Tearful testimonies continue as victims of El Paso Walmart shooting confront gunman

In a heartbreaking, angry expression of emotions, victims of the El Paso Walmart mass shooting cried, cussed and demanded the racist gunman acknowledge them and view photos of the victims.

"The past few days, I have seen you smile, roll your eyes and mumble to yourself," said Dean Reckard, whose mother, Margie Reckard, was killed in the Aug. 3, 2019, mass shooting. "You haven't showed any signs of remorse. You really haven't."

Reckard asked the gunman during Thursday's sentencing hearing, "Are you sorry for what you did?"

Patrick Crusius, 24, of Allen, Texas, nodded his head, yes.

The gunman was more interactive with the victims Thursday than he was on Wednesday, the opening day of his sentencing hearing. He showed no emotion in February when he admitted to killing 23 people and wounding dozens of others in one of the worst attacks on Hispanics in U.S. history.

Reckard is one of more than 30 people who gave impact statements over two days during the sentencing hearing.

Joining those in the courtroom was U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso.

"I came for a number of reasons, (including) to show moral support for the victims," said Escobar, who was among more than 50 people who attended Thursday's hearing. "I can't even imagine the level of courage that it took to provide those victim impact statements. We were all together in the days and weeks after Aug. 3, and this is an important part of the process and I didn't want to miss it."

The last victim impact statements were given Thursday afternoon. The final day of the hearing will begin at 10 a.m. Friday with defense lawyer Joe Spencer and federal prosecutors addressing the court. The judge will then hand down the sentence. The gunman will not address the court, officials said.

The gunman is expected to be sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences.

El Paso County District Attorney Bill Hicks said his office still is seeking the death penalty against the shooter in state court. The gunman is currently in federal custody.

“Nothing that happens in the federal court will affect what happens in the state court,” Hicks said. “We are still going to be prosecuting the Walmart shooter. We are still going to be seeking the death penalty on the Walmart shooter. We originally thought we would have him in our custody a little sooner in August. It looks like it will be October, maybe November, until we have him back in our custody.

“We have waited four years to prosecute him. Waiting another couple of months is not going to change anything," Hicks said. "When he comes back into our custody, we will be going to trial. When we go to trial, we will be seeking the death penalty. I am committed to seeking justice for the people of this community.”

In state court, the gunman faces one count of capital murder of multiple persons and 22 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. A trial date has not been set.

Throughout the hearings, several people began crying before leaving the courtroom at the Albert Armendariz Sr. Federal Courthouse in Downtown El Paso.

"Have the (expletive) to look at me," said Francisco Javier Rodriguez, whose son Javier Amir Rodriguez, 15, was the youngest person killed during the mass shooting.

"Have the (expletive) to look at my son," the father said as he wore a shirt with a photo of his son. "You had the (expletive) to do this, so have the (expletive) to look at him."

The gunman looked at the father and briefly at photos of the son shown on monitors in the courtroom.

"No birthdays, no holidays will be the same because of you," the father said. "I won't be able to see my son for the rest of my life.

"He was 15 years old when you killed him. He didn't get to walk the stage (at his graduation). There was just an empty chair. Hundreds of kids walked the stage, but not my son."

Rodriguez added that the devastation caused by the gunman on families will last generations.

"You think you're important?" Rodriguez asked the gunman. "You aren't. You are a coward."

A photo of the son's grave with flowers was shown to the gunman.

"Every year, this is how we celebrate his birthday," the father said, pointing to the photo. "While you get to breathe."

He added, "Instead of driving nine hours, you should have used that AK on yourself."

The gunman used a semiautomatic, assault-style rifle in the attack on shoppers in the parking lot and busy grocery store.

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

Christopher Morales, whose aunt Teresa Sanchez was killed in the shooting, while his mother and grandmother were injured, said waiting four years for justice was "unacceptable."

"I wanted to address you four years ago," Morales said. "His family doesn't love him. He has nothing going for him, so he shot people."

He later added: "The pain we are going through for four years is unacceptable. This piece of (expletive) gets to talk to his family every day."

The gunman nodded his head.

"This isn't fair," Morales said as he used more expletives to describe the gunman.

Victim impact statements continued Thursday afternoon.

The gunman, an admitted white supremacist, pleaded guilty Feb. 8 to 90 federal charges. He told authorities he targeted Hispanics, including many Mexican Americans, in the massacre. El Paso and Juárez residents were among those killed in the attack.

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.

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

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Emotional victims face El Paso Walmart shooter on 2nd day of hearing