A failed Republican candidate was found guilty Wednesday of hiring people to shoot at the homes of local Democratic leaders after he lost an election for the New Mexico House of Representatives, according to his attorney.
Solomon Peña, 41, was charged with multiple felonies, including three counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence, three counts of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and discharging the firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm and conspiracy, according to a federal superseding indictment filed against him in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque.
A jury found him guilty on all counts Wednesday evening, according to his lead attorney, Nicholas T. Hart.
Peña faces life in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
Federal prosecutors said that Peña, “refusing to accept his electoral defeat,” organized a “shooting spree that targeted the homes of four elected officials and their families” from Dec. 4, 2022, to Jan. 3, 2023, according to court records.
In a text message after the jury's verdict, Hart called it "a travesty."
"The evidence showed that Mr. Pena had nothing to do with these shootings. Solomon Pena was prosecuted because of his political beliefs, and because he advocated that the 2020 election was stolen and rigged,” Hart said.
He added: “Meanwhile, the men who actually shot at and terrorized these politicians are going to walk free. That is not how our system is supposed to work.”
Prosecutors did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the verdict.
The shootings, one of which involved a machine gun, were carried out by Peña and co-defendants Demetrio Trujillo, 43, and his son, Jose Trujillo, 24, according to federal prosecutors.
Both men pleaded guilty last year to charges of conspiracy, interference with federally protected activities, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence and other counts, prosecutors said.
They have not been sentenced but face up to life in prison.
During the trial, Hart blamed Demetrio and Jose Trujillo for carrying out the shootings. He said that Peña did not commit the shootings and never ordered them and that he was not there when they occurred.
The evidence shows that the father and son are fully responsible for the shootings and are trying to pin it on Peña, he said.
“They see the opportunity to get out of jail and to avoid prison for all of their wrongdoings,” Hart said.
The indictment said Peña targeted the homes of a state senator, two members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners and a close political ally, whom it did not name. Some of the officials have publicly identified themselves.
“Peña came to my house right after the election," Bernalillo County Commission member Adriann Barboa said in 2023. "He was sort of erratic in the points he was trying to make about the election and about how many doors he knocked on and how the number of votes didn’t match.”
Eight shots were fired at her home on Dec. 4, 2022, in the first in the series of targeted shootings, she said.
Former County Commission member Debbie O’Malley shared a similar experience with Peña: “This guy came to my home. I was very concerned about it, and it was very unsettling. He was angry about losing the election.”
Bullets struck her home on Dec. 11 and Dec. 12, 2022, as she and her husband slept, police said.
Albuquerque police said at least eight shots also were fired at state Sen. Linda Lopez’s home.
"We are grateful that the jury found this man guilty on all counts and hope this verdict serves as a reminder that threats or acts of violence against anyone in this community will not be tolerated," Lopez, O’Malley and Barboa said in a joint statement posted to Lopez's Facebook page.
