EL PASO, Texas (AP) 鈥� The gunman who killed 23 people when he targeted in Texas in 2019 to capital murder and was scolded by a judge over the racist attack in El Paso near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Patrick Crusius, a white 26-year-old community college dropout, wore a striped jumpsuit, shackles and a protective vest in the El Paso courtroom, as many dozens of victims' relatives waited in the gallery to address him face-to-face.
Crusius did not address the families which he made after local prosecutors agreed to take the death penalty off the table. He had already been sentenced to on federal hate crime charges. His accepting of the plea agreement from Texas prosecutors ends six years of efforts to punish him by state and federal authorities.
Crusius drove more than 700 miles (1,100 kilometers) from Dallas to carry out the shooting on Aug. 3, 2019.
"You came to inflict terror, to take innocent lives and to shatter a community that had done nothing but stand for kindness, unity and love. You slaughtered fathers, mothers, sons and daughters,鈥� State District Judge Sam Medrano said.
鈥淣ow as you begin the rest of your life locked away, remember this: your mission failed,鈥� he continued. 鈥淵ou 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. El Paso rose, stronger and braver.鈥�
鈥淎re you pleading guilty because you are guilty and for no other reason?鈥� Medrano asked him.
鈥淵es, your honor,鈥� Crusius calmly responded.
Medrano sentenced Crusius to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
While one of his lawyers, Joe Spencer, told the court, "We offer our deepest condolences,鈥� Crusius did not explicitly apologize Monday for his actions.
鈥淧atrick will leave prison only in a coffin on God鈥檚 time,鈥� Spencer said.
He also pleaded guilty Monday to 22 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which were enhanced with violence and prejudice findings, in relation to 22 victims who were injured but survived the shooting. He was sentenced to 22 additional life sentences on those counts.
Crusius has acknowledged he targeted Hispanics in the attack at the Walmart in the that was crowded with weekend shoppers from the U.S. and Mexico.
In a posting to an just before the massacre, Crusius said the shooting was 鈥渋n response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.鈥� He said Hispanics were going to take over the government and economy.
On social media, he appeared consumed by the nation鈥檚 immigration debate. After the shooting, Crusius told officers that he had .
Spencer told the court Crusius has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which can be marked by hallucinations, delusions and mood swings. 鈥淗is thinking became increasingly divorced from reality,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e share this not as an excuse, but as part of the explanation for the inexplicable,鈥� he said.
Before the attack, Crusius appears to have been consumed by the immigration debate, posting online in support of building a border wall and praising the hard-line border policies of President Donald Trump, who was in his first term at the time.
鈥淗e latched onto hateful rhetoric, particularly the dangerous and false narratives surrounding immigration being repeated in political discourse,鈥� Spencer said.
Victims' families were expected to begin giving victim impact statements on Monday afternoon. Dozens during a similar hearing in federal court in 2023 that lasted for three days.
at Walmart ranged in age from a 15-year-old high school athlete to elderly grandparents. They included immigrants, a retired city bus driver, a teacher, tradesmen including a former iron worker, and several Mexican nationals who had crossed the U.S. border on routine shopping trips.
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Stengle contributed from Dallas.
Morgan Lee And Jamie Stengle, The Associated Press
