Arizona rancher charged with shooting and killing migrant at his ranch to remain in prison on $1 million bail

An Arizona rancher accused of shooting and killing a migrant on January 30 will remain in jail on $1 million bail for at least another two weeks before a preliminary hearing scheduled for February 22.

George Alan Kelly, 73, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Gabriel Cuen-Butimea, 48, who was identified by a Mexican voter registration card he carried.

His court-appointed attorney requested a postponement of Wednesday’s preliminary hearing due to a “rather lengthy” case that would “require a significant amount of time.”

Authorities are silent on the circumstances of the shooting.

Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Gerardo Castillo told Nogales International that authorities were called to Kelly’s ranch in Movie Springs about the report of gunshots and found a dead Hispanic man about 100 to 150 yards from Kelly’s home.

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Two assault rifles were recovered from the scene. According to local news reports, Kelly and Kuen-Butimea did not know each other.

Cinema Springs is about 10 miles east of Nogales, Arizona and about 1.5 miles north of the US-Mexico border.

Federal court records show Kuen-Butimea had a history of illegal border crossings, most recently in 2016, according to the Daily Mail.

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Kelly appeared in court on February 2 wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and handcuffs. He asked for reading glasses and asked how he could talk to his wife.

“My wife is present in court. Can I ask her to sign up for an audiovisual conference? I didn’t get to talk to her or anyone else,” Kelly said on February 2.

Emilio Velasquez, a justice of the peace in Santa Cruz County, explained that she would have to make an appointment through the sheriff’s office.

This photo provided by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office in Nogales, Arizona, shows rancher George Alan Kelly, 73, being held on $1 million bail in connection with the death last week of a man believed to be identified as Mexican migrant. (Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

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Kelly’s court-appointed attorney did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

On Wednesday, she wrote in a statement that Kelly “does not qualify for a court-appointed attorney and is in the process of seeking an attorney to represent him.”