A 60-year-old American woman accused of killing a 20-year-old passenger who was accidentally parked in her driveway with a group of friends while looking for another house hoped to “start the dialogue” by pulling the trigger open,” as he confided in court Friday.
“I took someone else’s life. It's just terrible. […] It's indescribable. I don't even know how to answer. I just feel like my soul is dead,” Kevin Monahan, 66, told Washington County Court, according to the Times Union.
The 60-year-old from upstate New York wiped away tears Friday as he took the stand at his trial on charges of second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and tampering with evidence, nine months after he fatally shot Kaylin Gillis outside his home.
The man reportedly pulled out his .20-caliber hunting rifle last April when the group of friends, traveling in two vehicles and a motorcycle, accidentally parked in his driveway while looking for another address.
Believing he was the victim of an “invasion,” he shot into the air for the first time to warn the gang that he was armed.
“When you're alone, you have to imagine the worst-case scenario. My only job is to protect my wife […] For me, the warning shot is almost like opening a dialogue,” he said, according to American media.
Without a reaction, the man, who was wearing flip-flops, said he would have tripped over nails sticking out of his entrance and accidentally shot towards the vehicle in which the young woman was sitting.
Kaylin Gillis was then fatally shot in the neck along with her boyfriend.
“I wasn’t planning on taking the second shot. The gun went off on its own […] No I have not [appuyé sur la gâchette]”, emphasized the sixty-year-old according to the Times Union.
However, under cross-examination he admitted that he did not attempt to question the group to find out whether they were lost or tell them to leave, suggesting that he feared making the situation worse.
The trial is expected to continue on Monday.