El Paso Walmart shooter sentenced to life after pleading guilty to state charges

Patrick Crusius, the gunman responsible for the 2019 mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas pleaded guilty to state charges and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The sentencing was handed down Monday morning at the El Paso County Courthouse following Crusius’ guilty plea to one count of capital murder and 22 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

According to KFOX and KTSM, the state of Texas agreed to withdraw its pursuit of the death penalty in exchange for the plea deal.

Crusius, now 25, had already been convicted in 2023 on federal charges stemming from the August 3, 2019 massacre. At the time, he pleaded guilty and received 90 consecutive life sentences after admitting he targeted Hispanics in a deliberate act of racial violence. He drove more than 700 miles from Allen, Texas, near Dallas, to El Paso specifically to carry out the attack.

During Monday’s hearing, Crusius appeared in court wearing a white-and-orange jumpsuit and a bulletproof vest.

Judge Sam Medrano presided over the proceedings and asked the defendant to confirm his understanding of the charges and the consequences of pleading guilty. Crusius responded, “Guilty,” when asked how he would plead to both the capital murder and aggravated assault charges.

El Paso County District Attorney James Montoya told the court the aggravated assault charges were enhanced to first-degree felonies due to bias and prejudice findings, allowing for life sentences on each count. Judge Medrano sentenced Crusius to life in prison without parole for each offense.

Crusius showed no emotion throughout the hearing. According to KTSM, his attorneys told the court he suffers from schizoaffective disorder and was susceptible to delusional thinking rooted in racial misinformation.

Attorney Joe Spencer claimed Crusius had been influenced by extremist rhetoric, stating: “He also explicitly stated that the attack was a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas, echoing the language that was used by political figures.”

Judge Medrano addressed Crusius directly before adjourning. “Your mission failed. You did not divide this city. You strengthened it. You did not silence its voice. You made it louder. You did not instill fear. You inspired unity,” he said, according to KTSM.

Following sentencing, the courtroom reconvened for victim impact statements. Survivors and relatives of those killed or injured delivered testimonies, recounting the physical and emotional toll of the shooting.

The massacre occurred on a Saturday morning in the Cielo Vista Walmart, where the store was crowded with shoppers, many of them purchasing school supplies ahead of the new academic year. Armed with a semi-automatic rifle and driven by white supremacist ideology, Crusius opened fire in what became the deadliest attack targeting Latinos in U.S. history. More than 20 others were injured in addition to the 23 fatalities.

Crusius was arrested without incident shortly after the shooting and later confessed to authorities, telling them he had carried out the attack to stop what he called a “Hispanic invasion.”