El Paso Walmart Mass Shooter Sentenced to Life Without Parole

Patrick Crusius, the perpetrator of the 2019 Walmart mass shooting in El Paso, pleaded guilty to 22 counts of capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Monday morning. Following his plea in the 226th District Court, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Crusius’s guilty plea and sentencing come after El Paso District Attorney James Montoya withdrew seeking the death penalty last month. The DA’s office extended an offer for Crusius to plead guilty to capital murder in exchange for a life sentence without parole, which he accepted.

Victims and families of the victims are expected to hold statement hearings following the sentencing.

Crusius was previously convicted on federal charges last year for the deaths of 23 people in the August 3, 2019, shooting at the Cielo Vista Walmart. He admitted to targeting Hispanics after driving over 700 miles from his home near Dallas to El Paso. In his federal trial, Crusius was sentenced to 90 life terms in 2023 after pleading guilty.