After the death of an illegal alien trespassing on his Arizona ranch, the rancher has been charged with first-degree murder after allegedly defending himself from an illegal alien 100 yards or less from his home. His bail has been set at a staggering $1 million.

According to news reports, on January 30, George Alan Kelly, 73, shot and killed Gabriel Cuen-Butimea, 48, on his ranch in Kino Springs, about a mile and a half north of the US-Mexico border.

It does not appear that Kelly knew Cuen-Butimea prior to the shooting, according to the chief deputy of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, who is leading the investigation into the fatal shooting.

However, a friend of Kelly’s who lives on the property told KOLD that Kelly has had problems with trespassers in the past, despite the fact that his friend thinks Kelly acted in good faith.

Federal court records show that Cuen-Butimea has repeatedly crossed the United States border with Mexico illegally and has been sent back to Mexico on multiple occasions, most recently in 2016.

Nogales International reports that hours before the fatal shooting, US Border Patrol agents notified the county sheriff’s office of a “possible active shooter” at the scene, with a man who identified himself as “Allen” saying he wasn’t sure if he was getting shot himself.

Located in Kino Springs, Arizona, a mile and a half from the international boundary with Mexico is Kelly’s ranch.

According to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, they found Cuen-body Butimea’s on January 30 within a hundred to a hundred and fifty yards of Kelly’s house.

It looked like there was only one gunshot wound to the victim. After some time, the man’s identity was verified thanks to the voter registration card he was carrying that showed he was a resident of Nogales, Mexico.

Chief Deputy Gerardo Castillo stated, “It doesn’t seem like Mr. Kelly and the [victim] knew each other,” suggesting that further investigation is needed to determine the motive for the shooting.

However, if an Arizona homeowner reasonably believes that deadly force is ‘immediately necessary’ to prevent trespassing on his or her property, the homeowner may lawfully use such force.

A number of other laws collectively referred to as the “stand your ground” statutes, protect the right of a homeowner to use physical or lethal force if they feel threatened in their home.

Maria Castillo, Kelly’s next-door neighbor, has reported seeing illegal aliens frequently in the area.

According to federal court records, Cuen-Butimea has been deported multiple times for illegally crossing the border near Nogales. The most recent incident was in 2016.

Since Cuen-immigration Butimea’s status has not been confirmed, Castillo declined to discuss the matter.