A new attorney was assigned to represent Solomon Peña in his high-profile case.
Peña was accused of having a connection to a series of politically motivated shootings nearly two years ago. The trial was postponed Sept. 23 due to a conflict between attorney Elizabeth Honce and Peña, which resulted in Honce leaving the case.
The new attorney, Nicholas Thomas Hart, was assigned to the case Sept. 24. Hart was not available to respond to requests for comment before publication.
Peña was a Republican candidate who lost his race for the New Mexico House of Representatives in 2022. In December of that year, a string of shootings began. Four Democratic politicians’ homes were shot at: Speaker of the House Javier Martínez, Sen. Linda Lopez and County Commissioners Adriann Barboa and Debbie O’Malley. The shootings happened over the course of a month, and nobody was injured.
Two people were arrested in connection with the shootings in January 2023. Peña was arrested weeks later and charged with criminal solicitation, among other crimes.
Scheduling and status conferences are set for Oct. 23, and a jury trial is set to begin Oct. 28.
Nobody was physically injured, but there was a near miss involving Sen. Lopez’s daughter, if I remember correctly. This will affect that girl for years if not forever– and her mother as well. Please don’t treat this case as if nothing serious happened.