Arizona Rancher Will Not Be Retried After Hung Jury

George Alan Kelly got some very good news this week.

Kelly is the Arizona rancher who was arrested and charged with the murder of a Mexican national who was trespassing on Kelly’s property.

Rather than try him again, Santa Cruz County prosecutors have decided to set him free.

You Can Go

According to reports, Kelly, 75, allegedly shot and killed Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea in January 2023 after Cuen-Buitimea entered his property.

Kelly was on trial for second-degree murder, which led to a hung jury.

According to reports after the trial, 11 jurors wanted to acquit Kelly, but there was one holdout who wanted to convict him.

Deputy County Attorney Kimberly Hunley told Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Thomas Fink this week that they would not be moving forward with another trial.

Hunley stated, "Because of the unique circumstances and challenges surrounding this case, the Santa Cruz County Attorney's Office has decided not to seek a retrial.”

While the prosecution alleged that Cuen-Buitimea was an unarmed migrant, more or less assassinated by Kelly, Kelly’s defense team maintained that Cuen-Buitimea was under the influence of the Cartel.

Additionally, Kelly stated that he never directly fired at Cuen-Buitimea, but instead fired warning shots into the air.

In her closing argument, Kelly's defense attorney, Brenna Larkin, stated, "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.

"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."

Congratulations on your freedom, Mr. Kelly.