GoFundMe Boots Fundraiser for Arizona Rancher Accused of Murdering Migrant

A 73-year-old Arizona rancher remains in the Santa Cruz County jail on a $1 million bond after being charged with murdering a migrant on his ranch. GoFundMe booted fundraising pages for supporters attempting to raise money for George Allen Kelly’s bond and legal defense.

A judge in Santa Cruz County denied a request from Kelly to lower his bond in the case involving the alleged murder of a Mexican migrant, 48-year-old Gabriel Cuen-Butimea. The judge told Kelly his attorney would have to file for a bond-reduction hearing.

In an interview with Breitbart Texas, Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Gerardo Castillo said the shooting occurred on the border ranch in an area that was not close to the residence. Police were called at 5:56 p.m. Sunset on January 30 in nearby Nogales, Arizona, was 5:57 p.m.

The Daily Mail reported that the shooting occurred about 150 yards away from the rancher’s home. The Mexican national, with a long history of illegal immigration and deportations, died from a single gunshot wound, the news outlet stated.

Supporters of Kelly initially set up a fundraising page on GoFundMe.com. The organization took down those pages. Supporters turned to GiveSendGo.com and successfully created a page to raise money for Kelly’s bond and legal defense. As of press time, the supporters raised nearly $150,000.

Kelly begged the judge for a reduced bond saying that his wife was home alone and could not care for the cattle on his ranch.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Kelly told the judge. “I can’t come up with a million dollars.”

Kelly’s court-appointed attorney, Brenna Larkin, does not appear to have entered a bail reduction motion for the defendant. Larkin has not responded to requests from Breitbart News for information on the case.

Police identified the decedent as 48-year-old Gabriel Cuen-Butimea after recovering a Mexican voter registration card on his person, Chief Castillo told Breitbart Texas earlier this week.

Cuen-Butimea has a history of illegally crossing the border from Mexico into the U.S. multiple times, according to federal court records reported by the Daily Mail. The most recent crossing took place in 2016. It is not clear if he was ever prosecuted for illegal re-entry after removal.

The Daily Mail reports:

And just hours before the fatal shooting, Nogales International reports, US Border Patrol agents informed the county sheriff’s department of a ‘possible active shooter’ at the scene, with a man identifying himself as ‘Allen’ saying he was not sure if he was getting shot himself.

Chief Castillo told Breitbart News that investigators did not find any weapons in the decedent’s possession.

One neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, told KOLD 13 News that he is friends with Kelly and that Kelly has had problems with people on his property before this incident. The neighbor added that he believes that Kelly would have acted with good faith.