El Paso Walmart Shooter PATRICK CRUSIUS to Plead Guilty to 2019 Mass Shooting

The gunman responsible for the 2019 mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart, which claimed the lives of 23 people, is set to plead guilty to murder charges, bringing a long-awaited resolution to the case. PATRICK CRUSIUS, 26, is expected to enter his guilty plea on Monday, accepting a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the racially motivated attack.

The shooting, which occurred on Aug. 3, 2019, targeted Hispanic shoppers at a Walmart near the U.S.-Mexico border. JAMES MONTOYA, the El Paso County District Attorney, announced last month that his office had offered Crusius a plea deal to avoid pursuing the death penalty on state charges. Crusius had already been sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences in federal court after pleading guilty to hate crime and weapons charges in 2023. Federal prosecutors under the Biden administration also opted against seeking the death penalty.

Crusius, who was 21 at the time of the attack, reportedly drove more than 10 hours from his home in suburban Dallas to El Paso to carry out the massacre. Armed with an AK-style rifle, he opened fire in the Walmart parking lot before moving inside the store, where he indiscriminately shot at shoppers. Nine people were killed near the store’s entrance, while others were fatally shot in the checkout area and aisles. As he fled the scene, Crusius also shot at a passing car, killing an elderly man and injuring his wife.

Authorities apprehended Crusius shortly after the shooting, and he confessed to targeting Mexicans, citing his belief in a “Hispanic invasion” of Texas. His online posts prior to the attack echoed anti-immigrant rhetoric and expressed support for then-President DONALD TRUMP’s immigration policies.

The victims of the shooting ranged in age from 15 to grandparents, including immigrants and Mexican nationals who had crossed the border for routine shopping trips. JESSICA COCA GARCIA, who survived the attack but lost her husband, spoke out against the racism that fueled the tragedy.

Crusius’ attorney, JOE SPENCER, described him as an individual with a “broken brain,” citing a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. Despite this, Montoya emphasized that the plea deal was offered to bring closure to the victims’ families, many of whom were eager for the case to conclude after years of delays exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

STEPHANIE MELENDEZ, whose father DAVID JOHNSON was killed while shielding his family, expressed relief that the case was finally reaching its end. “I just wanted it to be over,” she said. “We were ready to be done with it all because, honestly, it’s like reliving the trauma over and over again.”

Crusius is expected to serve his sentence in a Texas state prison. The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that he will be transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice following his state sentencing.

[Associated Press](https://apnews.com)