Southwest
Arizona rancher says he stared down barrel of AK-47 when he fired warning shots 'over the trees'
Arizona rancher George Alan Kelly said men came towards his home with an AK-47 aimed at him the day he was arrested for murder.
“He turned towards me … pointed the AK at me. And that’s when — everybody says was the dumbest thing I ever did — they said you should have shot him because he was getting ready to shoot you,” Kelly told NewsNation.
Instead, he told the news outlet that he “shot over the tree, over the top of his head, and thank God him and the other guys ran.”
Later that day — Jan. 30, 2023 — he found a body and called the sheriff’s department. Responding officers accused Kelly of fatally shooting the victim, an illegal immigrant, and hauled him away in cuffs.
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George Alan Kelly enters court for his preliminary hearing in Nogales Justice Court in Nogales, Arizona, on Feb. 22, 2023. (Mark Henle/The Arizona Republic via AP, Pool, File)
“He turned towards me … pointed the AK at me.”
His murder charge became the center of an already-contentious national debate about border security raging throughout the country, especially in states bordering Mexico.
“They accused me of shooting him,” Kelley told NewsNation in his first interview since he became a free man. “I said, ‘No, I didn’t shoot him.’ And they said, ‘Well, we think you did, and we’re arresting you for first-degree murder.’”
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The 75-year-old man spent 22 days in jail, which he said was the worst experience of his life. “If hell is anything like that, I’m gonna do everything I can not to go,” Kelly said.
Seven jurors wanted to acquit Kelly, but one “lone holdout” was unwavering in wanting to convict the elderly rancher despite the evidence and testimony, according to the rancher’s lawyer.
The judge declared the case a mistrial in April, and prosecutors said they won’t have a retrial.
George Alan Kelly exits the Santa Cruz County Courthouse with defense attorney Kathy Lowthorp in Nogales, Arizona, on March 22. (Angela Gervasi/Nogales International via AP, Pool)
“If hell is anything like that, I’m gonna do everything I can not to go.”
The victim was identified as Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea, and prosecutors claimed he was unarmed.
But Kelly’s defense lawyers said prosecutors failed to prove Cuen-Buitimea was shot by Kelly’s gun. The forensics and the ballistics didn’t match Kelly’s gun, according to the defense.
ARIZONA RANCHER GEORGE ALAN KELLY DEFENSE SAYS ‘LONE HOLDOUT’ JUROR BLOCKED ACQUITTAL, STATE WEIGHS 2ND TRIAL
The fatal bullet was never recovered from the scene.
“I don’t feel that I was treated fairly in the investigation,” Kelly said. “I think I was arrested without cause, without probable cause.”
Judge Thomas Fink (right) walks out of the courtroom during proceedings in the trial of rancher George Kelly. (Fox News)
WATCH JUDGE WALK OUT:
Kelly said he feared for his wife’s safety and his own. The rancher’s wife, Wanda Kelly, testified during the trial that they were sitting on their patio when they saw armed men dressed in camouflage and carrying rifles and backpacks walking about 100 feet from their home.
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Dr. Ron Martinelli, a criminologist working pro bono for Kelly’s defense team, accused the prosecutors of “extreme confirmation bias.”
“Just imagine being on an isolated ranch in your 70s. You and your wife. And you are frequently seeing armed incursions on your ranch,” Martinelli told Fox News Digital in a previous interview.
“It’s a war. We try to fight this war in an ethical, moral and legal way of doing it. But we can’t be obstructed by a degraded criminal justice and law enforcement system. We can’t allow that to happen in the United States of America. We want to be a free country.”
Now that the trial is over, Kelly and his wife want to “start life over again,” but it’s difficult after a costly trial.
Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Thomas Fink listens to opening arguments in the trial of George Alan Kelly in Nogales, Arizona, on March 22. (Angela Gervasi/Nogales International via AP, Pool)
“We have no funds,” Kelly said. “Our life savings, it’s gone.”
Martinelli said Kelly used about $2 million in personal funding and funding from their legal defense fund on GiveSendGo, an online fundraiser set up by the rancher’s wife.
George said that’s enough to keep them afloat for now, but he doesn’t know for how long.
“That cloud’s still over my head,” Kelly said. “It’s a long road, and we’re not out of danger yet, but we’re not giving up. I’m not going to let them beat me down.”
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A tornado touched down and crossed a Texas interstate, causing damage to homes and overturning vehicles as severe storms moved through Texas and Oklahoma on Saturday night.
Forecasters issued tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of Texas and Oklahoma, as some heat records were broken in South Texas and residents received warnings of triple-digit temperatures over the holiday weekend.
A tornado crossed into northern Denton County, Texas, late Saturday and overturned tractor-trailer trucks, stopping traffic on Interstate 35, according to a statement from Denton County Community Relations Director Dawn Cobb.
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Severe storm clouds move across the northwest edge of Davenport, Iowa on Friday, May 24, 2024. (AP)
The tornado was confirmed near Valley View, moving east at 40 mph, leading the National Weather Service to issue a tornado warning for northern Denton County.
