On Friday, a jury in the murder trial of Arizona rancher George Alan Kelly was deadlocked and unable to return a unanimous verdict.
George Kelly, the Arizona rancher who was arrested and accused of second-degree murder and aggravated assault while defending his wife and property from trespassers, began his trial last month.
Kelly, aged 75, was taken into custody for the shooting death of Gabriel Cuen-Butimea on his Arizona ranch located in Kino Springs, just outside Nogales, Mexico, on January 30, 2023.
Reports indicate that Gabriel Cuen-Butimea has a history of illegally entering the United States and has been deported multiple times.
According to Mr. Kelly’s defense attorneys, he fired warning shots upon sighting a group of men wearing camouflage clothing aiming an AK-47 directly at him.
According to his lawyers, George Alan Kelly made sure to fire his weapon above the heads of the individuals.
Later, when the rancher went to inspect his horse, he found the deceased individual, believed to be an illegal alien likely involved with the cartel smuggling operation.
Initially, Kelly faced a first-degree murder charge, but recently, a judge reduced it to second-degree murder during a court hearing focused on presenting evidence.
Kelly’s defense attorney Brenna Larkin told jurors that her client “was in a life or death situation.”
On Thursday, jurors deliberated but couldn’t come to a decision. The deliberations continued into Friday, and after over 7 hours, the jury sent a message to the judge stating they were deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict.
As reported by AZ Central:
A jury was unable to reach a verdict on Friday afternoon in the trial of a Nogales-area rancher charged with killing an unarmed migrant crossing his 170-acre property.
After more than seven hours of deliberation, the jury sent a note to Santa Cruz Superior Court Judge Thomas Fink saying jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict. The judge asked them to continue deliberating and offered for them to leave early Friday and return on Monday.
Rancher George Alan Kelly, 75, faces one count of second-degree murder in the death of Gabriel Cuen Buitimea and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after being accused of putting another man, Daniel Ramirez, in danger as they were crossing his 170-acre spread near the international border.
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This is a clear case of defending yourself,your family and your property against a criminal invader
This man needs to be freed from this malicious prosecution!