New Mexico Republican Who Targeted Democrats in Shooting Spree Denied Bail

Failed New Mexico Republican State House candidate Solomon Pena was ordered to be held in pretrial detention in his conspiracy case for the New Mexico shootings targetting Democrats from December last year until early January.

Pena, who lost his election in a one-sided race for a state House seat, allegedly hired five people to fire into the homes of several elected Democrats, including two state legislators and two Bernalillo County commissioners.

Following his overwhelming defeat, Pena made a series of baseless election fraud claims. He also pressured county commissioners not to certify the results despite losing by a wide margin, according to CBS News.

Judge David Murphy ruled the mastermind of the New Mexico shootings be held in pretrial detention as there were no conditions of release that would ensure public safety.

Evidence Against Solomon Pena Is Strong, Says Judge

Pena, 39, was identified and arrested thanks to authorities using cellphone and vehicle records, as well as witness interviews and bullet casings found at the areas where the shootings took place.

However, his lawyer questioned the credibility of one of the confidential witnesses, pointing out that the statements used in the criminal complaint were contradictory. She also argued that her client was not involved in any violent convictions and has not been in trouble with the law since his release from prison in 2016, aside from two traffic violations.

As for the prosecution, they painted him as a "ringleader" who assembled a group to shoot at people's homes. They pointed to ballistics testing results that tied the firearm used in the attacks to him, as well as the car registered to Pena was the one used by one of the shooters in the attack on Senator Linda Lopez.

According to the Associated Press, the judge sided with the prosecutors. While he acknowledged that there are holes in the criminal complaint, he stated that the evidence against Pena is strong.

"I find the state has met its burden in proving that there are no release conditions that would reasonably protect the safety of others," Judge Murphy said.

Republican Party Backed Solomon Pena Despite Red Flags

Pena is one of the people who attended Donald Trump's January 6 rally in Washington that led to the January 6 Capitol Insurrection. He also adhered to Trump's lies that the elections were stolen despite strong evidence otherwise.

Like many election deniers in New Mexico, he was also solidly defeated as New Mexico is known to be a solidly blue state. Despite this, however, he still claims that the election was stolen. He also had many red flags, including his criminal record, as he was previously convicted of armed robbery.

Despite this, he was still embraced by the Republican Party, but now, it seems they are regretting it.

The Republican chairman for Valencia County, Michael Candelaria, one of the state's most prominent leaders, stated the dilemma that his party is facing right now. He spoke with the New York Times and admitted that it is difficult to appeal to Trump's most hardcore supporters but still reject the former president's lies and conspiracy theories.

Candelaria has pushed for leadership changes within the party since Pena's arrest. He told the outlet that had they done a good job of vetting Pena, they could have picked him apart. He then admitted that the party failed to vet him properly.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Judge: Solomon Peña to stay behind bars through trial - KRQE