The man charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of Kaylin Gillis was a former professional motorcycle racer who lives with his wife, a Labor Department official who provides advice on dealing with stress, in the house where May 20, 2007 is located -year-old lives was killed.
Gillis was traveling through the rural city of Hebron with three other people just before 10 p.m. Saturday night when the group took a wrong turn onto the property.
They were trying to overturn the car when the homeowner, Kevin Monahan, 65, came onto his porch and fired two shots, according to Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy. One round hit Gillis.
Monahan’s attorney, Kurt Mausert, described his client Monday as having no criminal record and said he owns a contracting business in Washington County, about 60 miles northeast of Albany, near the New York-Vermont border.
“My preliminary view on this case is that it was a series of mistakes that led to a tragedy. It’s too early to say more,” Mausert told the New York Times. As of the writing of this article, Monahan has not yet set a court date.
Kevin Monahan, 65, is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of Kaylin Gillis, his attorney says the suspect has no criminal record
Monahan is married to Polly Jinx, 69, an adviser to the Department of Labor who advises people on how to deal with work-related stress
The couple live on Patterson Hill Road in Hebron, New York, an area notorious for patchy cell phone coverage, which officials believe may have contributed to Gillis taking a wrong turn
Online records show that Monahan lives with his wife, Polly Jinx Monahan, 35, at his home on Patterson Hill Road in Salem, New York. He’s a registered Republican.
Polly Jinx Monahan, 69, is a labor counselor with the New York State Department of Labor, she says on her LinkedIn page.
Her “specialties” include “stress management,” “positivity,” and “optimism.”
Polly has served in her role since 2009, having previously worked in other career advisory roles in addition to serving as Chair of the Washington County Youth Advisory Board.
She is a graduate of SUNY Brockport and the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.
In 2009, Polly wrote an article for the Glens Falls Post Star about dealing with the stress of unemployment.
Tips offered include meditation, communication, and “focusing on gratitude, forgiveness, and love.”
“It’s difficult to focus on gratitude, forgiveness (self and others) and love and still be stressed,” she wrote.
In another paragraph, Polly advised stressed people to “stop disaster thoughts.”
“Ask yourself what the worst thing that can happen is, and then assess the odds that the event would turn out that way,” she added.
According to Zillow, Kevin and Polly Monahan’s home was built in 2004 and is estimated to cost $310,000
The Albany Times Union, in its report, notes that properties in the area where the shooting took place are only accessible via unpaved driveways
The city of Hebron is located in Washington County about 60 miles northeast of Albany, near the New York-Vermont border
Friends remembered Gillis over the weekend as a gentle soul who loved animals
“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 who was taken far too young,” said Sheriff Jeff Murphy
In October 1986, the Post Star ran the couple’s engagement announcement. The article identified the suspect as a professional motorcycle racer who regularly competed in the Camel Pro Series.
In May 1983, Monahan was among six racers injured and hospitalized in an accident at a Camel event in Ohio.
According to Zillow, Kevin and Polly Monahan’s home was built in 2004 and is estimated to cost $310,000.
The Albany Times Union, in its report, notes that properties in the area where the shooting took place are only accessible via unpaved driveways. At a news conference Monday, Sheriff Murphy said Monahan has lived in the house for “quite a while.”
Pictures of the house published by the New York Post show large windows in front of the house.
A prohibition sign is attached to a tree on the property. “Hunting, fishing, trapping, or trespassing for any purpose is strictly prohibited. Violators will be prosecuted,” the warning reads.
At the time of their engagement, Monahan was working for his father’s company, Robert D. Monahan Associates, a roofing contractor in Hudson Falls, New York. The suspect grew up as one of five siblings in nearby Lake Sunnyside.
Robert Monahan was a World War II veteran, served in Europe and was a member of the Queensbury Republican Committee and the American Motorcyclist Association.
In 1942 he married his wife Betsy. Her obituary describes her as a passionate environmentalist and “active member of local government”.
A GoFundMe has since been set up by friends to help cover funeral expenses
“Kaylin Gillis you will be greatly missed,” friend Chuchay Stark wrote in a Facebook tribute
After Saturday’s shooting, friends of Gillis’s drove to the neighboring town of Salem, northeast of Albany near the Vermont state line, and called 911, said Murphy, who noted the shooting occurred in an area with limited cellphone signal.
EMTs arrived and performed CPR on Gillis but were unable to save her.
When officers arrived at Monahan’s home to investigate the shooting, he refused to come out, Murphy said. According to the sheriff, authorities spoke to him through a 911 dispatcher and in person for about an hour before taking him into custody.
Monahan was sentenced to the Warren County Jail for second-degree murder.
Authorities made an administrative decision to hold Monahan in Warren County because Gillis’ father, Andrew, is a correctional officer at the Washington County Jail.
Sheriff Murphy said at a news conference Monday that Gillis, who lived in Schuylerville, was “an innocent young girl who was out with friends looking for another friend’s house.”
Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot twice in the head by a white man after accidentally approaching the wrong house while picking up his siblings
Andrew Lester, 84, has been charged with two felonies in the April 13 shooting of Ralph Yarl, which Kansas City prosecutors say was racially motivated
The shooting came days after 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot and wounded in Kansas City, Missouri, after going to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers.
Friends remembered Gillis over the weekend as a gentle soul who loved animals.
“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 who was taken far too young,” Murphy said.
“Kaylin Gillis you will be greatly missed,” Chuchay Stark wrote in a Facebook tribute.
“I’ve known you since your Barbie days with my kids. Since then you have remained a beautiful, sweet and loving person,” the post continued.
“You are still the sweetest and most loving child I know. You love dogs, although we all know that a certain dog was mean to you when you were younger,” Stark wrote.
“Kaylin, keep calm, I’m sure Roxie Roo is beside you now as you look down on us. Thank you for all the fun memories you shared with me, Lipsha and Loren. I’m glad I had the pleasure of meeting you,” the post concludes.
A GoFundMe has since been set up by friends to help cover funeral expenses.
The fundraiser raised just over $38,000 of its $50,000 goal on Monday.
“What a terrible tragedy. My deepest condolences,” wrote one person who donated.
“I remember Kaylin when she was a toddler hanging out with us on our sleepovers. My thoughts are with the family,” wrote another.
“I am so sorry to read this devastating news. This is my second GoFundMe donation today to the families of young people who accidentally went to the wrong address. Enough,” said one commenter.