A Mexican official said on Friday that the government wanted an Arizona rancher to face a more severe charge for allegedly killing a migrant who entered his property.
An Arizona judge last week said George Alan Kelly, 74, should face second-degree murder and aggravated assault charges in the death of Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea, who was shot and killed at Kelly’s ranch just outside of Nogales, Arizona.
He initially faced a first-degree murder charge.
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George Alan Kelly, 73, is accused of shooting a Mexican migrant on his property in January. Kelly said he fired warning shots and never shot anyone directly. (Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
Vanessa Calva, head of Mexico’s consular protection, told US prosecutors that the Mexican government believes Kelly faces a first-degree murder charge. You said Cuen-Buitimea, 48, was unarmed, was fleeing and was shot in the back.
Prosecutors say Kelly opened fire with an AK-47 rifle on about eight unarmed migrants he met Jan. 30 at his ranch, hitting Cuen-Buitimea as he tried to flee. Two migrants from the group later told authorities Kelly also shot them, but they weren’t hit and fled over a fence into Mexico.
Kelly’s attorney, Brenna Larkin, said her client fired warning shots over the migrants and that she feared for his safety, his wife and his property. She said she had ifAndn people with AK-47 rifles and backpacks walking through the property.
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George Alan Kelly, 73, is facing second-degree murder charges for shooting a migrant at his ranch just north of the border. (Santa Cruz County Court Clerk)
US court records show that Cuen-Buitimea has been convicted of illegal entry and deported to Mexico several times, most recently in 2016, according to The Associated Press.
Kelly is free on a $1 million bond.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
