diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c
index cbde2b1607..fe8424f9a9 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ qemuMonitorOpenUnix(const char *monitor, pid_t cpid)
             break;
 
         if ((errno == ENOENT || errno == ECONNREFUSED) &&
-            cpid && virProcessKill(cpid, 0) == 0) {
+            (!cpid || virProcessKill(cpid, 0) == 0)) {
             /* ENOENT       : Socket may not have shown up yet
              * ECONNREFUSED : Leftover socket hasn't been removed yet */
             continue;