An Arizona rancher’s attorney, who is being held on $1 million bail, said her client shot dead a Mexican man whose body was found on his property near the U.S.-Mexico border last month. rather than firing warning shots at smugglers carrying AKs earlier in the day. – 47 rifles and a large backpack on his land.
A defense request filed in the Santa Cruz County Court of Justice last week ruled that the $1 million bond set in the first-degree murder case was George Allan Kelly lower or raise. Kelly, 73, remained in custody at the Santa Cruz County Jail on Monday in the January 30 murders.
A preliminary hearing in this case is set for Monday, February 20.
Attorney Brenna Larkin, who has been appointed to represent Kelly in court, said his client “confirmed that he fired warning shots at smugglers earlier in the day, but denied that he fired at anyone.
“He does not believe that any of his warning shots could have hit a person or caused death,” she continued. ‘s shooting was in self-defense and justified.”
Kelly’s Ranch is located just outside the city limits in the Kino Springs area of Nogales, Arizona.
Victim Gabriel Cuenbutimea lived just south of the border in Nogales, Mexico. Cuen-Butimea has been convicted of illegal entry and deported to Mexico several times, most recently in 2016, according to U.S. court records.
The Mexican Consulate in Nogales has not responded to several calls seeking additional information about Cuenbutimea.
Kelly appears to have explored herding life on the border in her self-published novel Far Beyond the Border Fence, which Amazon.com describes as “a modern novel that brings Mexico’s border/drug conflict into the 21st century.” ” is expressed.
Written by the man of the same name, this 57-page novel focuses on George and his wife Wanda. George Alan Kelly’s wife’s name is Wanda.
“Several times a week, illegal immigrants cross the VMR ranch,” reads one. “They were led by armed human smugglers called coyotes. George and the foreman had to patrol the ranch daily armed with AK-47s.”
neighbor maria castillo CBS News affiliate KOLD said: It was not uncommon to see people crossing the border in this area, but it was never a problem.
“I pass by here every day,” says Castillo. “I didn’t see anyone late or early, so I feel very safe living in the area.”
Number of immigrants arrested by U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the southern border illegally About 40% reduction In January, the Biden administration Revamped Strategy to discourage illegal crossings, according to government data obtained by CBS News.
