Mistrial Declared in George Alan Kelly Trial
After four weeks of testimony, a jury has declared a mistrial in the case against George Alan Kelly, a Santa Cruz County rancher accused of killing an unarmed Mexican national on his property.
The jury began deliberating on Thursday afternoon and reached two impasses on Friday and Monday before the judge accepted their inability to reach a verdict and declared a mistrial.
The case against Kelly has lacked “slam-dunk” evidence, with no bullet recovered for ballistics testing. Kelly’s attorneys have suggested that border bandits may have killed the victim to steal money and drugs.
Kelly claims he fired warning shots in the direction of a group of trespassers crossing his ranch after hearing a shot. However, investigators testified that he gave conflicting accounts of the incident, including the number of trespassers and whether they had guns.
Kelly faces charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and negligent homicide, but none allege that he deliberately killed the victim. Before the trial, Kelly rejected a plea deal that would have resulted in a maximum of three years in prison for negligent homicide. The second-degree murder charge carries a sentence of 10 to 25 years.
The Santa Cruz County Attorney’s Office will now decide whether to pursue a new trial.
