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Both federal and state prosecutors took the death penalty out of consideration for a self-described white supremacist who carried out one of the deadliest attacks on Hispanic people in U.S. history.
April 21, 2025, 1:03 p.m. ET
A state judge sentenced Patrick Crusius, a self-described white nationalist with a history of mental illness, to life in prison on Monday for killing 23 people and injuring 22 others in 2019 at a Walmart store in El Paso, one of the deadliest attacks on Hispanic civilians in American history.
Judge Sam Medrano Jr. handed down the sentence before hearing impact statements from family members and survivors, which were scheduled to be delivered Monday afternoon.
“You traveled nine hours to a city that would have welcomed you with open arms,” Judge Medrano told the gunman. “You brought not peace but hate. You came to inflict terror, to take innocent lives.”
“Your mission failed,” the judge continued. “You did not divide this city. You strengthened it.”
Mr. Crusius, looking disheveled in a white and orange prison jumpsuit, did not betray any emotions as the judge read his sentence, other than to say that he pleaded guilty to capital murder, with its automatic life sentence, and to 22 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has no chance of parole.
He replied, “Yes, your honor” when asked if he accepted his fate.
The sentence was handed down in a large room, usually used by the county commission, that was converted to a courtroom to accommodate a large crowd. Some relatives of victims could be heard quietly crying.
James Montoya, the El Paso district attorney, read the names of the victims aloud as the gunman looked in his direction.
