El Paso Mass Shooter Offered Plea Deal to Avoid Death Penalty

Prosecutors dropped pursuing the death penalty after most of the victims’ families sought closure and an end to the lengthy legal process.

El Paso Walmart shooting suspect Patrick Crusius pleads not guilty during his arraignment in El Paso, Texas, on Oct. 10, 2019. Briana Sanchez/El Paso Times via AP, Pool

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.