Accused El Paso gunman is deadliest surviving mass shooting suspect in American history
Of the 18 deadliest mass shootings in the United States, seven mass shooters committed suicide and another five were killed by police, according to CNN.
Six others, including Patrick Crusius, were taken into custody alive. But Crusius is the deadliest surviving mass shooting suspect in American history.
Questions remain: Will his trial will stay in El Paso County? Will he be sentenced to death should he be convicted? How much the trial will cost taxpayers?
The ABC-7 I-Team has an in-depth look at the other five trials.
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida left 17 people dead in 2018. The accused gunman, Nikolas Cruz, is expected to go to trial in January. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. It has not been moved from Broward County in Florida, where Parkland is located.
A shooting at Fort Hood here in Killeen, Texas left 13 people dead in 2009. The convicted shooter, Nidal Hasan, was sentenced to death in 2013. He has not yet been executed. The trial remained in Bell County where the Army post is located. It cost taxpayers $5 million.
The Aurora shooting in Colorado left 12 people dead after James Holmes opened fire inside a movie theater in 2012. He is facing a life sentence without the possibility of parole, as well as an additional 3,318 years for attempted murder charges. The trial lasted three years and cost taxpayers around $3 million. There was no venue change.
The suspected shooter in the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh is facing the death penalty. Robert Bowers allegedly shot and killed 11 people almost a year ago. His defense team has not requested a change of venue for his trial. Our affiliate in Pittsburgh tells ABC-7 that several families of the victims have spoken out against the death penalty due to their religious beliefs.
And finally, a Texas judge has granted a change of venue for the accused shooter in the Santa Fe High School shooting outside of Houston. The trial for Dimitrios Pagourtzis will not take place in Galveston County. Prosecutors in that case cannot seek the death penalty, or even life without the possibility of parole due to the fact that the suspect was under the age of 18 when the shooting happened. Pagourtzis was 17 when police say he opened fire at Santa Fe High School, killing ten people. The judge says the change of venue request was granted due to the publicity of the shooting.
The El Paso County District Attorney has already said he will pursue the death penalty against Crusius. He could also face federal hate crime charges which could carry a sentence of life in prison, or the death penalty.
KVIA 2019