The storm damaged homes, overturned motorhomes and knocked down power lines and trees throughout the area, including in Sanger, Pilot Point, Lake Ray Roberts and Isle du Bois State Park. Cobb said the number of injuries in the county was not immediately known.
MORE BAD WEATHER COULD HIT IOWA, WHERE 3 POWERFUL TORNADOES CAUSED MILLIONS IN DAMAGE
High winds associated with the severe weather overturned this semi-trailer on Interstate 280 west of Davenport, Iowa on Friday, May 24, 2024. (AP)
The City of Denton Fire Department posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that emergency personnel were responding to a marina for “multiple victims, some reported trapped.”
Iowa was hit hard earlier in the week by a deadly twister that devastated Greenfield. Other storms led to flooding and wind damage in other parts of the state.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Video captures a bear nicknamed “Oreo” continually sneaking into homes in Monrovia and ransacking fridges.
The bear is seen typically roaming around a cul-de-sac located on Canyon Crest Drive.
While trying to enter one of the homes, the bear ripped a window screen off attempting to enter through the front window but was unsuccessful. It eventually found a way in through an open side door.
Another neighbor left her garage door open and the bear wasted no time exploring the property.
The bruin headed directly to the refrigerator and opened it up. It eventually found a box of chocolate cake which it quickly opened and began enjoying.
Although residents said bear sightings in the area are common, it’s still unnerving to know a bear could be waiting around the corner of their homes.
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A bear nicknamed “Oreo” finds a box of chocolate cake after searching through a refrigerator inside a Monrovia garage. -
The bear seen grabbing a pack of Oreo cookies from the driveway of a Monrovia home as neighbors looked on. -
The bear seen walking away with a pack of Oreo cookies from the driveway of a Monrovia home as neighbors looked on. -
A window screen damaged by “Oreo” the bear while it was searching for food in Monrovia. -
The bear approaches a man before grabbing a pack of Oreo cookies spotted on the driveway. -
The bear seen grabbing a pack of Oreo cookies from the driveway of a Monrovia home as neighbors looked on.
“We are very used to them,” said Vina Khoury, a resident. “We’ve never heard of a bear attack here before but still, when they’re too close or when it’s a mama bear with her little ones, you don’t want to be too close to them or scare them because you don’t know when they’re going to charge at you.”
The foothill community coexists with plenty of wildlife. Visitors can spot warning signs posted around the community noting the area is prone to bear sightings.
Despite being on alert, some bears are still able to outsmart security measures in their search for food.
On Saturday, the same bear was seen leaving a home holding a bag of Oreo cookies. It appeared to be unfazed as neighbors went out to watch the bear walking down the street.
“That’s why we named him Oreo,” Khoury said. “He’s not just roaming around. He’s actually going into the houses. So now, it’s a very scary thing to leave a window open or your backyard door open or anything.”
“A couple of months after we moved in, my dog came nose-to-nose with a bear at about 8 o’clock at night,” said Meg Linton, a resident. “That was very electrifying. I had a lot of adrenaline in that moment.”
Some residents, however, are not too concerned about the bear, accepting that they share the space with wildlife.
“The [bears] come by every Monday,” said neighbor Richard Mosteller. “They just walk by and beat up the trash cans, look for food and they’re pretty harmless.”
Several residents said they’re considering contacting wildlife experts to discuss whether the bear nicknamed “Oreo” should be relocated.
Authorities are seeking the public’s help to identify a woman who was found dead near an Orange County freeway.
In January 2006, Orange County Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a body found off Ortega Highway. Also known as Highway 74, the long stretch of road winds through the rural Santa Ana mountain range.
A pair of sightseers had discovered the woman’s body lying around 10 feet below a cliff, according to the Orange County Register.
The woman is described as a Hispanic female between 20 and 30 years old. She weighed around 105 pounds and had dark-colored hair down to her mid-back.
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A 2024 rendering of the woman was provided by Miami Dade Police Department forensic artist Gaston De Cardenas. (Orange County Sheriff’s Department) -
A 2006 rendering of the woman was provided by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. -
A rose stem tattoo is seen on the woman’s left forearm. (Orange County Sheriff’s Department)
She had a rose stem tattoo on her left forearm, recently manicured fingernails with a heart-shaped design on each nail, and a surgical scar below her navel. She was found wearing blue jeans and a black lycra top.
The woman’s cause of death was not determined but investigators told the O.C. Register they believe the woman died elsewhere before being left on the side of the road.
Detectives said the woman had a Cesarean scar which appeared to be of Latin American origin. They noted Cesarean scars in the U.S. are typically horizontal while the woman’s scar was vertical.
A new rendering of the woman was created with the help of a Miami Dade Police Department forensic artist along with images of her tattoo and the design on her nails.
Anyone who may recognize her or has information on the case is asked to contact O.C. Sheriff investigator Lauren Felix at 714-647-4579 or email coldcase@ocsheriff.gov.
Anonymous tips can be provided to OC Crime Stoppers at 1-855-847-6227 or online at occrimestoppers.org.
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