Boyfriend sues girlfriend’s killer, killer’s wife
FORT EDWARD — Less than a month after Kevin Monahan was given the maximum sentence for her murder, Kaylin Gillis’ boyfriend is suing Monahan and his wife for causing emotional distress.
Blake Walsh was one of several witnesses in Monahan’s jury trial who described accidentally driving up and then turning around in the driveway of the 66-year-old’s rural Hebron home when Gillis was shot in the neck on April 15. Monahan was of second-degree murder Jan. 23 and later sentenced to 26⁄ years to life in state 1
3 prison for firing two slugs from a shotgun and killing the 20-year-old Schuylerville woman.
Walsh, 20, of Cambridge, filed a lawsuit last week against Monahan and his wife, Jinx Monahan, for punitive and compensatory damages, claiming Jinx Monahan had not secured the shotgun even though her husband “exhibited behavior that would make it unsafe for him to be in possession of firearms” prior to the night Gillis was shot. Wnyt-channel 13 reported on the lawsuit earlier this week.
Walsh’s attorney Peter Scagnelli said his client suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, problems sleeping and hypervigilance after being fired upon and watching his girlfriend die.
“This is a life-altering experience. You don’t get away from this,” Scagnelli said.
A separate lawsuit was filed Wednesday by Walsh against the Monahans and their homeowners insurance company. Scagnelli said most insurance policies don’t cover damages from intentional or criminal acts, but do cover damages caused by negligence. If successful, it would allow damages to be covered by the policy and not just the Monahans’ assets.
“There’s a negligence element to this,” Scagnelli said.
In August, the Monahans were sued for damages by Gillis’ father, Andrew Gillis, with similar allegations Jinx Monahan knew her husband would “become threatened and agitated” if someone came up their driveway. Daniel Fletcher, the attorney representing the Monahans in this lawsuit, declined to comment when called. He said he had not been contacted about the recently filed suits, but was aware of them.