Arizona rancher rejects plea deal in fatal shooting of migrant near the US-Mexico border; trial set

NOGALES, Ariz.– A trial date was set Wednesday, March 21, for an Arizona rancher accused of fatally shooting a migrant on his property near the U.S.-Mexico border last year.

George Alan Kelly rejected a plea deal offered by prosecutors on Wednesday that would have reduced the charge to one count of negligent homicide if he had pleaded guilty, the Arizona Republic reported.

Kelly's trial in Santa Cruz County Superior Court is expected to last three weeks, the newspaper said.

Kelly, 75, was arrested and charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault in the January 30, 2023 shooting death of 48-year-old Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea of ​​Nogales, Mexico.

Authorities said Kelly shot at a group of unarmed migrants walking through his nearly 170-acre cattle ranch in the Kino Springs area, and Cuen-Buitimea was among them.

Prosecutors say Kelly recklessly fired an AK-47 rifle at the migrants, who were about 100 yards away from him.

But Kelly's attorney said her client was firing into the air over the migrants and he feared for his and his wife's safety and property.

The other migrants were not injured and managed to escape back to Mexico.

Cuen-Buitimea also entered the U.S. illegally several times and was convicted and deported, most recently in 2016, court records show.

The shooting has stirred emotions as the national debate over border security heats up ahead of the 2024 presidential election.