Former candidate for New Mexico legislature found guilty in shooting spree, murder plot

A federal jury convicted Solomon Peña of launching a shooting spree against the homes of four local elected officials after losing the 2022 race for a seat on the state House of Representatives, according to a Thursday release from the Department of Justice. Peña will face a minimum of 60 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison, according to the statement.

What triggered the shooting? Peña ran a failed campaign to represent District 14 in the New Mexico state House of Representatives. Despite the loss, he pushed the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners not to certify the election results, but they did so anyway. Once the results were certified, Peña targeted the private homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators, the DOJ reported. The 40-year-old then conspired with at least two accomplices in the attacks that occurred throughout December 2022 and into early 2023. Co-conspirators Jose and Demetrio Trujillo pleaded guilty to charges related to the attacks early last year.

Once Peña was in custody, he solicited help from fellow inmates to murder witnesses who could testify against him at trial, according to the DOJ. The failed politician was convicted on one count of conspiracy, four counts of intimidation and interference with federally protected activities, four courts of using a firearm connected with violent crime, three counts of solicitation to commit violence, and one count of felony possession of a gun. Peña’s sentencing date has not yet been announced.

Dig deeper: Read Mary Muncy’s original reporting on Peña’s arrest in early 2023.