According to one of his neighbors, an Arizona rancher charged in the shooting death of an illegal alien on his property called U.S. Border Patrol officials as many as 40 times in January alone.

George Alan Kelly is accused of killing Mexican national Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea on his farm near the U.S. border on January 30.

His attorney, Brenna Larkin, has maintained Kelly’s innocence in court. He was freed last week after being jailed on a $1 million bail.

Larkin has alleged in court records her client was threatened with an AK-47 on the day Cuen-Buitimea was discovered shot to death.

Prior to his meeting with armed migrants who had crossed the border and wound up on his ranch, Kelly reported hearing a gunshot on his property.

Larkin has also stated that Kelly had repeated contacts with the Border Patrol ranch liaison on January 30.

Wednesday, a neighbor told the U.K.’s Daily Mail that Kelly was in frequent touch with the agency over migrants who had crossed the border and encroached on his property.

The outlet Kelly’s next-door neighbor commented on the agency’s frequent visits to the rancher’s land.

‘They’re on his property 30 or 40 times a month,” said a guy who requested anonymity.

The neighbor said, “Border Patrol, they have keys to his property — his gate. So it’s very common for them to be here.”

A lady who lives near Kelly also told the Mail that agents from many law enforcement organizations were in the region in the days before the migrant was discovered dead in a paddock.

“I know a few days before this happened, there was a lot of activity with Border Patrol,” she said. “They were rushing through the streets.”

More on this story via The Western Journal:

Neighbors also spoke of trash that people who cross illegally into the country in the area leave behind.

Some said it is not uncommon to see a large police presence in the area, and one person said a helicopter was flying over Kelly’s property for more than an hour just days before Cuen-Buitimea’s body was found. CONTINUE READING…