Man is indicted over Fort Hood shooting threat
A San Antonio man arrested in July has been indicted on allegations that he threatened to shoot up an Army post over the death of a soldier.
The indictment of Mario Eloy Peña, 48, on a charge of making a terroristic threat was among 270 felony indictments returned by two Bexar County grand juries this week, the Bexar County district attorney’s office reported.
He is free on $15,000 bail, records show.
According to the indictment, Peña allegedly posted on social media on July 31 that he was “going to be an active shooter” at Fort Hood in Killeen. According to reports, Peña’s wife alerted authorities to his Facebook post, and San Antonio police arrested him at his home.
In the social media posting, Peña said he was going to Fort Hood to “be an active shooter” because he was upset about the death of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén.
Authorities say Guillén, 20, of Houston was beaten to death with a hammer April 22 at Fort Hood, and her body later was dismembered. She was reported missing the next day from the 3rd Calvary Regiment’s engineer squadron headquarters. Her remains were found June 30 along the Leon River, not far from Fort Hood.
A fellow soldier, Spc. Aaron David Robinson, was identified by authorities as the killer. As he was about to be arrested in Killeen on July 1, Robinson killed himself.
His girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, is accused of helping him dismember and bury Guillén. She faces federal charges of tampering with evidence.
Peña’s Facebook post went on to say he had “no respect for the military,” and that he hated white people, according to an arrest affidavit.
That document stated Peña’s wife became concerned about the Facebook post because her husband has a criminal history that includes arrests for assault and retaliation. Those cases ended up being dismissed; but court records show he was convicted on two DWI charges.
The DA’s office declined to comment on the pending case, which will be prosecuted by the Criminal Trial Division, and heard in 187th state District Court, Judge Stephanie Boyd presiding.
Terroristic threat is a third-degree felony. If convicted, Peña faces two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.