A 73-year-old Arizona cattle rancher has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of a suspected illegal immigrant near the U.S.-Mexico border.
George Alan Kelly was arrested last week in the killing of who authorities believe is Gabriel Cuen-Butimea, 48, who lived in Nogales, Mexico, the Los Angeles Times reported. He was identified by a Mexican voter registration card he was carrying when he died on Jan. 30 . The address of the killing is the same one listed for Kelly’s cattle ranch. Kelly is being held on a $1 million bail.
Elderly Arizona rancher charged with murdering a Mexican man on his ranch https://t.co/d4jWcJIdU8 pic.twitter.com/XPp9YI5XuO
— New York Post (@nypost) February 7, 2023
According to federal court records obtained by the Daily Mail, Cuen-Butimea has a history of illegally crossing the international border into the states. He was deported back to Mexico multiple times, most recently in 2016. Kelly’s ranch is a mile and a half north of the border.
Under Arizona law, Daily Mail noted, deadly force is allowed on one’s on property if the homeowner deems it “immediately necessary” to stop a trespasser.
Kelly’s neighbor, Maria Castillo, told the outlet that illegal immigrants who cross the border are seen in their area often.
At a court hearing, Kelly reportedly asked a judge about getting his bail reduced because his wife is living at the ranch alone.
“She’s there by herself…nobody to take care of her, the livestock or the ranch,” he reportedly said. “I’m not going anywhere. I can’t come up with a million dollars.”