An Arizona rancher has gone on trial in the fatal shooting of a migrant on his property near Mexico. The trial of 75-year-old George Alan Kelly started Friday.

An Arizona rancher went on trial Friday in the fatal shooting of a migrant on his property near Mexico, with his defense attorney maintaining his innocence as the national debate over border security heats up ahead of this year’s presidential election.

George Alan Kelly, 75, has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of a man he encountered on his property outside Nogales, Arizona. The jury trial in Santa Cruz County Superior Court is expected to last up to a month until around April 19, with proceedings held four days a week with Mondays off.

Kelly had earlier rejected a plea deal that would have reduced the charge to one count of negligent homicide if he pleaded guilty. His case has garnered the sympathy of some on the political right, with several efforts raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for his defense, including several on the GoFundMe platform that were quickly shut down because of the charges against him.

He was arrested and charged last year in the Jan. 30, 2023, fatal shooting of 48-year-old Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea of adjacent Nogales, Mexico, just south of the border.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    10·
    8 months ago

    Is it necessary to smuggle weed into the U.S. at all anymore? There are huge commercial grow operations.

    Smuggling it into another state, sure…

    • extant@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      8 months ago

      Illegal weed sells at reasonable prices while untaxed, legal weed is taxed and much more expensive. Until the price of legal weed makes illegal weed not worth the effort it will continue to be a problem. Even then they’ll just switch to a different commodity.

      • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works
        10·
        8 months ago

        How much cheaper is it? Because every legal state and state that borders it is selling Ounces for like 100-150 of high quality. That’s dirt cheap, when it was $250 - $350 like a decade ago.

        • extant@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          8 months ago

          I couldn’t say as I’m not buying it, but it stands to reason if they are taking the effort to smuggle it that it’s not for charity. Just checked the neared shop to me and it’s $180-250 for an ounce of legal weed, I imagine the black market is significantly cheaper as I imagine there’s little cost once you get get past the first harvest.