What you need to know about the guilty plea and sentencing of the Walmart mass shooter
by Robert Moore, El Paso Matters
April 17, 2025
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The North Texas man who has acknowledged that he killed 23 people and wounded 22 others in an anti-Hispanic attack at an El Paso Walmart in 2019 will plead guilty Monday, more than five years after the mass shooting.
Patrick Crusius, now 26, of Allen, Texas, is the most lethal mass shooter to ever face justice in a U.S. courtroom. The nation has experienced five deadlier mass shootings than the Walmart shooting on Aug. 3, 2019, but those gunmen either took their own lives or were killed by police.
The gunman agreed to a guilty plea last month after District Attorney James Montoya decided not to seek the death penalty in the case, saying that most of the families of those killed wanted the prosecution to come to a quick conclusion.
Here’s what you need to know about what will happen Monday.
When and where are the proceedings?
The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in Judge Sam Medrano’s 409th District Court, on the fourth floor of the Enrique Moreno El Paso County Courthouse. The proceedings are expected to go throughout the day and may continue into the week, depending on how many victims and survivors of those killed wish to address the gunman.
The first order of business will be for the gunman to formally plead guilty. Medrano likely will ask a series of questions to ensure the defendant is aware of the consequences of his guilty plea, and that he is doing so voluntarily.
The defendant is not required to explain his actions, or the reasons behind them.
After the guilty plea, Medrano will formally sentence Crusius to life in prison without parole, the maximum available sentence for capital murder once prosecutors opted against seeking the death penalty.
The plea and sentencing are expected to take about 90 minutes.
Victim impact statements
After the gunman is sentenced, people who were victims of the crime can address the court and the defendant to explain how the attack affected their lives. More than 40 people have requested to give statements, officials from the District Attorney’s Office said.
When the gunman pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes and weapons charges in July 2023, emotionally charged victim impact statements took up parts of three days. Medrano will continue hearing impact statements until all victims wishing to speak have been heard, and will not impose a time limit on statements.
Can I watch the hearing?
Courts are open to the public, but seating is limited. Much of the seating for this hearing is expected to be taken up by shooting victims, the families of those killed, and media.
The judge is allowing cameras in the courtroom during the plea and sentencing. El Paso Matters and other media will livestream the hearing on websites Monday morning.
Judge Medrano will not permit video or still photography during the victim impact statements to protect the privacy of the victims.
What happens to the gunman when the hearing ends?
The gunman pleaded guilty in 2023 to federal weapons and hate crimes charges stemming from the Walmart attack, and was sentenced to 90 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. After Monday, he also will face a sentence of life without parole in the Texas state prison system.
He currently is in state custody in the El Paso County jail in Downtown El Paso, where he has been held since shortly after the mass shooting.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons told El Paso Matters that he will serve his life sentences in a state prison because the state initially arrested and detained him. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has several maximum security prisons where the Walmart gunman could be housed.
