The man behind one of the United States’ deadliest mass shootings has dodged the death penalty.
Patrick Crusius, who carried out a racist attack at an El Paso Walmart in 2019, killing 23 people, has been offered a plea deal to avoid execution, according to El Paso County District Attorney James Montoya. Crusius, now 26, had already been sentenced to 90 consecutive life terms in federal court after pleading guilty in 2023 to hate crime charges.
While federal prosecutors under the Biden administration had already taken the death penalty off the table without explanation, Texas authorities were still pursuing it. However, Montoya announced that many victims’ families expressed a strong desire for closure.
“The vast majority of them want this case over and done with as quickly as possible,” Montoya said. Some relatives were willing to endure years of legal battles for a death sentence, but others prioritized swift justice.
Montoya acknowledged the potential for prolonged litigation. “I could see a worst-case scenario where this would not go to trial until 2028 if we continued to seek the death penalty,” he said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who had previously supported capital punishment in this case, reiterated his stance. “I think the guy does deserve the death penalty, to be honest. Any shooting like that is what capital punishment is for,” he said.
Crusius, a 21-year-old college dropout at the time of the attack, drove over 700 miles to target Hispanics. Moments before opening fire, he posted a racist manifesto warning of a Hispanic “invasion.”
Federal prosecutors did not clarify why they declined the death penalty but acknowledged his diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. In 2023, Crusius agreed to pay over $5 million in restitution to his victims.
