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Feb 7, 2023 | 9:49am
An Arizona cattle rancher has been charged with first-degree murder and bail has been set at $1 million for unlawfully killing a Mexican man on his ranch just 150 feet from the U.S. border.
George Alan Kelly, 73, is accused of killing Gabriel Cuen Butimere, 48, on his property outside Nogales, Arizona, on Jan. 30, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said. Stated.
Authorities believe Cuen-Butimea was a Mexican citizen because he had a Mexican voter registration card.
He was living in Nogales, Mexico at the time, separated by the border from the Arizona town of the same name.
Cuen-Butimea has a history of illegal border crossings, most recently being deported back to Mexico multiple times in 2016. According to federal documents obtained by the Daily Mail,.
When someone is deported, the U.S. government prohibit re-entry They are detained in the country for 5 or 10 years, and repeat offenders are banned for longer or permanently, depending on the reason for their deportation.
Hours before the fatal shooting, officials said they received a call from someone in the area who identified himself as “Allen” and said there was a “possible active shooter.” Nogales International reported.
The caller told border patrol officials that there was a “group of people running” and that he was “not sure if he had been shot too.”
Authorities have since responded to another report of a shot being fired from the facility and found the body of a deceased adult Hispanic man, Chief of Staff Gerardo Castillo told the outlet.
“Mr. Kelly and the decedent do not appear to have known each other,” he said.
Authorities have not provided much information about the killings, including possible motives.
Kelly told a judge at a court hearing that his wife could not look after the ranch and asked him to reduce his $1 million bail so he could return to his wife.
“She’s out there alone…no one to look after the livestock or the ranch,” he said.
Kelly also appears to be the author of a self-published fictional book about life as a rancher near the U.S.-Mexico border.
In a story published online entitled “Far Beyond the Border Fence,” a fictional character whose names match his and his wife’s “must be armed with an AK-47 and patrol the ranch daily.” I didn’t.” Arizona.
The shootings rocked the neighborhood of Kino Springs, where residents say they’ve never felt unsafe in a border town.
Maria Castillo, who has lived in Kino Springs and West Sagebrush Road for the past decade, told KOLD News 13 It was not uncommon to see people crossing the border and walking around town.
“I pass by here every day,” Castillo said. “Late or early, I didn’t see anyone. I feel very safe living in the area.”
Another neighbor, who did not want to be identified, told the outlet that he knew the suspect personally and considered him a friend.
According to friends, Kelly had previously had issues with people on his property.
Friends believe that whatever the reasons behind the shooting, Kelly would have acted in good faith.
Arizona law allows the use of lethal force to prevent burglaries of vacant homes, and has rules similar to other states’ “stand your ground” laws.
this is State Law “A person shall not act against another person if and to the extent that a reasonable person believes that physical force is immediately necessary to protect himself from the unlawful use or attempted use of physical force by another person. Intimidation or use of physical force is justified.”
The law leaves it to the prosecutor to determine whether the defendant was justified in using lethal force in self-defense.
Kelly is being held at the Santa Cruz County Jail. He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
with post wire
