For the 73-year-old George Alan Kelly, a wealthy rancher residing in Arizona close to the American border, understanding those desperate for access to America from its southern neighbor is an alien concept. He has witnessed individuals attempting to illegally cross over without following through with the tedious process of obtaining their official paperwork. Nevertheless, Kelly has found himself at the center of a pending investigation regarding the death of Gabriel Cuen-Butimea – a 48-year-old Mexican man killed on his property by Kelly.
Kelly was apprehended after he ended Cuen-Butimea’s life on his Arizona cattle farm, Kino Springs. Miraculously, the ranch is situated only a mile and a half away from the US/Mexico border. As authorities continue to probe the fatal shooting, things appear dire for Kelly as he reportedly displayed absolute rage when pulling the trigger.
A Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy affirms that Kelly had no prior relationship with the victim, Cuen-Butimea. A friend of Kelly’s spoke to KOLD and suggested that he had experienced difficulties with trespassers on his land; however, this same individual believes wholeheartedly that the Mexican migrant was not murdered without provocation or reason.
Cuen-Butimea had a history of illegally entering the United States through its southern border with Mexico. His most recent deportation back to his home country took place in 2016.
Hours before the tragedy, US Border Patrol agents warned Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies that a man under the alias of “Allen” was potentially an active shooter intent on killing people near his home. It was confirmed when officials located Cuen-Butimea’s remains just one hundred yards away from Kelly’s residence on January 30th, 2023.
A single gunshot wound resulted in the fatal demise of the victim. His identity was verified by his Mexican voter registration card which he had on him, as he resided in Nogales, Mexico.
Chief Deputy Gerardo Castillo (pictured above) and his team are currently attempting to uncover if there was a hidden agenda behind the murder. Additionally, they’re exploring whether Kelly murdered the Mexican migrant due to some pre-existing dispute. Chief Deputy Castillo stated, “It doesn’t seem like Mr. Kelly, and the [victim] knew each other.”
Despite Kelly’s arrest, Arizona legislation allows landowners to use lethal force if it is deemed “immediately necessary” in order to defend against trespassing. Such “stand your ground” laws are also implemented in other states with a conservative populace.
Maria Castillo, Kelly’s neighbor (pictured above), reported to the press that immigrants crossing from Mexico into the US were occasionally spotted in their locale.
Border Patrol agents were alerted to a report that an individual named “Allen” had noticed a “group of people running”, and he was “unsure if he was getting shot at as well.”
Shortly after 5:50 pm, the sheriffs were notified of gunshots coming from Kelly’s ranch. At 6:42 pm, tragically they discovered a Mexican migrant had been fatally shot nearby Kelly’s residence.
