Families of El Paso shooting victims demand justice: 'I will never forgive you'

A devil, monster, parasite and coward is how victims described the admitted white supremacist who killed 23 people in a 2019 mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart  during the first day of a dayslong sentencing hearing.

"In your hatred, you took a great man from this world," said Stephanie Melendez, whose father, David Johnson, died in the shooting while shielding his wife and granddaughter. "You showed her (granddaughter) evil. You showed her monsters exist outside of fairy tales. I have been asked if I would forgive you, as of today, no."

Melendez was one of 13 people who gave a victim impact statement Wednesday during the sentencing hearing of Patrick Crusius, 24, who pleaded guilty in February to fatally shooting 23 people and injuring dozens more during the Aug. 3, 2019, mass shooting at an East El Paso Walmart at 7101 Gateway Blvd. West, near Cielo Vista Mall.

The gunman, who wore a blue jailhouse jumpsuit with handcuffs around his wrist and a chain around his waist connected to cuffs on his ankles in the El Paso courtroom, showed no emotion as each victim gave their impact statements.

This was the first time the gunman made eye contact with the victims since the day of the shooting. He nodded and moved his head around in an awkward manner throughout the hearing.

The hearing is being held in the largest courtroom at the Albert Armendariz Sr. Federal Courthouse in Downtown El Paso.

More than 50 people, including victims and family members of those who died in the shooting, packed the courtroom. Family members in the courtroom gallery and those who spoke at the hearing Wednesday cried throughout the victim impact statements.

A dozen more are expected to give statements starting at 10 a.m. Thursday.

On the emotional first day of the hearing, Genesis Davila, who was 12 years old at the time, told the gunman about how she suffered the day of the shooting and the following weeks.

"I want you dead," Davila said. "I hate you so much. I want you to rot in jail for eternity. You came to our community uninvited."

More: Walmart mass shooting gunman faces victims as sentencing hearing begins in El Paso

Genesis, now 16 years old, was part of a group of soccer players raising funds for a team trip. Her father was shot in the leg and her soccer coach, Guillermo "Memo" Garcia, died a few weeks later from gunshot wounds he suffered in the shooting.

"It hurt to see him (Garcia in the ICU)," she said. "I believed he would recover, but on Aug. 25 we heard he died. I didn't want him to be gone. I didn't want this to be real. I will never forgive you."

The gunman is expected to be sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences at the end of the hearing for carrying out one of the worst attacks on Hispanic in U.S. history. The victims, many Mexican-Americans, were from El Paso and Juárez.

After the final victim impact statements, defense lawyer Joe Spencer and federal prosecutors will be provided an opportunity to address the court before Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Guaderrama hands down the gunman's sentence.

Dig Deeper El Paso shooting victims: Know their names, learn their stories

Victim after victim spoke during the hearing telling the gunman of the pain his racially motivated mass shooting caused them and how it continues to impact their lives.

"I imagine every day, everywhere I go, that there might be a gunman," said Kaitlyn Melendez, who was 9 years old at the time of the shooting. Her grandfather shielded her from the semi-automatic, assault-styled rifle gunfire.

"You are not a monster, you are the devil," she said. "I will never forgive you. I hope you get no mercy. I hope your family gets no mercy."

Melendez, now 13 years old, added, "You deserve the punishment you get. It isn't fair I had to go through this."

The mass shooter received little forgiveness from the victims.

"Before you killed my father in such a cowardly way, we were a loving family," said Thomas Hoffman, whose father, Alexander Hoffman, was killed in the shooting, as he showed photos of his father and family. "He loved everyone. He was respectful. He was not a racist like you.

"If you think killing innocent, defenseless people makes you powerful, you are wrong. You are an evil parasite. You are nothing without a weapon. You're a stupid coward. I hope at night you think of all the people you killed. I hope you can't ever sleep."

Elise Hoffmann-Taus, the daughter of Alexander Hoffman, added in her statement, "The killer robbed us of our father. Robbed him of seeing his grandkids."

More: El Paso Walmart mass shooter: What to know before July 5 federal sentencing

Bertha Benavides, the widow of Arturo Benevides, who was killed in the shooting, sobbed throughout her statement. She told the gunman he had taken everything from her.

"He (Arturo) changed my whole life," she said. "He was my life. He was a wonderful, loving man. We never had children, so you left me alone. I miss him terribly. He was a loving husband. He was my support. I ask why did you do it, but then I answer that myself.

"You never knew the Lord. You never knew the Lord. If you did, you would never have done this. You destroyed so many families. You left children without parents. Spouses without their spouses. I pray every night for the all the victims and I know they are all in heaven. They are not suffering. They are in peace and I hope you think about them."

Alfredo Hernandez, whose sister, Maribel Hernandez, and her husband, Leo Campos, died in the shooting, said the gunman was a coward for entering into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

"They were happy and loving," he said in a statement read by federal prosecutors. "They went to the dog groom and then the store until a (expletive) monster took their lives."

He added, "I hope you rot in jail and go to hell."

The U.S. Attorney's Office declined to seek the death penalty against the gunman. The mass shooting killer faces the death penalty in state district court.

The gunman pleaded guilty Feb. 8 to 90 federal charges in connection with the shooting. The charges were 23 counts of hate crimes resulting in death, 23 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder during and in relation to a crime of violence, 22 counts of hate crimes involving an attempt to kill, and 22 counts of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Hernandez's denounced the gunman for his lack of courage to face sudden death for his heinous crimes in his written statement.

"You are a coward hiding behind the law making (agreements) to avoid the death penalty," Hernandez wrote. "I hope you rot in jail and go to hell."

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

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Victims confront El Paso Walmart mass shooter during sentencing