Testimony opens in Solomon Peña's political shootings trial

Testimony began Tuesday in the trial of Solomon Peña on federal charges alleging he orchestrated a string of shootings at the homes of Democratic elected officials following the 2022 election.

Federal prosecutors told jurors that Peña believed that a “rigged” election had robbed him of victory in a state contest, prompting him to respond with violence.

Peña’s attorney told jurors that the case against his client relies on the testimony of two men who bear full responsibility for the shootings and struck deals with prosecutors in exchange for favorable sentences.

“Solomon Peña had nothing whatsoever to do with it,” defense attorney Nicholas Hart said in opening statements.

Peña was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2023, alleging he “organized a shooting spree that targeted the homes of four elected officials and their families.”

The mix of election fraud conspiracies in the wake of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, combined with violence directed at elected Democratic politicians, made the case the focus of national media attention.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Cordova told jurors Tuesday that Peña paid and pressured Demetrio Trujillo, 42, and his son, Jose Trujillo, 24, to carry out the shooting attacks on the homes of the four elected officials in December 2022 and January 2023.

Both of the Trujillos pleaded guilty earlier this year to multiple federal charges and face sentences of up to life in prison. Neither man has been scheduled for a sentencing hearing.

Cordova also told jurors that Peña himself fired gunshots at the home of state Sen. Linda Lopez on Jan. 3, 2023, when bullets penetrated the bedrooms of both Lopez and her 10-year-old daughter as they slept.

“This time, (Peña) wanted to be the one who pulled the trigger,” Cordova said of the Lopez shooting in opening statements.

Peña, who has remained in federal custody since his arrest more than two years ago, appeared in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque dressed in a black suit, a white shirt and lavender-striped tie.

Peña faces 13 federal charges, including multiple felony counts of using a firearm in the commission of a violent crime, including one count that alleges he discharged a machine gun.

He also faces charges of solicitation to commit a crime of violence, felon in possession of a firearm, four counts of interference with federally protected activities and conspiracy. Peña faces possible life in prison if convicted on all charges.

The trial is expected to continue through March 21 before U.S. District Judge Kea W. Riggs.

Peña allegedly conspired with the Trujillos to target the homes of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa, former commissioner Debbie O’Malley, House Speaker Javier Martínez and Lopez.

Demetrio Trujillo, wearing shackles and handcuffs and wearing a red-and-white striped prison uniform, testified Tuesday that Peña hired him to fire gunshots at the homes of Barboa and Martínez, paying Trujillo $700 per shooting.

“He just said to go by and shoot it up and record it and show him the video,” Trujillo said of the shootings. Peña texted him the addresses and Trujillo said he didn’t know at the time who lived in the homes.

He was accompanied by two friends, one of whom recorded the shootings on his cellphone, Trujillo testified. Peña appeared disappointed by the videos, he said.

“He said, ‘Next time, can’t you make it more aggressive?’” Trujillo said. “I felt he wanted to get somebody hurt by making that request.”

Trujillo said Peña tried to interest him in shooting up a third house, but Trujillo rejected the request. Instead, Peña turned to Trujillo’s son, Jose Trujillo, who participated in the shootings at the homes of O’Malley and Lopez, Demetrio Trujillo testified.

Jose Trujillo is expected to testify later in the trial.

Defense attorney Hart urged jurors to remain skeptical of the testimony of both Trujillos.

“It was Demetrio and Jose who were responsible for the shootings,” Hart told jurors. Both men still face sentencing and want favorable sentences in exchange for their testimony, he said.

Prosecutors countered that the Trujillos were largely uneducated and had no interest in politics. Only Peña had the motivation to take action against elected officials, Cordova told jurors.

Peña told two county commissioners that “the election was rigged and he was the real winner,” Cordova said.

Barboa testified Tuesday that Peña showed up at her door in November 2022 and claimed that fraud was responsible for his nearly 50-point loss in November 2022 to incumbent state Rep. Miguel P. Garcia, D-Albuquerque.

Peña compared his loss to that of President Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 presidential election, Barboa testified.

Peña told Barboa that he knew the election was rigged because he had campaigned door-to-door and had received assurances from thousands of voters that he would have their support.

Peña recorded his conversation with Barboa without her knowledge, she testified. Prosecutors played the recording for jurors Tuesday.

“It was rigged, it was rigged,” Peña told Barboa in the recording. Peña asked Barboa to provide him with election data that he said would prove that he had won the contest.

Steven Michael Quezada, a former Bernalillo County commissioner, testified that he had a similar conversation with Peña in November shortly before the commission certified the outcome of the November 2022 election.

Peña sent a text message to Quezada on Nov. 18, 2022, urging him to seek access to the Bernalillo County election data.

“You will instantly become a national hero,” Peña wrote in the text. “Me and my boys will provide armed security for you.”

Quezada said he didn’t take up Peña’s offer of armed protection in exchange for the election data.

“I’m good. I don’t need anybody to protect me,” Quezada testified.

Peña’s trial, originally scheduled in June 2024, has been dogged by delays, including the resignation of his previous attorney, Elizabeth Honce, resulting in the cancellation of his trial in September. Honce declined to say why she resigned from the case.