El Paso Walmart mass shooter transferred to state custody

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- A Texas man who was recently sentenced in federal court for killing 23 people and wounding two dozen more at El Paso's Cielo Vista Walmart in 2019 has been transferred to state custody.

A source familiar with the situation told ABC-7 the transfer was set to happen at 1 p.m. Tuesday and District Attorney Bill Hicks later confirmed Patrick Crusius is now in the state's custody.

Hicks was notified Tuesday morning the transfer would be happening that afternoon.

"I said, 'Really?!'" said Hicks. "We're excited about it. It's good. We're ready to get going and seeking the justice for the people of this community."

Hicks said the state initially believed it was going to get custody of Crusius after the restitution hearing was held in late September to wrap up the federal case, but a deal was worked out to transfer his custody to the state ahead of that.

Patrick Crusius, 24, received consecutive life sentences for each of the 90 federal charges last week at U.S. District Court in El Paso. Charges ranged from hate crimes and firearms offenses. He pleaded guilty.

Crusius is currently jailed in El Paso, but he now wears a different colored jumpsuit.

This means the state can now proceed with its case. 

"We can proceed with the hearings that we need to actually start our trial settings. It moves our calendar up by a couple of months, so we're very excited about that. We have not had our conference with [Judge Sam Medrano] yet. Obviously, it took us a little bit by surprise."

In early July, El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks said he was committed to seeking the death penalty against Crusius.

At the time, Hicks also said he was hoping the trial would start in 2024 or 2025. Tuesday's transfer of custody could mean the trial could occur a few months earlier than previously thought.