Phoenix, Arizona – A trial began on Friday for an Arizona rancher accused of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a migrant on his property near Mexico. As the national debate over border security intensifies ahead of the upcoming presidential election, 75-year-old George Alan Kelly faces a month-long jury trial in Santa Cruz County Superior Court.
Kelly had turned down a plea deal that could have reduced the charge to negligent homicide. Despite some sympathy from those on the political right, several fundraising efforts for his defense were shut down due to the serious nature of the charges against him.
The incident took place on Jan. 30, 2023, when Kelly encountered a group of unarmed migrants, including 48-year-old Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea of Nogales, Mexico, on his cattle ranch in the Kino Springs area. While authorities claim that Kelly shot towards the migrants out of fear, prosecutors argue that he recklessly fired an AK-47 rifle in their direction, causing Cuen-Buitimea’s death.
Defense attorney Brenna Larkin contends that Kelly was constantly arming himself for protection due to increasingly menacing groups of migrants crossing through his property, including drug and human smugglers. Kelly allegedly fired into the air above the migrants in an effort to ward off potential threats.
The trial also includes a charge of aggravated assault against another person in the group, Honduran national Daniel Ramirez. The group had scattered and was returning to Mexico when Cuen-Buitimea was shot and killed in front of Ramirez.
The Mexican consulate in Nogales, Arizona, is closely monitoring the case and in contact with the victim’s family. The shooting has reignited discussions about border security, coming shortly after a similar incident in West Texas involving twin brothers charged with manslaughter in the shooting of migrants.
Border security remains a prominent issue in this year’s presidential election, with both Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden making visits to the Texas-Mexico border in late February. The trial is expected to continue for several weeks, shedding light on the complexities surrounding border security and self-defense in cases involving migrants.