HIGHLAND COUNTY, Ohio — An Ohio man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to attempting to conduct a mass shooting of women, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
Federal agents arrested 22-year-old Tres Genco, of Hillsboro, last year. Genco admitted he plotted to commit a hate crime — shooting women at a university in Ohio.
Genco identified as an incel or an "involuntary celibate." The Department of Justice describes the group as an online community of men who "harbor anger towards women and seek to commit violence" because women deny them sexual or romantic attention to which they believe they are entitled.
Genco maintained profiles on a popular incel website from July 2019 through March 2020.
In one post, Genco wrote about spraying "some foids and couples" with orange juice in a water gun. Foids is an incel term that is short for "femoids," referring to women. Genco compared his conduct to Elliot Rodger, the man who killed six people and injured 14 others outside of a sorority house in California in May 2014. Prior to Rodger's attack, he shot a group of college students with orange juice from a water gun.
According to the DOJ, Genco wrote a manifesto stating he would "slaughter" women "out of hatred, jealousy and revenge" referring to death as the "great equalizer."
During the investigation, law enforcement agents found a note of Genco's that indicated he wanted to kill as many as 3,000 people and attend military training.
Authorities also discovered the day Genco wrote his manifesto, he searched online for sororities and a university in Ohio.
In 2019, Genco purchased tactical gloves, a bulletproof vest, a hoodie bearing the word "Revenge," cargo pants, a bowie knife, a skull facemask and two Glock 17 magazines, a 9 mm Glock 17 clip and a holster clip concealed for a Glock, the DOJ said.
Genco attended basic training for the Army in Georgia from August through December 2019. He was discharged for entry-level performance and conduct.
In January 2020, the DOJ said Genco wrote a document titled "isolated" which he described as "the writings of the deluded and homicidal." Genco signed the document, "Your hopeful friend and murderer."
Two months later, the Highland County Sheriff's Office responded to Genco's home. Deputies searched the truck of his car and found an AR-15 with a bump-stock, several loaded magazines, body armor, boxes of ammo, and “disturbing writings that appeared to (be) plans Tres had of committing a mass shooting at OSU Medical in Columbus (sic) Ohio on May 23, 2020,” according to a sheriff’s report obtained by 10TV News.
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The DOJ could not confirm the reference to "OSU" is Ohio State University because it is not named in the court documents.
Genco pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to commit a hate crime. He faces life in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.