Latest news with #PatrickCrusius
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
Love, hope prevail for victims as El Paso Walmart shooter begins life in prison sentence
Patrick Crusius was slowly escorted out of a courtroom after hearing painful, emotional and, even hopeful stories of forgiveness for two days from survivors and family members of the victims he violently massacred in 2019. El Paso County Sheriff Oscar Ugarte led the El Paso Walmart mass shooter out of the courtroom about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22. Judge Sam Medrano officially handed the gunman over to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to serve the rest of his life in prison. "Sheriff, please make arrangements to get him to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice," Medrano said. Urgate replied, "Yes, your Honor," The gunman walked into a secured back room where criminal defendants are held for their court hearings. This is likely the last time El Pasoans will see the uncombed, shaggy-haired mass killer. Thirty-five victims and family members of those killed took the witness stand over two days to let the gunman know how he impacted their lives. The gunman, at moments, would look at those giving their victim impact statements as they held photos of the ones he killed. But mostly, the gunman stared at the floor. More: Sister of Walmart mass shooting victim hugs gunman in court, offers him forgiveness "Look at me, I'm talking to you," yelled Frank Rodriguez, whose 15-year-old son, Javier Amir Rodriguez, was the youngest victim killed. "Look at me. On Aug. 3, 2019, my life was changed forever. My friends, my family, my life was changed forever. "You came down to El Paso with the intention of tearing us apart. But all you did was make us stronger. You made our community stronger. You made my family stronger." The gunman took away Javier's dreams, the grieving, angry father said. "Thanks to you, his goals are gone," he told the gunman. "Everything vanished on Aug. 3, 2019, because of you. A 15-year-old who had a lot ahead of him." Javier loved soccer. He started playing soccer at the age of 6. He dreamed of playing professional soccer or being a U.S. Border Patrol agent, his family said. He was a regular, fun-loving kid who played video games and had fun with his cousins at his grandma's house with his large extended family. More: Sentenced to life: Judge tells Walmart mass shooter he 'brought hate - your mission failed' The Rodriguez family carried a large photo portrait of Javier when they gave their victim impact statements to the Walmart shooter. It's the portrait that hangs in their living room and is displayed for birthdays and family occasions for a son and brother who is dearly missed. These shared stories of heartbreak punctuated the end of the state's protracted case to bring the gunman to justice in the community he so viciously attacked. There was a sense among many in the courtroom that this emotional and traumatic moment in El Paso history was finally over. Still, it was too early to truly experience closure. 'Closure? Closure only for this (legal) process, but for everything else it will be something that will never leave until I am also gone,' Francisco Rodriguez told reporters after giving his victim impact statement. Michelle Grady, who was shot four times in the shooting, told the gunman he caused the "darkest time" in her life. At the age of 33, she had to learn how to walk again because of her injuries. "I feel a strong sense of responsibility as a survivor to speak for those who are not here any longer," Grady told the gunman. "The response to hate should always be love because we can't control other people, but we can control how we react and how we have compassion for those who are hurt." Grady lost a joint in her hand that kept her from doing certain things with her right, dominant hand. She has a partially shattered pelvis, pain, scars, a deep wound that is still healing and shrapnel in her skin, she said. Grady turned the horrific ordeal into an opportunity to realize a blessing. "I know how incredibly blessed I am to be here. I know how easily it could have gone the other way …" she said. "This event does not define my life. It slowed me down, but by the grace of God, I was not stopped." The gunman from Allen, Texas, drove nearly 700 miles to El Paso to shoot Hispanics he claimed were invading the U.S., echoing rhetoric from President Donald Trump — a political battle cry he clings to in his second term in office. The gunman was called a monster, a coward, and even compared to Hitler. Victims questioned how he could have so much hate for Hispanics. The gunman's attorney claimed the gunman, 21 years old at the time of the shooting, was mentally ill and easily radicalized by Trump's political rhetoric. 'There was so much in the news article stating that he (the mass shooter) was mentally ill," Javier's sister Joanna Rodriguez told reporters. "There are so many people that are dealing with so many things. Anxiety, depression, anything that falls in that category of mental illnesses. "I just want to make it clear that racism isn't a mental illness. He had 10 hours to drive over here, think what he was going to do. He planned it out. He's a white supremacist." Yolanda Tinajero, whose brother Arturo Benavides, a decorated U.S. Army veteran and retired Sun Metro employee, said if the gunman had stopped to meet the people of El Paso and the Borderland, he would have realized the people he killed were good people. More: Forgiving a 'monster': El Paso Walmart victims' families, survivors address mass shooter "If you would've come before to get to know our culture, you would have experienced what warm and good-hearted people as Hispanics we are," Tinajero told the gunman during her victim impact statement. "We would have opened our doors to you to share a meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner, Mexican stuff. Then your ugly thoughts of us that have been instilled in you would have turned around." The second day of victim impact statements started with angry testimonies, but Tinajero's victim impact statement changed the mood in the courtroom and refocused the hearing on finding healing. In a powerful moment, Yolanda Tinajero forgave the gunman and was allowed to hug him. Her bravery led to another victim's family member, Adriana Zandri, returning to court on Tuesday to do the same. Near the end of victim impact statements, Zandri, whose husband Ivan Filiberto Manzano was killed in the shooting, requested to be allowed to hug the gunman. It is unknown if Zandri told the gunman anything. They briefly hugged and she left the court. "I will never understand what led you to do such a terrible act," Zandri said during her victim impact statement on Monday, April 21. "My family suffered the consequences because of the bad choices you made … My husband was proudly Mexican. My children are proudly Mexican." Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@ or on X/Twitter @AMartinezEPT. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Victims address El Paso Walmart shooter before he spends life in prison
