El Paso Walmart mass shooter ordered to pay $5 million in restitution to massacre victims

Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times
·2 min read
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The El Paso Walmart mass shooting gunman was ordered to pay more than $5.5 million to the victims and their families, according to federal court documents filed Monday, Sept. 25.

Court documents do not state how many people filed requesting to be paid restitution. The restitution is being paid for the financial losses suffered by the victims and their families because of the gunman's actions. The official restitution amount is $5,557,005.55.

The restitution amount was agreed on by both defense attorneys and federal prosecutors, a joint motion filed by both sides states.  U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama approved the motion.

The order, signed today, does not say when and, more importantly, if the victims and their families will be paid. The gunman unlikely has the money or assets equaling $5 million.

Patrick Crusius appears in court
Patrick Crusius appears in court

The gunman is relying on publicly-funded attorneys in federal and state cases stemming from the massacre on shoppers at Walmart on Aug. 3, 2019. The white supremacist traveled to El Paso to target Hispanics and Mexican immigrants.

The restitution ends the federal case against the gunman.

The gunman pleaded guilty Feb. 9 to 90 federal charges. He was sentenced on July 7 to 90 consecutive life sentences.

Guaderrama, who presided over the federal trial, ordered the gunman to serve his federal sentence at the ADX Florence supermax federal prison near Florence, Colorado.

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However, the gunman remains in the Downtown El Paso County Jail in state custody as he awaits trial in the state's case.

The gunman is also being charged in Texas state court. He is facing one count of capital murder of multiple persons and 22 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in state court.

Flowers are left by the Grand Candela Memorial at the Walmart in El Paso after Patrick Crusius, the white supremacist who killed 23 people inside the Walmart on Aug. 3, 2019, was sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences on Friday, July 7, 2023.
Flowers are left by the Grand Candela Memorial at the Walmart in El Paso after Patrick Crusius, the white supremacist who killed 23 people inside the Walmart on Aug. 3, 2019, was sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences on Friday, July 7, 2023.

A trial date could be set Monday, Sept. 25, during a scheduling conference in state court.

Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso Walmart mass shooter ordered to pay $5 million to victims