For his role in the August 3rd, 2019 mass shooting at the Cielo Vista Walmart in El Paso, Texas, in which 23 people were killed and 22 more were injured, a man from Texas was given 90 consecutive life sentences in prison.
A 24-year-old man named Patrick Wood Crusius pled guilty on February 8 to a 90-count indictment that included 45 counts of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and 45 counts of using a handgun during and in relation to crimes of violence.
Defendant was given a life sentence for each of the victims named in the indictment: Andre and Jordan Anchondo; Arturo Benavides; Jorge and Guillermo Calvillo Garcia; Leonardo Campos; Angelina Englisbee; Maria and Raul Flores; Alexander Hoffmann; David Johnson; Luis Alfonso Juarez; Maria Legarreta Rothe; Maribel Loya Hernandez; Ivan Filiberto Manzan
Crusius was also found guilty of 22 counts of attempted murder and 22 charges of causing bodily injury as part of a hate crime. Crusius was sentenced for 45 guns offences, including 23 counts of using a firearm in a federal crime of violence resulting in death and 22 charges of using a firearm in a federal crime of violence.
The tweet below verifies the news:
Texas Man Sentenced to 90 Consecutive Life Sentences for 2019 Mass Shooting at Walmart in El Paso, Texas, Killing 23 People and Injuring 22 Othershttps://t.co/o8SoS9WdHi
— DOJ Civil Rights (@CivilRights) July 7, 2023
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated, “No one in this country should have to live in fear of hate-fueled violence — that they will be targeted because of what they look like or where they are from.” Patrick Crusius will spend the rest of his life behind bars for his racist killing spree in El Paso, thanks to the 90 life sentences handed down today.
We owe a debt of gratitude to all who have spent the last three days speaking out against Crusius’ atrocities on behalf of the victims and their loved ones. The Justice Department is unrelenting in its pursuit of justice for victims of hate crimes.
“We are hopeful today’s sentence brings a sense of justice, but the memories of the victims and our support for their families and the survivors doesn’t end here,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
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“FBI employees are members of the communities we serve, and in El Paso, we will continue to help our neighbors and friends heal for as long as it takes. When anyone in our communities is threatened with violence or hate, the FBI will work with them side by side to fight for justice and we will hold the perpetrators accountable.”
“We hope this sentence will bring some small measure of justice to those impacted by this massacre of innocent people targeted for no other reason than their Hispanic identity and national origin,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
“This hate crime, that extinguished the lives of 23 innocent people, stands as one of the most horrific acts of white nationalist-driven violence in modern times. We lift up the legacies of those who lost their lives and those who survived this tragedy and will ensure that they are never forgotten. Make no mistake, white nationalist hate crimes have no place in our country today and we must bring every tool at our disposal to confront this threat.”
“This defendant systematically targeted and killed 23 innocent people, injured 22 more, and forever changed the lives of so many others who witnessed this horrific event, leaving a haunting scar on the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez community and beyond,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas.
“While today’s sentence cannot possibly replace the lives lost or undo the harm done to the survivors and those otherwise impacted by this horrific event, it is our hope this sentence of 90 consecutive life terms brings some finality and peace to those effected. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas will continue to aggressively prosecute those who commit violence because of bias or hate, seeking justice in the names of the victims and their loved ones.”
Crusius allegedly stated in court documents that he committed the murders and injuries at the Walmart because of the nationality of the customers he expected to be there. He also stated that he meant to murder his victims.
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Crusius also admitted that he had published a manifesto online, titled “An Inconvenient Truth,” just minutes before he had begun his attack. In it, he claimed to be a white supremacist who was driven to murder Hispanic immigrants to the United States. To discourage Mexican and other Hispanic immigration to the United States, Crusius admittedly chose El Paso, a border city, as his target.
The El Paso Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, the El Paso County Office of the Medical Examiner, the Allen Police Department, and the Dallas Police Department all collaborated with the FBI to investigate the case.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Kyle Boynton of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Michael Warbel of the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Section, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ian Hanna, Gregory McDonald, and Patricia Acosta of the Western District of Texas’ El Paso Division.
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