Daily Mail
23-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Woman's incredible courtroom act towards racist Walmart mass shooter who killed her brother and 23 others
In a shocking moment in court, a family member hugged the Texas gunman who killed her brother in the El Paso Walmart shooting that killed over 20 people. As Patrick Crusius, 26, pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated assault charges for the 2019 massacre, he was faced with anger and grief from family members of the victims. But two women, in an unexpected moment, hugged the shooter, who admitted to specifically targeting Hispanic people in the attack that killed 23 and injured 22. Yolanda Tinajero, who lost her brother Arturo Benavides, was the first of the two to ask Judge Sam Medrano for permission to hug the killer. 'Ma'am, would it truly bring you peace and comfort and healing to hug him?' Medrano asked her. 'Yes,' Tinajero answered. After being granted permission, the victim's sister wrapped her arms around the gunman as she sobbed, KTSM reported. Adriana Zandri, who lost her husband Ivan Eliberto Manzano, was the second to hug Crusius as he kept his gaze to the floor. Crusius was 21 when he committed the despicable act and drove more than ten hours from his home in suburban Dallas to El Paso. He wore earmuffs as he opened fire with an AK-style rifle on the Walmart parking lot before moving inside the store on August 3 As Zandri embraced her husband's killer, cries were heard throughout the courtroom and the handcuffed killer sat awkwardly in orange and white striped prison garb. 'My children have lost their hero, their prince, their column, their support and their father,' she said on Monday. 'He's not going to be there to teach my daughter how to play basketball. He is not going to be present to give my daughter's hand in her wedding ceremony. 'The only thing that I wanted was for them to not grow up with hatred in their hearts because the day they begin feeling hatred toward you is when their life will be over.' Crusius was 21 when he committed the despicable act and drove more than ten hours from his home in suburban Dallas to El Paso. He wore earmuffs as he opened fire with an AK-style rifle on the Walmart parking lot before moving inside the store on August 3. Crusius cornered shoppers at a bank near the entrance before shooting at the checkout area and people in aisles. When he exited the store, he fired at a passing car and killed an elderly man while wounding his wife. He was apprehended shortly after and confessed to officers who stopped him at an intersection, according to police. The gunman posted on an online message board prior to the deadly shooting that he was inspired to commit the act 'in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.' He claimed Hispanics were going to take over the government and economy. Crusius was apparently consumed by the nation's immigration debate, tweeting #BuildtheWall and posts praising border policies of President Donald Trump, who was in his first term at the time. After the shooting, Crusius admitted to officers he had targeted Mexican people. The individuals who were killed ranged in age from teenagers to grandparents. They included immigrants and Mexican nationals who had crossed the U.S. border on routine shopping trips. The victims who were killed were identified as: Andre and Jordan Anchondo, Arturo Benavides, Leonardo Campos, Angie Englisbee, Maria and Raul Flores, Guillermo Garcia, Jorge Calvillo García, Adolfo Cerros Hernández, Alexander Gerhard Hoffman, and David Johnson. Luis Alfonzo Juarez, Maria Eugenia Legarreta Rothe, Maribel Loya, Ivan Filiberto Manzano, Ivan Filiberto Manzano, Gloria Irma Márquez, Margie Reckard, Sara Esther Regalado Moriel, Javier Rodriguez, Teresa Sanchez, and Juan Velazquez also lost their lives. His defense lawyer, Joe Spencer, claimed that Crusius has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which can be marked by hallucinations, delusions and mood swings. 'This explanation of a severe mental illness and toxic political environment does not, in any way, justify or excuse the horrific violence that Patrick committed,' Spencer clarified. 'He bears responsibility for the choices he made and the devastation that he caused.' But the mental health defense claims were rebutted by the family members of victims. Dean Reckard, son of Margie Reckard, said to the gunman on Monday: 'I noticed your family isn't here. They'll probably have to hide for the rest of their lives because of the evil you brought upon their name. I'm not buying into this mental illness issue that your lawyers want us to believe. 'To me, you're just a copycat killer who wanted some attention. My hope is you wake up each morning wishing you were dead.' Misty Jamrowski, mother of Jordan Anchodo, said: 'You remind me of a man who had mental illness as well, and was racist as well. His name was Adolf Hitler. His objective was Jewish people. Your objective was Mexican people.' Other family members stood up to face the killer. Raul Melendez, family member of David Johnson, said: 'What he did was cowardly. You know, I never thought I'd see the day that I'd see a clown in handcuffs.' Francisco Rodriguez, father to the youngest victim in the shooting, Javier Rodriguez, said: 'My son was 15 years old at the time. He was pretty much a bystander. He just went down there with his uncle to the bank. Look at me. Look at my son. 'You had the balls to come down here and do what you wanted to do right? Look at him. I'm only asking you two minutes. Two minutes of your time. You had over 10 hours to think about what you were going to do. Now you can't give me two minutes? Thanks to you, now I go to the cemetery with my family on my son's birthday.' Before Crusius pleaded guilty to capital murder and 22 counts of aggravated assault on Monday, he had already been sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences in federal court after pleading guilty to hate crime and weapons charges in 2023. Last month, El Paso County District Attorney James Montoya offered him a plea deal that took the death penalty off the table. 'This is about allowing the families of the 23 victims who lost their lives on that horrific day - and the 22 wounded - to finally have resolution in our court system,' Montoya said last month.
