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Ohio man pleads guilty after admitting he plotted to shoot women at Ohio State University

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Posted at 1:54 PM, Oct 14, 2022
and last updated 2022-10-14 15:54:07-04

Federal prosecutors announced earlier this week that an Ohio man pleaded guilty to attempting to conduct a mass shooting of women at Ohio State University.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio said 22-year-old Tres Genco, of Hillsboro, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of attempting to commit a hate crime.

According to prosecutors, Genco, who identified as "Incel," which is short for involuntarily celibate, faces a life sentence because it involved an attempt to kill.

"The Incel movement is an online community of predominantly men who harbor anger towards women," prosecutors said in a news release. "Incels advocate violence in support of their belief that women unjustly deny them sexual or romantic attention to which they believe they are entitled."

Genco was arrested and charged last July after investigators found many writings that dated back to 2019, prosecutors said.

According to court documents, investigators found in these writings, one including a manifesto, where he wrote that he would “slaughter” women “out of hatred, jealousy, and revenge…” and referred to death as the “great equalizer," prosecutors said.

On the day he wrote the manifesto, prosecutors said Genco also searched for sororities and a university in Ohio online, according to court records.

According to court records, investigators found that Genco conducted surveillance at the school on Jan. 15, 2020, prosecutors said.

The Cincinnati Inquirer reported that he wanted to conduct the shooting at the Ohio State University.

“Genco formulated a plot to kill women and intended to carry it out. Our federal and local law enforcement partners stopped that from happening,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said in a news release. “Hate has no place in our country – including gender-based hate – and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute any such conduct.”