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The Texas gunman who killed 23 people in a 2019 attack targeting Hispanic shoppers at an El Paso Walmart is set to plead guilty to murder charges, allowing the case to finally come to a close. Patrick Crusius, 26, is expected to plead guilty to capital murder and receive a sentence of life in prison with no possibility of parole for the racist mass shooting near the U.S.-Mexico border on Aug. 3, 2019. El Paso County District Attorney James Montoya is offering Crusius a plea deal to avoid the death penalty on the state charge. Crusius has already been sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences in federal court after pleading guilty to hate crime and weapons charges, with the death penalty off the table.
Crusius was 21 years old when he drove from his home in suburban Dallas to El Paso and opened fire at the Walmart, wearing earmuffs to mute the sound of gunfire. He began firing his AK-style rifle in the store’s parking lot and then moved inside, continuing to shoot and cornering shoppers at a bank near the entrance, where nine were killed. He then fired at people in the checkout area and aisles before shooting at a passing car, killing an elderly man and wounding his wife. Crusius was taken into custody shortly after the shooting and confessed to officers. Prior to the shooting, he posted online that it was “in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas” and expressed support for President Trump’s immigration policies.
The victims of the shooting ranged in age from a 15-year-old to grandparents, including immigrants and Mexican nationals. Jessica Coca Garcia, who was wounded in the shooting, spoke out against racism, saying she always wanted to believe it didn’t exist but now knows it does. Crusius’ attorney, Joe Spencer, described him as an individual with a “broken brain” and revealed that he had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Montoya offered the plea deal to bring closure to the case, as most victims’ relatives were eager for it to conclude. He acknowledged that not all families agreed with the decision but believed it was the best course of action to expedite the case.
Montoya took office as the fourth district attorney to oversee the case in nearly six years and cited delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of his predecessors resigned in 2022 under pressure over her handling of the case. Stephanie Melendez, whose father died shielding his wife and granddaughter in the shooting, initially sought the death penalty for Crusius but later just wanted the case to end as it continued to drag on. She expressed relief that the case was nearing its conclusion and that she was done reliving the trauma and attending court proceedings. The families of the victims have been through a long and painful process, with many eager to see justice served and the case finally closed.
