Kevin Monahan says it felt like he and his wife were under siege and that his only job was to protect her while speaking on a Washington County witness stand, moments after prosecutors rested their case.
Monahan is accused of shooting and killing 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis in his driveway last spring after she and a group of friends got lost looking for a friend’s party.
MONAHAN TRIAL: An emotional week of testimony concluded with the defense calling its only witness, Kevin Monahan.
— Spencer Conlin (@SpencerReports) January 20, 2024
The 66-year-old said he felt like he and his wife were “under siege” and that his “soul is dead” knowing Kaylin Gillis’ life was lost. @SpecNews1Albany 📺⬇️ pic.twitter.com/FQslbDlkoS
Monahan told the jury he and his wife fell asleep early while watching a movie in his upstairs bedroom on April 15, 2023, and was awakened by three vehicles in his driveway: two SUVs and a motorcycle with a revving engine. The 66-year-old told his wife to hide in their closet and to stay away from the windows before loading his 20-gauge pump-action shotgun and going outside.
Monahan says he assessed the situation, thought about past criminal activity in the area of his home and remembers being unsure of what the intentions were before firing a warning shot into the air.
The vehicles slowly began the process of leaving, but were slow in doing so, according to Monahan, and as he moved about his deck to get a better look at his driveway, he said he lost his balance on some nails that had come up the winter before when the second fatal shot was fired.
Monahan said he had the gun aimed at the ground prior to this and was unaware anyone was hurt as the vehicles slowly exited his driveway.
Asked why he or his wife didn’t call 911, he said that they don’t use their phones that often and didn’t know where they were.
Frost says prosecutors failed to prove Kevin Monahan fired the second, fatal shot nor that he acted recklessly. He highlighted that none of the witnesses unequivocally identified him as the shooter. (2/2)
— Spencer Conlin (@SpencerReports) January 19, 2024
Prosecutors focused on the nails on the deck in their cross-examination of Monahan; he couldn't point out the nails in a photograph, saying it wasn't clear enough. He was also asked why he didn't tell 911 operators that something had happened there, instead showing concern that there were officers in his driveway with spotlights on his house.
Monahan was visibly emotional when asked how Gillis’ death makes him feel and said that “his soul is dead.” He’s charged with second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and tampering with physical evidence. The murder charge carries a sentence of 25 years to life if convicted.