They filed a motion Wednesday, asking that Solomon Peña be held without bond. He appeared via video shackled for an initial court appearance as a judge explained that he would remain in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for next month.
Authorities identified the 39-year-old felon as the key suspect using a combination of cellphone and vehicle records, bullet casings collected near the officials’ homes and information from a confidential witness.Peña had posted on social media after the November election that it was "rigged" and he would not concede despite losing his bid for the statehouse in a district that has been held by Democrats for years.
A self-proclaimed "MAGA king," Peña expressed discontent with the election and the certification of the results in a text message sent to one of his alleged coconspirators in November. Peña ran unsuccessfully in November against incumbent state Rep. Miguel P. Garcia, the longtime Democrat representing House District 14 in the South Valley. Peña got 26% of the vote.
Police said Peña had previously shown up uninvited at the homes of two elected officials with what he claimed were documents proving that he had won his race. There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud, or any irregularity involving enough votes to change a result, in New Mexico in 2020 or 2022.
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