George Alan Kelly charged with killing Mexican man on ranch

An Arizona cattle rancher has been charged with first-degree murder and had his bail set at $1 million after he allegedly killed a Mexican national, who was likely in the country illegally, on his ranch just 150 feet from the US border. 

George Alan Kelly, 73, is accused in the Jan. 30 killing of Gabriel Cuen-Butimea, 48, on his property just outside Nogales, Ariz., the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s office said.

Officials believe Cuen-Butimea was a Mexican citizen because of a Mexican voter registration card he carried.

He was living at the time in Nogales, Mexico — separated by the border from the Arizona town by the same name.

Cuen-Butimea had a history of illegally crossing the border and had been deported back to Mexico multiple times, most recently in 2016, according to federal documents obtained by the Daily Mail.

Once someone has been deported, the US government bars them from re-entering the country for five or 10 years, and repeat offenders are banned for longer or permanently depending on the reason for deportation.

Hours before the fatal shooting, authorities received a call from someone in the area who identified themselves as “Allen” and said there was a “possible active shooter,” Nogales International reported. 

The caller told Border Patrol officials there was a “group of people running” and said he “was unsure if he was getting shot at as well.” 

Authorities later responded to another report of shots fired from the property and discovered the body of a deceased adult Hispanic male, Chief Deputy Gerardo Castillo told the outlet. 

“It doesn’t seem like Mr. Kelly and the decedent knew each other,” he said. 

Authorities have not provided much information about the killing, including a possible motive.

Kelly asked a judge at his court hearing to reduce his $1 million bail so he could return to his wife, saying she could not take care of their ranch.

“She’s there by herself … nobody to take care of her, the livestock or the ranch,” he said, according to the outlet.

It appears that Kelly is also an author of self-published fictional books depicting life as a rancher near the US-Mexico border.

In one story available online titled “Far Beyond the Border Fence,” fictional characters with names that match his and his wife’s “had to patrol the ranch daily, armed with AK-47s” — similar to how armed citizen militia groups patrol the border in Arizona.

The shooting has left the neighborhood of Kino Springs shaken, with residents saying they have never felt unsafe in the border town before.

Maria Castillo, who has lived on Kino Springs and West Sagebrush Road for the past 10 years, told KOLD News 13 it wasn’t unusual to see people crossing the border and going about town.

“I drive through here every day,” Castillo said. “Late, early, and never encountered anybody. I feel very safe living here in the area.”

Another neighbor, who did not want to be identified, told the outlet they knew the alleged shooter personally and considered him a friend.

The friend said Kelly previously had issues with people on his property. 

The pal noted that whatever the reason behind the shooting, he believes Kelly would have acted in good faith.

Arizona law allows the use of deadly force to prevent burglary of unoccupied residential structures and has similar rules as other states’ “stand your ground” laws.

Its statute states “a person is justified in threatening or using physical force against another when and to the extent a reasonable person would believe that physical force is immediately necessary to protect himself against the other’s use or attempted use of unlawful physical force.” 

The law leaves prosecutors to determine whether a defendant was justified in using lethal force in self-defense. 

Kelly is being held at Santa Cruz County Jail. He is scheduled to reappear in court Wednesday.

With Post wires