A 75-year-old Arizona rancher accused of killing an illegal immigrant who trespassed on his property will not be retried after a jury failed to reach a verdict after several days of deliberations earlier this month. .

santa cruz county prosecutor said On Monday, they announced they would not seek a retrial for George Alan Kelly over the death of 48-year-old Gabriel Quyen Bouytimea, who was found dead on Kelly’s property in January 2023. Kelly will be acquitted of second-degree murder charges in March 2023, when he maintained and swore he did not shoot Quyen Bouytimea.

“Due to the unique circumstances and challenges surrounding this case, the Santa Cruz County Attorney’s Office has decided not to seek a new trial,” Santa Cruz County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Kim Hanley said in a statement.

“However, our office’s decision in this case should not be construed as a position regarding future cases of this type,” Hanley’s office added. “Our office is required by law to prosecute criminal activity, and we take that legal obligation seriously.”

The decision not to retry Mr. Kelly was made after a four-week trial. Kelly’s lawyers announced that the jury voted 7-1 to acquit the rancher.

“I’m really happy for them. We got the right answer,” defense attorney Kathy Lowthorpe said Monday. According to to local media. “I think he’s ready to get out of the area. The last year and a half hasn’t been very fun.”

Kelly is accused of fatally shooting Quen Buitimea, a Mexican national who was trespassing on Kelly’s property with a group of other suspected illegal immigrants on January 31, 2023, near Nogales, Arizona. Ta. The defense argued that Kelly only fired a warning shot and did not shoot Quyen Bouytimea.

Santa Cruz County Prosecutor Mike Jett accused Kelly escalated the situation, claiming that the rancher did not see anyone armed and stating that Kelly had killed Quyen-Buitimare.

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Marcos Moreno Báez, Mexico’s Consul General in Nogales, said his office was disappointed with the decision.

“The Consulate General deeply regrets the lack of justice for the victims, especially Mr. Quyen’s daughters who were with him from day one,” Moreno-Baez said. “The victims’ families expected the verdict based on what they witnessed during the trial, which was a very negative narrative about migration flows.”

Quen-Buitimare previously exiled From the United States after entering the country multiple times