Man Accused of Killing 23 People in 2019 El Paso Shooting Will Plead Guilty

The man accused of killing 23 people and injuring dozens more in a 2019 attack on people of Mexican descent at a Walmart store in StepIn Texas, he will plead guilty to federal hate crime charges, his attorneys said in a court filing.

Federal prosecutors said this week they will not seek the death penalty for Patrick Crusius, who on August 3, 2019, drove 11 hours to El Paso, which is on the US-Mexico border, from Allen, near Dallas, and shot shoppers with an AK-47 rifle inside the Walmart store . He then turned himself in to the police.

LOOK HERE: What happened in El Paso three years ago and why does the wave of shootings continue in the United States?

“Defendant notifies court of intent to plead guilty to pending charge”said the motion filed in court. Court records showed the motion was granted.

Crusius, who also faces state charges in Texas, will be tried in Texas District Court, facing 23 counts of committing a hate crime resulting in death and 23 counts of using a firearm to commit murder, among other charges.

He pleaded not guilty in 2020 to 90 federal hate crime charges in the case. The process was delayed while prosecutors decided whether to go ahead with the death sentence against him.

In 2020, his lawyers argued that Crusius, then 21, had been diagnosed with lifelong severe mental disabilities and should not face execution if convicted.

MORE INFORMATION: Mexicans avoid traveling to El Paso for fear of new attacks

A Texas judge last year postponed a state trial in the case while federal prosecutors determined whether they would seek the death penalty.

A manifesto that prosecutors say was posted online by Crusius on 8chan, a now-defunct message board often used by extremists, said the attack on Walmart was “a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas”.

Source: Elcomercio

jack

I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.