Solomon Peña, the former Republican nominee for state legislature in New Mexico, was sentenced to 80 years in federal prison. He was convicted for his role in an interstate conspiracy for a series of drive-by shootings that shot up the homes of Democratic Party officials. In late December 2022 and January 2023, explosions resumed. These incidents came on the heels of widespread and public assertions by Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen.” Peña’s conviction on charges of conspiracy, weapons offenses, and other associated crimes.
The shootings initially focused on four Democratic elected officials in Albuquerque, including the current state house speaker. While I’m glad no one was hurt, there’s no denying what happened was serious. Bullets blasted through a child’s bedroom, a 10-year-old girl narrowly escaping the crosshairs of a killer. Prosecutors maintained that Peña’s belief on the election being stolen led him to storm the capital. He lost his legislative seat by almost 50 percentage points, stoking his ire.
In closing statements, Peña’s legal team called for a 60-year sentence to maintain his innocence. Against these widespread narratives, they aggressively challenged his culpability in the shootings. Prosecutors did seek a harsher and more egregious 90-year sentence and stated that Peña had shown no remorse during the entire trial. Testimonies from two co-conspirators bolstered their case against Peña as the attack’s instigator. Behind the curtain, these closely-connected accomplices pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges and received multi-year prison sentences.
“Today was a necessary step toward Mr Peña’s continued fight to prove his innocence.” – Nicholas Hart
These violent outbursts occurred against a backdrop of heightened political tension, where rhetoric about election integrity reached a fever pitch. Peña’s actions are a brazen affront to the very foundations of democratic engagement and civil discourse.