Prosecutors on Tuesday announced a plea deal that would spare the life of Patrick Crusius, the gunman who shot dead 23 people and injured 22 in an attack targeting Latinos at a Walmart in El Paso in 2019.
Crusius would avoid the death penalty by pleading guilty to capital murder and receiving life in prison without parole, according to El Paso County District Attorney James Montoya.
The plea hearing and sentencing are scheduled for April 21.
The offer marks a significant departure from previous efforts by prosecutors to seek the death penalty over the massacre. Montoya explained that the move was driven by a majority of victims’ families who wanted closure and an end to the drawn-out legal process.
“This is about allowing the families of the 23 victims who lost their lives on that horrific day—and the 22 wounded—to finally have resolution in our court system,” Montoya said during a news conference.
However, not all families agreed with the decision.
Adria Gonzalez, a survivor who helped panicked shoppers escape, said that not pursuing the death penalty is “a slap in the face for all the victims.”
Montoya acknowledged such differing views but emphasized the need for resolution. “Now, no one in this community will ever have to hear the perpetrator’s name ever again,” he added. “No more hearings. No more appeals. He will die in prison.”
Dean Reckard, whose mother, Margie Reckard, was among those killed in the shooting, said Crusius deserves death, but it’s time to put the matter to rest.
Schizoaffective Disorder
Crusius, now 26, had already been sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences at the federal level after pleading guilty to hate crime charges in 2023. Federal prosecutors also chose not to pursue the death penalty, citing Crusius’s diagnosis with schizoaffective disorder, which can involve hallucinations, delusions, and mood swings.During the attack on Aug. 3, 2019, Crusius, who was then 21, drove over 700 miles from his home near Dallas to El Paso, motivated by a racist ideology that included fears of a Hispanic “invasion” of Texas. He posted an online manifesto moments before opening fire with an AK-style rifle inside and outside the Walmart store.
The victims included a wide range of people from a 15-year-old high school athlete to several grandparents, immigrants, teachers, and Mexican nationals who had crossed the border for regular shopping trips. In 2023, Crusius agreed to pay more than $5 million in restitution to his victims, but there was no indication that he had significant assets.
In response to the plea offer, Texas Governor Greg Abbott criticized the decision, stating that Crusius deserved to die: “Any shooting like that is what capital punishment is for.”
At the April 21 plea hearing families will have the opportunity to deliver victim impact statements.
Mark Stevens, Crusius’s attorney, did not immediately comment on the plea offer.
