Arizona rancher charged with murder appears in court
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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - The Arizona rancher charged with the murder of a Mexican man on his property appeared in court Monday.
74-year-old George Alan Kelly made his arraignment in Santa Cruz Superior Court.
He pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and aggravated assault.
Judge Thomas Fink set a trial date of Sept. 6.
Kelly’s attorney Brenna Larkin asked the judge for at least a 60-day continuance due to the extensive investigation the defense will have to do with its own experts.
Larkin said the state filed a search warrant recently for Kelly’s home and she will need time to get those documents and review them.
Kelly’s attorney says her client “admitted to firing warning shots at the smugglers earlier in the day, but denied firing any shot at any person. He does not believe that any of his warning shots could have possibly hit the person or caused the death,” Larkin continued.
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