(El Paso) A gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack on Hispanic customers at a Walmart in a Texas border town was sentenced Friday to 90 consecutive life terms in prison, but could still face other penalties, including the death penalty.
Patrick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty earlier this year to nearly 50 federal hate crime charges in connection with the 2019 El Paso shootings, making it one of the largest U.S. government hate crime cases.
Crusius, dressed in a jumpsuit and handcuffs, did not speak during the hearing and did not react when the verdict was read. The judge recommended that Crusius serve his sentence in a high-security prison in Colorado.
PHOTO ARCHIVES AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Patrick Crusius
Police say Crusius traveled more than 700 miles from his home near Dallas to target Hispanics with an AK-type rifle inside and outside the store. Moments before the attack began, Crusius posted a racist message online warning of a Hispanic “invasion” of Texas.
In the years since the shooting, Republicans have called migrants crossing the US southern border an “invasion,” ignoring critics who say the rhetoric fuels anti-immigrant views and violence.
Crusius pleaded guilty in February, after federal prosecutors overturned the death penalty. But Texas prosecutors have said they will try to send Crusius to death row when he stands trial in state court. The trial date has not yet been set.
As he was led out of the courtroom, a family member of one of the victims shouted at Crusius from the podium.
“We’ll see you again, coward. No excuses, nothing at all. »
A “broken brain”
Joe Spencer, Crusius’ attorney, told the judge before sentencing that his client was “brain-broken”.
“Patrick’s thinking is at odds with reality…resulting in delusional thinking,” Ms.e Spencer in court.
Crusius was alarmed by his own violent thoughts, and even quit a movie job because of those thoughts, Ms.e spencer. He added that Crusius had previously researched online to find ways to treat his mental health and had dropped out of a community college near Dallas due to his struggles.
Me Spencer explained that Crusius arrived in El Paso with no specific target in mind before ending up at Walmart.
“Patrick acted with his brain shattered, cemented together by illusions,” Ms.e spencer.
The sentencing by U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama in El Paso followed two days of statements from relatives of the victims, including Mexican citizens. Besides the dead, more than two dozen people were injured and many others were badly traumatized as they went into hiding or fled.
One after another, family members took their first opportunity since the shooting to speak directly to Crusius, describing how their lives had been turned upside down with grief and pain. Some forgave Crusius. A man showed photos of his slain father, insisting the shooter look at them.
PHOTO ANDRES LEIGHTON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hilda Reckard, daughter-in-law of shooting victim Maggie Reckard, holds a photo of her relative outside federal court in El Paso, July 7.
Arturo, Bertha Benavides’ husband of 34 years, is among the victims.
“You left children without their parents, you left spouses without their spouses, and we still need them,” she told Crusius.
In early victim statements, Crusius occasionally swayed in his seat or nodded without showing any emotion. His eyes appeared to widen on Thursday as victims condemned the brutality of the shootings and called on Crusius to respond and be held accountable. At one point, Crusius consulted a defense attorney at his side and motioned that he would not respond.
Crusius’ family did not appear in the courtroom during the sentencing phase.
This attack is the deadliest of a dozen mass shootings in the United States linked to hate crimes since 2006, according to a database compiled by the Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.
Political discourse on immigration
Prior to the shooting, Crusius had seemed engrossed in the national immigration debate, posting posts on Twitter with the hashtag #BuildtheWall and posts praising then-President Donald Trump’s tough border policies. . He went further in his rant published before the attack, sounding warnings that Hispanics were going to take over the government and the economy.
As the sentencing phase has begun, some immigrant rights advocates have issued renewed calls for politicians to tone down their rhetoric on immigration. Republicans, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, have pushed for more aggressive action to strengthen the US southern border.
Amaris Vega’s aunt was killed in the attack and her mother narrowly survived a baseball-sized wound to her chest. In court, Amaris Vega denounced Crusius’ “pathetic and distressing manifesto”, which promised to rid Texas of Hispanics.
“But guess what? You failed. You failed, she told him. We are still here and we are not going anywhere. And for four years, you’ve been stuck in a town full of Hispanics. … Let yourself be convinced”.
Those killed ranged from a 15-year-old high school athlete to several elderly grandparents. They were immigrants, a retired city bus driver, teachers, artisans, including a former ironworker, and several Mexican nationals who had crossed the border into the United States for routine shopping. .
Two teenage girls have told how they narrowly escaped the carnage of Crusius while taking part in a fundraiser for their youth football team outside the store. Relatives were injured and the coach, Guillermo Garcia, died a few months later from his injuries.
Both youngsters said they were always haunted by the fear of another shooting when they were in public places.
“He was shot at close range by a coward and his innocent blood was everywhere,” said Kathleen Johnson, whose husband David was among the victims. I don’t know when I will be the same. The pain you have caused is indescribable. »