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2w ago

El Paso Walmart Shooter Accepts Plea Deal to Avoid Death Penalty

Patrick Crusius pleads guilty to state capital murder charges, securing life imprisonment without parole and concluding legal proceedings nearly six years after the racially motivated attack.

FILE - In this Aug. 12, 2019 photo, mourners visit the makeshift memorial near the Walmart in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File)
August 3, 2024: Doves are released during a memorial held on the fifth anniversary of the Aug. 3 Walmart mass shooting. The memorial was organized by the Border Network of Human Rights in El Paso, Texas.
FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2019, photo Texas state police cars block the access to the Walmart store in the aftermath of a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton, File)
FILE - Eddie Medina, 62, carries groceries he bought for his wife at the reopening of the Cielo Vista Walmart, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019, in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File)

Overview

  • Patrick Crusius, who killed 23 people in a 2019 racially motivated mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart, pleaded guilty to state capital murder charges on April 21, 2025.
  • The plea deal ensures Crusius receives life imprisonment without parole, avoiding a potential death sentence after prosecutors consulted victims' families who sought closure over prolonged legal battles.
  • Crusius had already been sentenced in 2023 to 90 consecutive federal life terms for hate crimes and weapons charges stemming from the attack.
  • The shooter admitted to targeting Hispanic individuals, citing a racist online manifesto warning of a 'Hispanic invasion' before carrying out the massacre with an AK-style rifle.
  • Victim impact statements from over 40 individuals are scheduled to follow the plea hearing, providing families an opportunity to express their grief and the lasting effects of the tragedy.