Conservatives welcomed the mistrial of Arizona rancher George Alan Kelly, accused of shooting dead a Mexican migrant on his land.
Kelly, 75, was charged with the murder of Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea last January at his home in Nogales, near the Mexican border.
Prosecutors said Kelly recklessly fired nine shots from an AK-47 rifle at a group of men about 100 yards from his cattle ranch.
In court Monday, after jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision after more than two full days of deliberations, Kelly said “let me go home.”
Speaking to reporters, he said: “It is like this and it will be like this, let me go home. I will continue to fight forever, I will not stop.
The Mexican consulate in Nogales has since said it hopes the state will retry the case and justice will be served.
In court Monday, after jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision after more than two full days of deliberations, Kelly, seen here, said “let me go home.”
Kelly, 75, was charged with the murder of Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea, seen here, last January at his home in Nogales, near the Mexican border.
Moreno said: “Mexico will continue to follow the case and accompany the family seeking justice. We hope for a very fair result.
Meanwhile, 2022 Tennessee House of Representatives candidate Robby Starbuck said, “A group of illegal immigrants have invaded George Alan Kelly’s property.
“After seeing guns, George defended his wife and home by firing warning shots into the air.”
“An illegal died and a woke prosecutor tried to charge George with murder. A jury today voted 7-1 that he is NOT GUILTY.
“The judge declared a mistrial. George did nothing wrong. At least for now, a great injustice has been avoided.
“Prosecutors must now decide whether they will try to bring the case a second time, which would be crazy considering he was just one juror away from a not guilty verdict.”
While former Fox producer Breanna Morello posted: “George Alan Kelly second degree murder trial ends in mistrial!!
“It was a waste of taxpayer money. Kelly was innocent, the government was guilty.
His defense attorney, Kathy Lowthorp, said only one juror wanted to convict him and seven jurors wanted to acquit him.
Conservatives have since welcomed the mistrial of Kelly, with one saying it was a waste of taxpayer money.
Prosecutors said Kelly recklessly fired nine shots from an AK-47 rifle at a group of men about 100 yards from his cattle ranch, seen here.
Kelly is convinced he will be acquitted if there is another trial: “They want ice water you-know-where.” And they don’t have it. So it’s like this
Kelly said he fired warning shots into the air, but he did not shoot directly at anyone in the group.
Kelly is convinced he will be acquitted if there is another trial: “They want ice water you-know-where.” And they don’t have it. So it’s like that.
“We do not have the choice. We have to do it,” he told the Arizona Daily Star. “If you’re in a sand trap, you have to keep hacking until you get out of it.”
He was charged with second-degree murder for the killing of Cuen-Buitimea, 48, who lived just south of the border in Nogales.
Kelly said he fired warning shots into the air, but he did not shoot directly at anyone in the group.
The other migrants were not injured and all returned to Mexico.
He was also charged with aggravated assault against another person in the group, including a man who said he had gone to the United States that day to look for work.
Cuen-Buitimea lived just south of the border in Nogales, Mexico, after entering the United States illegally several times and being deported, most recently in 2016, according to court records.
The trial, which lasted nearly a month, coincided with a presidential election year that sparked widespread interest in border security.
George Kelly and his wife Wanda arrive for an arraignment hearing in Arizona Superior Court in Nogales, Arizona.
County Attorney Michael Jette addresses jurors during closing arguments in Santa Cruz County Superior Court Thursday, April 18, 2024 in Nogales.
Judge Thomas Fink told jurors that if they could not reach a verdict on the second-degree murder charge, they could try to get a unanimous decision on a lesser charge of manslaughter or manslaughter by negligence.
A conviction for second-degree murder would have carried a minimum sentence of ten years in prison.
The jury heard the case Thursday afternoon, deliberated briefly that day, and then all of Friday and Monday before the judge called a mistrial.
On Monday, Judge Fink said: “Based on the jury’s inability to reach a verdict on any count. This case is being declared null and void.
The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office can still decide whether to retry Kelly on any charges or drop the case.
A status hearing was scheduled for next Monday, when prosecutors could tell the judge if they plan to dismiss the case again.
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