NOGALES — A rancher who lives near the Mexican border has been charged with first-degree murder last week after he shot and killed a man who was provisionally identified as a Mexican citizen. His bail was set at $1 million.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Monday that 73-year-old George Alan Kelly was arrested last week for the murder. Believed to be Gabriel Cuenbutimere, 48, who lived in the South.
The killing occurred on Jan. 30 in the Kino Springs neighborhood just outside Nogales, said Sheriff’s Chief of Staff Gerardo Castillo. The address where the killing took place is the same address listed in public records for Kelly’s cattle ranch.
Details about the shoot were thin, and it was unclear whether the two men had known each other before.
Kelly was in custody at the Santa Cruz County Jail After his arraignment in county court last week. He is due back in court on Wednesday.
Local attorney Brenna Larkin, appointed by the court to defend Kelly, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the charges against him.
