EL PASO, Texas – The gunman who murdered 23 people inside a Walmart in El Paso, Texas received 90 consecutive life sentences by a federal jury on Friday, according to reports.
Patrick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty to 90 charges, which included 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 intent to kill and 22 counts of use of firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, CNN reported.
Crusius wrote a nearly 2,400 word anti-immigrant, anti-Hispanic manifesto believed to have been published just minutes before the massacre occurred on August 3, 2019, according to the Daily Caller.
In part, his ramblings read, “This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas. They are the instigators, not me. I am simply defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by an invasion. [I]t makes no sense to keep on letting millions of illegal or legal immigrants flood into the United States, and to keep the tens of millions that are already here.”
Crusius agreed to plead guilty in February after federal prosecutors promised not to seek the death penalty, CNN reported.
As a result, he received 90 consecutive life sentences while being spared the death penalty during the sentencing hearing, which began Wednesday morning at the U.S. courthouse in El Paso, and concluded Friday.
However, Crusius could still face capital punishment at the state level, according to The Texas Tribune. State prosecutors are currently charging him and have vowed to seek the death penalty.
In January, El Paso County District Attorney Bill Hicks held a press conference regarding the future of the state’s case. He said the state of Texas still planned to seek the death penalty despite a plea deal reached in the federal case, KFOX-TV reported.
“The state of Texas will continue to evaluate the situation, the impact of today’s decision in the federal government and once we have had the opportunity to evaluate all of the issues that may arise from that then we may have another announcement later on,” Hicks said at the time.
