Mistrial Declared in Case of Arizona Rancher Charged with Killing Migrant
The jury hearing the case of an Arizona rancher accused of killing an unarmed migrant could not reach a verdict, resulting in the judge declaring a mistrial. George Alan Kelly was charged with second-degree murder in…
The jury hearing the case of an Arizona rancher accused of killing an unarmed migrant could not reach a verdict, resulting in the judge declaring a Mistrial.
George Alan Kelly was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Mexican national Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea on his ranch in January 2023, per Fox News.
Deliberations started on April 18. The judge declared a Mistrial after jurors failed to reach a verdict.
Cuen-Buitimea was found dead on a 170-acre cattle ranch owned by Kelly located near Keno Springs outside Nogales.
Kelly’s defense raised allegations that Cuen-Buitimea was there for untoward reasons, per the outlet.
“Long story short, this is simply not somebody who’s looking for the American dream. There’s no evidence that this person is here for those kinds of benign purposes,” Kelly’s defense attorney, Brenna Larkin, said in her closing argument. “And we bring that up, not, you know, to be judgmental about Gabriel or to not have compassion for him. But when people are involved in a criminal lifestyle, it’s dangerous. It’s more inherently dangerous than simply being a migrant who’s coming here. So it’s relevant for that reason.”