How much bail did George Alan Kelly post? Arizona rancher accused of killing Mexican man released on bond

George Alan Kelly, who was charged with shooting a Mexican man near the US-Mexico border, has been released on a bond of $1 million. Kelly was able to post his bond on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, following the judge's decision to change it from cash to surety.

The 74-year-old rancher is accused of firing at several unarmed and allegedly illegal migrants trespassing on his property and fatally hitting one of them. After changing his bond from cash to surety, the judge allowed George Alan Kelly to put up his ranch outside Nogales.

The murdered Mexican man, 48-year-old Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea, allegedly has a history of crossing the border illegally and has been deported to Mexico several times, the most recent being in 2016. Prosecutors referred to the other men with Buitimea and said that they felt like they were being "hunted."

Kelly is due to appear in Santa Cruz County Justice Court in Nogales early on Friday, March 3, 2023. According to the New York Post, the evidentiary hearing aims to determine issues of material fact in the case and will allow George Alan Kelly’s defense to call witnesses to the stand.

While his attorney, Brenna Larkin, maintained that he did not fatally shoot Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea, she said that Kelly acknowledged that earlier on the same day, he had fired warning shots above the heads of smugglers who were in possession of AK-47 rifles and backpacks.

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GoFundMe refused to host fundraising campaigns for George Alan Kelly

Kelly, an elderly Arizona rancher, was charged with first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault after fatally shooting a Mexican man in Nogales. His bond was set at $1 million and several fundraisers were set up to raise money.

While multiple GoFundMe campaigns were set up to provide financial support, the website later took them down, citing conflicts with its policy. A company representative for GoFundMe provided a justification to the New York Post:

"GoFundMe’s Terms of Service explicitly prohibits campaigns that raise money to cover the legal defense of anyone formally charged with an alleged violent crime."

People have expressed their support for George Alan Kelly, who was defending his home and his property. Several GoFundMe campaigns claimed they were raising money for his wife, while others cited Kelly's bail. However, the website took most of the pages down and issued a statement that said:

"Consistent with (the) long-standing policy, any fundraising campaigns for the legal defense of someone charged with murder are removed from our platform."

They also stated that the donations will be refunded. Following this, multiple fundraising campaigns popped up on a Christian crowd funding website known as GiveSendGo. The website's founder, Heather Wilson, stated that the campaigns for George Alan Kelly would not be taken down as they operated on a presumption of "innocent until proven guilty."

Wilson said:

"We understand we are not the judge and jury; we will not take down campaigns based on own biases... We will be praying for all involved."

Following Kelly's release from police custody, a post on a GiveSendGo campaign celebrated the same and said:

"George and Wanda Kelly are so grateful for all your support and donations. When we come together and stand up for what is right we MAKE a difference! They still have a long road ahead of them. Please continue to support George. God Bless."

The state claims that George Alan Kelly fatally shot an "unarmed" man in a completely "unprovoked" attack.