Alleged gunman in racist 2019 El Paso Walmart attack pleads guilty to federal charges

EL PASO, Texas — The Texas man accused of killing 23 people and injuring dozens more in a racist attack at an El Paso Walmart in 2019 pleaded guilty to 90 federal charges on Wednesday.

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Patrick Crusius, 24, appeared in an El Paso courtroom on Wednesday and said, “I plead guilty,” when asked by the judge, The Associated Press reported. Crusius showed little emotion while admitting guilt to killing nearly two dozen people in one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.

Filings in federal court indicate Crusius reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, but the document remained sealed after Wednesday’s hearing. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, which prosecuted the case, told The New York Times that Crusius agreed to accept a sentence of 90 consecutive life terms in prison. A sentencing date was not announced.

Crusius had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but changed his plea after prosecutors announced in January that they did not plan to seek the death penalty in the case.

“White nationalist-fueled violence has no place in our society today,” Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement to The New York Times. “By pleading guilty, the defendant has admitted that he murdered innocent people based on their national origin and targeted Hispanics. The Justice Department will continue to use every tool at its disposal to combat hate crimes, hold perpetrators accountable and seek justice for the victims and survivors.”

With 23 victims, the Aug. 3, 2019, attack was the deadliest anti-Latino attack in modern U.S. history. Prosecutors said that Crusius drove more than 10 hours from his home near Dallas after publishing a document online describing his actions as being “in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas,” the AP reported.

At the plea hearing on Wednesday, prosecutors detailed the deadly actions Crusius allegedly took that day, saying that he first gunned down a pedestrian in the parking lot before taking aim at people holding a fundraiser for a soccer team, the AP reported. Once inside the store, nine people were shot and killed at a bank near the entrance. Prosecutors said Crusius took his assault rifle down multiple aisles, shooting nine people, before leaving the store and shooting at a passing car, killing an elderly man inside.

“Today’s guilty plea marks one more step towards justice for the El Paso community; however we must remember that the survivors and victims’ families will be on a lifelong journey of healing because of this defendant’s actions,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement to the El Paso Times. “We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the Hispanic community who had their sense of security shattered by this heinous attack.”

Joe Spencer, Crusius’ defense attorney, told the El Paso Times that his client wanted to take responsibility for his actions.

“We’re glad that it’s finally done. And he’s glad that it is finally done. There are no winners in this case. He’s going to be serving 90 consecutive life sentences.”

A Texas district judge previously said he would wait for the federal case to end before holding the state trial. El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks told The New York Times that his office intends to pursue the death penalty in the case.