A 75-year-old Arizona rancher accused of murdering an illegal immigrant trespassing on his property will not be tried again after a jury could not reach a verdict after several days of deliberation earlier this month.
Prosecutors for Santa Cruz County said Monday that they would not seek to retry George Alan Kelly over the death of 48-year-old Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea, who was found dead on Kelly’s property in January 2023. Kelly, who maintained that he did not shoot Cuen-Buitimea, pled not guilty to a second-degree murder charge in March 2023.
“Because of the unique circumstances and challenges surrounding this case, the Santa Cruz County Attorney’s Office has decided not to seek a retrial,” said chief deputy Santa Cruz county attorney Kim Hunley.
“However, our office’s decision in this case should not be construed as a position on future cases of this type,”…
