Arizona: Prosecutors drop charges against George Alan Kelly, the farmer accused of killing a Mexican immigrant

Justice reiterated that it will no longer seek to prosecute George Alan Kelly, a farmer who shot and killed Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea and wounded Daniel Ramírez, two Mexican immigrants, on his ranch located in Nogales (Arizona). At the trial, which concluded last week, the jury was unable to reach a verdict against the defendant.

Kelly, 75, was charged with second-degree murder for killing Cuen-Buitimea and aggravated assault against Daniel Ramirez. "Gabriel and Daniel Ramírez were shot at. Gabriel is dead, killed by a high-powered weapon, an AK-47. Entry and exit wound analysis of the victims lined up with the defendant's property. The defendant shot his AK nine times. Shell casings prove it. The ejection pattern proves where he was standing. The position and orientation of Gabriel's body proves where the shot comes from," the Santa Cruz County Prosecutor's Office said.

After the jury could not determine a verdict, prosecutors had two options: restart the process or withdraw their charges. This latter action was the one they finally chose.

On January 30, 2023, Kelly fatally shot Cuen-Buitimea and Ramírez with an AK-47 rifle while both were inside the farmer's property. The accused assured that he never opened fire directly at them and the only thing he did was shoot into the air.