Prosecutors Decline to Retry Kelly After Mistrial for Border Murder Charge

George Alan Kelly, the rancher accused of murdering a Mexican national on his border property in Arizona last year, will not be retried, prosecutors from the Santa Cruz County Attorney’s office have announced. Kelly stood trial this week but proceedings came to an abrupt halt as jurors couldn’t reach a verdict after deliberating for over 20 hours.
The state charged Kelly with second-degree murder following his alleged involvement in shooting and killing Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea on January 31, 2023, within the perimeters of Kelly’s property located close to Arizona’s southern boundary with Mexico. However, a jury was unable to come up with a unanimous decision as the case against Kelly went into deadlock following more than three days of deliberation this week, and as a result, prosecutors declared it an official mistrial last Thursday.
Kelly is currently being held at Pima County Adult Detention Complex on $500,00 bail in connection to his ongoing legal proceedings which began over six months ago when he was initially charged with second-degree murder by the Santa Cruz County Attorney’s Office back in February 2023.
This story is still developing and further details will be provided as they become available.