Man charged in fatal mistaken address shooting

HEBRON, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A 20-year-old Schuylerville woman is dead after allegedly being shot by a homeowner in Hebron. The Washington County Sheriff says it all happened after the young woman and her friends mistakenly went to the wrong address and a property owner fired upon their vehicle without any provocation.

“This is a very sad case of some young adults that were looking for a friend’s house and ended up at this man’s house,” said Sheriff Jeff Murphy during a Monday press conference. While speaking to a small group of reporters and the victim’s loved ones, Murphy explained how the shooting victim and her friends had been headed to a friend’s house Saturday night, driving through Hebron on Paterson Hill Road in rural Washington County, and that they mistakenly arrived at the wrong address. “While they were leaving the residence, once they determine, they were at the wrong house, the subject came out on his porch, [and] for whatever reason and fired two shots. One which struck the vehicle that Kaylin was in.”

Twenty-year-old Kaylin Gillis of Schuylerville was fatally injured. Her friends could not immediately call 911 as the area has spotty cellphone service. So, the group of four young people including Kaylin had to drive miles to a nearby town to call for help.

The sheriff named the homeowner, now charged with second-degree murder, as 65-year-old Kevin Monahan. “He was uncooperative with patrols on the scene. After approximately more than an hour of talking back and forth, he was taken into custody,” said Murphy. The sheriff would not discuss the weapon used or if it was obtained legally, but did say that there was no threat against Monahan on the part of the victim or her friends. “There was no reason for Mr. Monahan to feel threatened, especially as it appears the vehicles were leaving at the time,” he added.

Monahan is being held at the Warren County Jail instead of at the correctional facility in Washington County. Sources tell NEWS10 it is due to a family member who works at the lockup. Murphy said there is no indication that law enforcement had any previous contact with Monahan or any reported trouble from his home.

There is now a GoFundMe page to help Kaylin’s grieving family cover her funeral and other expenses. Murphy says the Schuylerville graduate was known as a talented artist and well-liked within her community. “I know for a fact that she comes from a good family. A very good family and I know them personally and she’s a young girl that was taken way too young.” NEWS10’s Anya Tucker spoke outside the sheriff’s office with one of Kaylin’s friends, who told her that Kaylin was a beautiful and kind person who will be greatly missed.