Judge Dismisses Murder Case Against Arizona Rancher ‘With Prejudice’

The ruling prevents the state from retrying case against George Kelly in the Jan. 30, 2023, shooting death of an illegal Mexican immigrant.

Defendant George Alan Kelly smiles at supporters after the judge declared a mistrial on April 22, 2024. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

An Arizona judge on July 9 dismissed with prejudice the murder case against an elderly ranch owner charged in the shooting death of an illegal immigrant on Jan. 30, 2023.

In a 12-page decision, Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Thomas Fink said the prosecution failed to present evidence to convict Nogales resident George Alan Kelly, 75, of second-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.