Boyfriend of Kaylin Gillis suing Kevin Monahan, wife

HEBRON, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) — The boyfriend of Kaylin Gillis, the 20-year-old woman who was fatally shot in the driveway of a home in Hebron in April 2023, is suing the convicted killer Kevin Monahan and his wife Jinx for an unspecified amount. According to court documents — the boyfriend Blake Walsh who witnessed the shooting — argues the Monahans acted recklessly by not securing the shotgun used in the fatal shooting.

“It will forever be seared into his soul. He is experiencing post-traumatic stress… With all that goes with it, the sleep interruption, the distraction, but hypervigilance. He watched his ‘intended’ die in front of him” said Walsh’s attorney Peter Scagnelli.

Monahan was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on March 1. How does Scagnelli intend to prove his case?

“The best proof is Mr. Wash himself. Any treatment that he may engage in family and friends talking about. What was Blake like before and what does he like now?” said Scagnelli.

But can Jinx be held liable for her husband’s actions? Attorney Ryan McCall of the Tully Rinckey firm says that’s difficult.

“And that’s really where the issue is gonna come down to. When it comes to negligence in any fashion, you really need to be able to show, there was a duty owed there was a breach of that duty, causation and damages” said McCall.

Gillis’ family is also suing Monahan’s homeowner’s insurance company as the accident happened on his property. The insurance company says it’s not liable.

“Then it becomes what does Mr. Monahan have as far as assets if he is able to get a subsequent judgment, the issue becomes collection,” McCall said.

That will affect Walsh’s ability to collect the unspecified he’s suing for. Scagnelli however, says money isn’t the focus: “The purpose of this lawsuit is to hold the Monahans accountable for what they did”.”

NEWS10 is still trying to determine who Kevin Monahan’s lawyers are in the civil matters. NEWS10 is also reaching out to attorneys for the Gillis family. Kaylin Gillis’s father Andrew declined to comment on this matter.

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