A 73-year-old Arizona rancher is being held on $1 million bond after a man believed to be a Mexican citizen was shot to death on the rancher’s property.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s office in Nogales, Arizona, said George Alan Kelly, 73, was arrested last week and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the Jan. 30 incident, according to The Associated Press.
The victim has been identified as Gabriel Cuen-Butimea, 48, of Nogales, Mexico, based on a Mexican voter registration card found on the body, the report said.
According to the U.K.’s Daily Mail, citing federal court records, Cuen-Butimea illegally crossed the southern border in the past and was deported back to Mexico several times. It said he was last deported in 2016.
Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Gerardo Castillo said the killing occurred in Kino Springs at the location listed for Kelly’s cattle ranch.
The site was about a mile and a half north of the Mexican border.
“It doesn’t seem like Mr. Kelly and the decedent knew each other,” Castillo said, according to Nogales International.
At 2:40 p.m. Jan. 30, the Border Patrol received a report of a “possible active shooter.” The report said there was a “group of people running” and said the person making the report “was unsure if he was getting shot at as well.”
The entry said the person reporting the incident was “Allen.”
Although deputies found nothing when they responded, a second report at about 6 p.m. resulted in deputies finding a body about 100 to 150 yards from Kelly’s home.
The dead person had been shot once, Castillo said.
He said Kelly was arrested because the “investigation initially revealed that he had shot in the area.”
Castillo said officials do not know what weapon was used to kill Cuen-Butimea.
During an appearance Jan. 31 in Nogales Justice Court, Kelly asked Justice of the Peace Emilio Velasquez to reduce the amount of the bond because his wife would be left alone at their ranch.
“She’s there by herself … nobody to take care of her, the livestock. Or the ranch. And I’m not going anywhere. I can’t come up with a million dollars. Is there … Would you consider reducing it to any degree?” he said, according to Nogales International.
The request was denied.
So if your an illegal you can come here, break our laws and still be here illegally.
You can be an “equity protester” committ a crime get out on no cash bail, but This American citizens is held at 1 million bond for killing an illegal immigrant who was on his property tresp and in the USA illegally?
WOW!!!!! So an American can’t defend their land now???? He probably shot a warning shot and hit a person. Besides I am sure a 73-year-old and his wife are scared to death of these people that keep coming onto their property!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He had every right to shoot at someone or around them to get the hell off his property!!!!!!!!!!!!! This man should get a medal, not jail time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope he has friends and family that will come and help!!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully, an organization can help with a lawyer too!!!! I pray for his release and for this border to be secure again!!!!!
We’re no longer living in a Constitutional Republic, but under a neo-Marxist regime which not only does not recognize the Constitution, but also rule of law. That’s tyranny facilitated by dictators – nothing less. Many believe protesting will facilitate change. IT WILL NOT. Aimless protests serve as nothing more than exercises in futility. Not one country has ever been saved from dictatorial tyrants by protests – not one. History has taught us there’s only ONE SOLUTION to rid itself from dictatorship – ELIMINATE the dictators BY WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY. Then and only then will freedom and liberty be obtained.
That said: I’m done w/ this bullshit – ALL of it. I’m 71 years old, have lived a good, long life, and have no more patience to go through the (so-called) ‘legal’ means to eliminate these dictators. They don’t play by the rules, why should we? Just get me to w/i 100 feet of ANY person in this current ILLEGITIMATE ‘Administration’ – BAM! DONE! Consequences? I couldn’t care less. I may go to jail – but they’ll still be dead…besides, at this point, (to me) the words ‘life in prison’ are (pretty much) – meaningless.
Hey DOJ/Gestapo! DO YOU HEAR ME!? YOU BASTARD COMMUNISTS! WHEN YOU COME FOR ME – BE PREPARED TO DIE. BECAUSE I AM!
time to fix these communist judges and all the rest of these POS. Make America the wild wild west again
I heard there was a Go Fund Me page started to help George Kelly with bail and Go Fund Me shut it down, they wouldn’t let any more contributions come in.
In this country you can have a gun but if you use it to defend yourself you’re going to jail.