The Texas Walmart shooter might be able to avoid the death penalty. Patrick Crusius, who killed 23 people during a 2019 mass shooting, has been offered a plea deal.
In 2019, Crusius entered an El Paso Walmart armed and opened fire on the shoppers. The white male specifically targeted Hispanic shoppers while he shot. The shooter was then 21 years old and drove for more than 10 hours to carry out the shooting.
Patrick later confessed to the authorities that he deliberately drove out from his home in a Dallas suburb to the border city. He was enrolled as a student at Collin College at that time.
Upon further investigation, Crusius’s social media activity showed that he was a firm supporter of the #BuildtheWall movement. He also made posts on social media supporting Trump for his strict border policies.
One of the most disturbing details about the case was the post Patrick made before he carried out the mass shooting. 20 minutes before he took the lives of several innocent people, the 21-year-old took to social media to claim that the shooting was “in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.”
On 3 August 2019, Crusius opened fire in the Walmart parking lot while armed with an AK-47-style rifle. He killed 9 people after he managed to corner them in front of a bank. He then entered the store to open fire at people who were near the checkout and in aisles.
Almost 5 years after the shooting, on Tuesday, Crusius was offered a plea deal. James Montoya, who is the El Paso County District Attorney, shared the reasoning behind his decision during a recent press conference.
This is Patrick Crusius. In 2019 he killed 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso because he was emboldened by Trump’s rhetoric against Latinos. https://t.co/6s9IM5qkWl pic.twitter.com/MGy5q3y1V3
— bex. (@_bexology) July 14, 2024
Montoya revealed how the decision to offer the 24-year-old the plea deal was motivated by the wishes of the shooting victim. The attorney shared that the families wished to leave the case in the past.
“This is about allowing the families of the 23 victims who lost their lives on that horrific day — and the 22 wounded — to finally have resolution in our court system,” the El Paso County District Attorney stated.
Montoya noted how, after this decision, nobody in the “community will ever have to hear the perpetrator’s name” again. “No more hearings. No more appeals. He will die in prison,” he added.
During the same press conference, Montoya also shared how the decision to offer the plea deal wasn’t agreed upon by all the families. Adria Gonzalez, who was one of the people who survived the shooting, referred to the plea deal as “a slap in the face for all the victims.”
In a televised debate on #KTSM9News ahead of the November election, El Paso DA James Montoya said he believes Patrick Crusius deserves the death penalty. However, Montoya has been critical of the previous three administrations who have overseen the state’s case against Crusius. https://t.co/gqrK8SSJto pic.twitter.com/eWIt1kHlXp
— Andy Morgan (@AndyMorganTV) March 25, 2025
Montoya shared how Patrick Crusius is planning on pleading guilty to capital murder, as per NPR. Crusius will not be able to appeal for parole and will have to spend his life in prison. Families of the victims will be able to give victim impact statements at the hearing scheduled on April 21, 2025.
Patrick Crusius has been sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences on a federal level previously. Elise Hoffmann-Taus, who lost her father, Alexander Hoffmann, spoke about how she is “glad it’s over.” She added, “This is the outcome I wanted.”
