San Antonio Mom Charged in Terror Plot Faces New Charges

Content Warning: Self-Harm

Back in May, 33-year-old Ashley Pardo of San Antonio was arrested and charged under a rarely used Texas anti-terrorism statute for allegedly helping her 13-year-old son plan a mass shooting at Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio. According to investigators, this wasn’t a matter of passive negligence; it was active participation. Pardo is accused of buying her son tactical gear, ammunition, and military-style equipment while he drew maps labeled “suicide route,” idolized mass shooters, and researched the Christchurch mosque massacre on a school-issued computer.

The teen was already on the radar for violent behavior and had previously required over 100 stitches after a suicide attempt. He returned to campus under heightened supervision before ultimately being arrested off-campus wearing tactical clothing. Police later discovered loaded magazines and a makeshift explosive device at his grandmother’s home, scrawled with white supremacist slogans like “14 words” and “For Brenton Tarrant.”

Her social media presence didn’t help her case either. Pardo showcased tattoos of Charles Manson, quoted Squeaky Fromme, and referred to Manson as her “favorite hater.” Whether she was a full-blown white supremacist or just an edgelord relic of murder fandom culture, her feed left no doubt she was obsessed with violent figures who used ideology as a weapon.

Pardo was arrested, posted a $75,000 bond, and was placed under partial house arrest with GPS monitoring while awaiting trial.

But now she’s back in custody.

This past Friday, Pardo was re-arrested on a new felony charge: endangering a child with criminal negligence. This time, it wasn’t her teenage son she endangered; it was her infant daughter. The charge stems from a photo investigators found on her cellphone while executing the search warrant for the terrorism investigation. The image, dated March 3, 2023, reportedly shows Pardo pointing a black shotgun at her 11-month-old baby. The child is kneeling on a bed, her tiny hand reaching toward the barrel, which was only inches from her head. Pardo’s finger? Inside the trigger guard.

A ‘responsible gun owner™.‘ Who would have thought?

According to the affidavit, Pardo sent the image to the child’s biological father with the message, “Tell her to keep being bad.” The baby’s head was near the muzzle, and Pardo’s tattoos were clearly visible in the shot. Investigators say this put the infant in “imminent danger of death, bodily injury, or physical or mental impairment.” You don’t say.

As disturbing as that is, it doesn’t stop there.

Pardo’s husband, Mario Porras, was also arrested in May of this year for the same charge but a different victim. He allegedly pointed a pistol at a 12-year-old boy in the boy’s own bedroom, then walked away without a word. According to the affidavit, Porras had a habit of placing his pistol on a table near the child, slapping him in the head, punching him, and throwing him around. The boy later told police he feared for his life and now suffers from mental health issues because of the abuse.

Between the firearms, the extremism, and the alleged casual cruelty shown toward their children, it’s hard to overstate just how toxic this household appears to be.

Honestly, I almost feel sorry for the parents. Almost. They’re now under the eye of the national media, and I know firsthand how stressful that kind of scrutiny can be. But in the end, if you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. Just a slight twitch of Pardo’s finger, and this could have been an entirely different, and deadly, story.

Frankly, I’m surprised charges are even being filed. This is Texas, after all, and guns are practically considered sacred relics here.

(Okay, maybe I was being just a bit hyperbolic on that last part. But only just.)

(Sources)