Lead attorney in the Walmart shooter case withdraws “effective immediately”
EL PASO, Texas -- Curtis Cox, the lead prosecutor in the Walmart shooter case has withdrawn from the case, according to a letter obtained by ABC-7.
In a letter to Judge Sam Medrano, Cox says, "While it is not the practice of Assistant District Attorneys in the 34th Judicial District to formally withdraw from specific cases, I am hereby doing so in regard to the
above-referenced matter, effective immediately."
The news has yet again brought attention to the Walmart Shooting Case for reasons outside of the case itself.
"The only issue we should be talking about is when are we gonna get this tried," said Luis Agular a retired Judge.
According to Aguilar, not only will it take time to hire a new lead attorney, but time for the new prosecution team to prepare.
"Unfortunately now the new team has to start over," said Aguilar "You need to give this team a sufficient amount of time because this is a massive amount of evidence in this lawsuit."
Aguilar says finding an experienced lawyer to lead the State case is crucial. The Federal case is already set for January 2024. The federal government has not yet announced if they will seek the death penalty for Patrick Crusius. Many believe they will not.
"If that's correct the state of Texas is gonna have to go forward because they already announced that they will seek the death penalty," said Aguilar.
This brings more significance to the State case and Cox's decision to withdraw.
Cox concluded his letter by writing all communications and filings should be directed to District Attorney Yvonne Rosales.
ABC-7 reached out to the 409th District Court and the District Attorney's Office for comment. We have yet to hear back. There is a gag order in place for this case.
