The man who killed 23 people in a racist attack targeting “Mexican” shoppers at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, in 2019, was sentenced to 23 consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty in state court on Monday morning.
Patrick Crusius accepted a plea deal offered by the El Paso District Attorney’s office in exchange for not pursuing the death penalty.
District Attorney James Montoya explained that he offered the deal after a request from the majority of the victims’ families, aiming to bring the case to a close.
The 2019 shooting is considered one of the most severe attacks on Hispanics in the U.S. Hours before the attack, Crusius published an online manifesto claiming he was responding to the “Hispanic invasion of Texas.”
In 2023, a federal judge sentenced him to 90 consecutive life sentences after he pleaded guilty to hate crimes and firearms violations.
After reading the sentence, District Court Judge Sam Medrano addressed Crusius with a few words: “Your name and your hate will be forgotten.”
Judge Medrano pointed out that the gunman did not divide the city, which is predominantly Hispanic, but instead strengthened it. “The community you tried to break has become a symbol of resilience, of love overcoming hate, of humanity enduring in the face of evil,” he said. “This community will always remember those whose lives you stole, their names, their stories, their accomplishments, their lives will never fade.”
Crusius’ attorney, Joe Spencer, stated that his client suffers from a mental disorder that makes it difficult for him to separate reality from delusion. He clarified that this is not an excuse but noted that Crusius became isolated and began listening to more online chatter about immigration and erroneous claims about a “invasion” of the United States.
Crusius did not offer any apology on Monday. Instead, Spencer said, “We offer our deepest condolences.”
