Actually, the Canadian version of the USFWS actually brought the AFR to this gentleman back in 2002 (I believe) as well as a couple American Alligators around 2000 as he was the only one in the province able to care for the animals with a valid Zoo permit. So he didn't have them illegally...as a matter of fact, the Canadian Government KNEW he was caring for them.
But like everyone else has stated, we need to remain calm until we find all the facts...we can't speculate. Unfortunately the restraint we show isn't shown by the media. Now it's confirmed there were NO bite marks and it's being investigated as a homicide. HMMMM.