El Paso Walmart shooting suspect pleads guilty to 90 federal hate crime and firearm charges

Patrick Crusius, the Texas man who allegedly shot and killed 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso in 2019, pleaded guilty to 90 hate crime and firearm charges in federal court on Wednesday. 

The guilty plea comes after federal prosecutors notified the court last month that they would not pursue capital punishment in the case. 

Crusius, 24, drove from his home in Dallas to the border city of El Paso and opened fire at a Walmart on Aug. 3, 2019, in what prosecutors described as a racist attack. 

He had posted a manifesto online that said the shooting was “in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas,” and told police after surrendering that he was targeting Mexicans, according to an arrest warrant. 

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His attorneys wrote in court filings that Crusius “has been diagnosed with severe, lifelong neurological and mental disabilities,” which they argued should be a “red flag” for prosecutors considering whether to pursue the death penalty. 

Crusius has pleaded not guilty to separate state capital murder charges in Texas, where he could still face the death penalty if convicted. 

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Former El Paso County District Attorney Yvonne Rosale resigned last November amid criticism that her office was slowing down Crusius’ prosecution. 

 

Crusius will be sentenced later this year and faces life in prison for each of the 90 federal charges he pleaded guilty to on Wednesday. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.