Ohio ‘incel’ who planned to kill college women is sentenced to prison

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A self-described incel who pleaded guilty to planning to shoot women at a university in Ohio has been sentenced to prison.

Tres Genco, 24, of Hillsboro, was sentenced Thursday to six years, eight months. Genco admitted he plotted to commit a hate crime and was arrested by federal agents in July 2021 and has remained in custody since.

Genco identified as an incel or “involuntary celibate.” The incel movement is a predominantly male online community that harbors anger toward women. Genco maintained profiles on an incel website from at least July 2019 through mid-March 2020 and posted more than 450 times on the site, according to court documents.

Genco wrote a manifesto that said he would “slaughter” women “out of hatred, jealousy, and revenge.”  The day he wrote his manifesto, Genco searched online for two sororities, including one at Ohio State University, according to federal prosecutor Kenneth Parker.

Genco also posted online about how he sprayed “some foids (women) and couples” with orange juice in a water gun, saying it was an “extremely empowering action.” He compared his actions to known incel Elliot Rodger. In May 2014, Rodger killed six people and injured 14 others, including shooting individuals outside a University of California sorority house. Before his attack, Rodger shot a group of college students with orange juice from a water gun.

Law enforcement agents discovered a note of Genco’s that indicated he hoped to kill 3,000 people with a reference to the same date as Rodger’s attack. The note said Genco intended to attend military training, according to Parker.

In 2019, Genco purchased tactical gear, a Bowie knife, a skull mask, magazines and clips for several firearms, among other items. Later that year, he attended Army Basic Training in Georgia before being discharged for entry-level performance in conduct in December 2019.

Genco’s court documents also allege that he surveilled an unspecified Ohio university on Jan. 15, 2020. That same day, he searched online for topics including “planning a shooting crime” and “when does preparing for a crime become an attempt?”

On March 11, 2020, Genco screenshotted information on his phone about radio codes for Columbus police and Ohio State University police. He also accessed the Facebook pages for one of the university’s sororities.

The next day, Highland County sheriff’s deputies responded to Genco’s residence. At the residence, officers found a firearm with a bump stock attached, several loaded magazines, body armor and boxes of ammunition. Inside the residence, police officers found a modified Glock-style 9mm semiautomatic pistol, with no manufacturer’s marks or serial number.

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