Ex-New Mexico state candidate gets 80 years for shootings at Dems' homes
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Albuquerque SWAT officers take Solomon Peña into custody in 2023 in Southwest Albuquerque. Photo: Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal
Solomon Peña, an unsuccessful New Mexico state House candidate, was sentenced to 80 years in prison Wednesday "for orchestrating a politically motivated shooting spree and plotting to murder witnesses to obstruct justice," the Justice Department announced.
The big picture: A federal jury in March found the 42-year-old guilty of all charges related to the drive-by shootings targeting the homes and offices of elected state Democratic officials in N.M. in December 2022 and January 2023.
- Peña, who ran for the House District 14 seat in the 2022 midterms, was convicted of 13 charges. These included conspiracy, firearms charges, four counts of intimidation and interference with federally protected activities, per a Department of Justice statement Wednesday.
Driving the news: "After his electoral defeat, Peña falsely claimed the election was rigged and began pressuring members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners not to certify the results," per the statement.
- He recruited accomplices Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo to carry out the shootings after the commissioners refused his demands, the DOJ said.
- "One of the shootings involved a fully automatic machine gun. Multiple rounds struck areas of the homes where children had recently been or were sleeping," the statement noted.
- "Following his arrest, Peña attempted to have Jose and Demetrio Trujillo murdered to prevent them from testifying, offering fellow inmates money and a vehicle in exchange for their deaths."
Zoom in: Jose Trujillo previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy, interference with federally protected activities and other charges including firearms offenses and was sentenced to 37 months in prison, according to the DOJ.
- Demetrio Trujillo pleaded guilty to similar charges and was sentenced to 180 months in prison.
For the record: The court in Albuquerque ordered Peña to pay restitution and a $250,000 fine.
- "Upon his release from prison, Peña will be subject to three years of supervised release," the DOJ said.
Zoom out: Threats against elected officials have spiked in recent years, with President Trump facing two assassination attempts and Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, attacked at their home in California.
- In June, Minnesota state House Democratic Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were killed in a political assassination.
Flashback: Ex-New Mexico state GOP candidate arrested in shootings at Democrats' homes
