Arizona rancher rejects plea deal in deadly migrant shooting near the US-Mexico border; trial set
NOGALES, Ariz. - A trial date was set Wednesday for an Arizona rancher accused of fatally shooting a migrant on his property near the U.S.-Mexico border last year.
George Alan Kelly rejected a plea deal offered by prosecutors Wednesday that would have carried a maximum sentence of eight years.
Kelly’s trial in Santa Cruz County Superior Court is scheduled to begin on March 21.
Kelly, 75, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault in the Jan. 30, 2023, shooting of 48-year-old Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea of Nogales, Mexico.
Authorities said Kelly shot at a group of unarmed migrants who were walking through his nearly 170-acre cattle ranch in the Kino Springs area, and Cuen-Buitimea was among them.
Border Patrol agent claims Arizona rancher George Alan Kelly being 'intentionally vague' in 911 calls: report
Nogales International reportedly obtained several calls, which range from under 30 seconds to nearly eight minutes in length, this week regarding the Jan. 30 shooting death of a man identified as 48-year-old Gabriel Cuen Buitimea.
According to prosecutors, Kelly recklessly fired an AK-47 rifle toward the migrants, who were about 100 yards away from him.
But Kelly’s lawyer said her client shot into the air above the migrants, and he feared for his and his wife’s safety and the property.
The other migrants weren’t injured and managed to escape back to Mexico.
George Alan Kelly
Cuen-Buitimea also entered the U.S. illegally several times and was convicted and deported, most recently in 2016, court records show.
The shooting has stirred emotions as the national debate over border security heats up ahead of the 2024 presidential election.