, Gillis recollects him proclaiming, "The responsibility lies entirely with me."
"I told them that the responsibility solely lay with the person who pulled the trigger and there was no way for them to foresee such a severe incident occurring on a remote road."
Gillis expressed to reporters that his wish is for Monahan to "spend the rest of his life behind bars."
According to the obituary, the funeral of Gillis has been scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday, April 21 at the Flynn Bros Funeral Home located in Schuylerville.
As of Wednesday, a fundraiser on GoFundMe has amassed over $120,000 to assist her family with funeral costs and ultimately create a scholarship in her honor.
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