Rancher charged with murder compared to Unabomber by prosecutors
- An Arizona rancher is charged in the shooting death of a Mexican national
- Texts reveal rancher bragged about shooting people, had animosity
- Defense lawyers say he was just trying to protect his property
This photo provided by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office in Nogales, Arizona, shows rancher George Alan Kelly, 73. (Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
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(NewsNation) — An Arizona rancher charged with killing a Mexican national on his land is back in court this week ahead of a trial next month.
Kelly was charged with murder after Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea was found dead from a single gunshot wound on the rancher’s Kino Springs land.
No bullet was found in connection to the shooting at the scene.
Lawyers for Kelly say he was protecting his property — but new court documents from prosecutors say Kelly bragged about shooting people. Prosecutors even compared the 75-year-old to that of the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
Some texts revealed in court documents show Kelly said he put 27 migrants in the ground where they were “growing daisies.” The same documents reveal Kelly referred to being “locked and loaded,” and said his AK was getting a lot of work.
Kelly himself asserts he did not fire shots at Cuen-Buitimea, but above a group of five men running through his property in camouflage, with backpacks and possibly rifles.
Prosecutors, however, argue Kelly’s text messages show his animosity toward undocumented people, which they say was his motivation for killing Cuen-Buitimea.
Defense attorneys for Kelly chalked their client’s comments up to his political beliefs and “friendly chest-beating between men.”
Kelly’s trial is set for Sept. 6 in Santa Cruz County. On Friday, the court is set to hear from witnesses and determine whether Kelly’s wife Wanda will be compelled to answer the state’s questions.