Accused El Paso Walmart mass shooter set to plead guilty in federal case in February

Aaron Martinez
·2 min read

The man accused of killing 23 Walmart shoppers during a 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, is scheduled to plead guilty to federal charges next month, court records show.

Patrick Crusius faces 90 federal charges – including 45 charges of hate crimes – in connection with the deadly shooting on Aug. 3, 2019, according to federal court records.

On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge David C. Guaderrama set a rearraignment hearing for Feb. 8 in downtown El Paso, where the accused shooter is expected to plead guilty.

El Pasoans gather to honor the El Paso, Texas, shooting victims on the third anniversary as luminarias are placed around the Healing Garden and Ascarate Park on Aug. 3, 2022.
El Pasoans gather to honor the El Paso, Texas, shooting victims on the third anniversary as luminarias are placed around the Healing Garden and Ascarate Park on Aug. 3, 2022.

The motion Crusius’ lawyers filed Saturday requesting the hearing stated he planned to plead guilty to charges in the shooting that left dozens of other victims injured.

The filed motion came after federal prospectors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on Jan. 17 that they would not be seeking the death penalty for Crusius.

7 KILLED: Gov. Newsom to visit Half Moon Bay after California's latest mass shooting: Live updates

MONTEREY PARK MASS SHOOTING: Stunning videos show hero wrestling gun from killer: Live updates

A gag order issued in state district court prevents lawyers, witnesses, family members, or anyone else connected to the case from discussing it.

Crusius still faces the death penalty in state court, where he is charged with one count of capital murder of multiple persons and 22 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

No trial date has been set in state court. A federal trial was scheduled for 2024; jury selection would have started in January of that year.

Crusius, of Allen, Texas, is accused of driving from the Dallas suburb to El Paso with a variant of an AK-47 assault rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, according to the federal indictment.

Prior to the shooting, he allegedly uploaded a racist tirade online claiming his attack was “a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.”

Crusius then allegedly gunned down people in the parking lot and inside the East El Paso Walmart located near Cielo Vista Mall, leaving 23 people dead.

He surrendered to law enforcement shortly afterward.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Defendant in Walmart mass shooting set to plead guilty in federal case