Barnama
22-04-2025
- Barnama
Shooter Who Killed Over 20 People In Texas Pleads Guilty To Capital Murder
MOSCOW, April 22 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- American Patrick Crusius, accused of shooting at a Walmart supermarket in Texas in 2019 that killed 23 people, pleaded guilty to capital murder after the prosecution declined to seek the death penalty, Sputnik/RIA Novosti reported. Crusius was already sentenced to 90 life terms in July 2023 after pleading guilty to hate crimes and weapons charges. The decision to drop the death penalty option for Crusius was made by the majority of the victims' relatives, who want the case to be closed, NBC News reported on Monday, citing El Paso County District Attorney James Montoya.
United News of India
22-04-2025
- United News of India
Shooter killing 23 at US Texas Walmart will not face death penalty
Houston, Apr 22 (UNI) Patrick Crusius, the shooter who killed 23 people in a 2019 attack targeting Hispanic migrants at a Walmart in El Paso, U.S. state of Texas, will not face the death penalty after he pleaded guilty in a state court on Monday. Instead, he was sentenced to 23 consecutive life sentences. El Paso District Attorney James Montoya's office last month offered Crusius the plea deal to avoid the death penalty. At the time, Montoya said he personally believed Crusius should be executed but the death penalty would delay a trial even further, noting that most of the victim's families just want the case's closure. Crusius was sentenced to 90 life terms in 2023 in his federal trial after pleading guilty. The 2019 attack is one of the deadliest shootings in the United States. UNI XINHUA GNK
Powys County Times
22-04-2025
- Powys County Times
Gunman who killed 23 in racist attack at Walmart store avoids death sentence
The gunman who killed 23 people when he targeted Hispanic shoppers at a Walmart store in Texas in 2019 has pleaded guilty to capital murder and was scolded by a judge over the racist attack in El Paso near the US-Mexico border. Patrick Crusius, a white 26-year-old community college dropout, wore a striped jumpsuit, shackles and a protective vest in the El Paso courtroom, as many dozens of victims' relatives waited in the gallery to address him face to face. Crusius did not address the families while accepting his plea deal, which meant he would not face the death penalty. He had already been sentenced to 90 consecutive life terms on federal hate crime charges. Accepting the plea agreement from Texas prosecutors means an end to six years of efforts to punish Crusius by state and federal authorities. He drove more than 700 miles from Dallas to carry out the shooting on August 3 2019. 'You came to inflict terror, to take innocent lives and to shatter a community that had done nothing but stand for kindness, unity and love,' state district Judge Sam Medrano said. 'You slaughtered fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. 'Now as you begin the rest of your life locked away, remember this: your mission failed. 'You did not divide this city, you strengthened it; you did not silence its voice, you made it louder; you did not instil fear, you inspired unity: El Paso rose, stronger and braver.' 'Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty and for no other reason?' Judge Medrano asked the defendant. 'Yes, your honour,' Crusius calmly responded before he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His lawyer Joe Spencer told the court: 'We offer our deepest condolences', adding: 'Patrick will leave prison only in a coffin on God's time.' Crusius also pleaded guilty to 22 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which were enhanced with violence and prejudice findings, in relation to 22 victims who were injured but survived. He was sentenced to 22 additional life sentences on those charges. He had acknowledged he targeted Hispanics in the attack at the Walmart in the border city that was crowded with weekend shoppers from the US and Mexico. In a posting to an online message board just before the massacre, Crusius said the shooting was 'in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas'. Mr Spencer told the court Crusius has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which can be marked by hallucinations, delusions and mood swings. 'His thinking became increasingly divorced from reality. We share this not as an excuse, but as part of the explanation for the inexplicable,' the lawyer added. Before the attack, Crusius appears to have been consumed by the US immigration debate, posting online in support of building a border wall and praising the hard-line border policies of Donald Trump, who was then in his first term as president. The people who were killed at the Walmart ranged in age from a 15-year-old high school athlete to elderly grandparents and included immigrants, a retired bus driver, a teacher and several Mexican nationals who had crossed the border on routine shopping trips.
