Current:Home > StocksEl Paso mass shooter gets 90 consecutive life sentences for killing 23 people in Walmart shooting-LoTradeCoin
El Paso mass shooter gets 90 consecutive life sentences for killing 23 people in Walmart shooting
View Date:2024-12-23 19:49:39
The white Texas gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack at an El Paso Walmart in 2019 was sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences Friday, after relatives of the victims berated him for days over the shooting that targeted Hispanic shoppers on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Patrick Crusius, 24, was sentenced to federal prison for committing one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. He pleaded guilty in February to nearly 50 federal hate crime charges after federal prosecutors took the death penalty off the table, although he could still face the death penalty in a separate case in a Texas state court that has yet to go to trial.
Crusius, wearing a jumpsuit and shackles, did not speak during the hearing and showed no reaction as the verdict was read. The judge recommended that he serve his sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado.
As he was led from the courtroom, the son of one of the victims shouted at him from the galley.
"We'll be seeing you again, coward," yelled Dean Reckard, whose mother, Margie Reckard, was slain in the attack. "No apologies, no nothing."
The sentencing took place not far from the El Paso Walmart where Crusius opened fire with an AK-style semiautomatic rifle. The attack came after he ranted online, warning of a "Hispanic invasion of Texas."
Some of the victims were citizens of Mexico. In addition to the dead, more than two dozen people were injured and numerous others were severely traumatized as they hid or fled.
Victim's relatives confront gunman for first time
Confronting the shooter face-to-face for the first time at a sentencing hearing this week, several relatives of the victims looked him in the eye and mocked his motivations, telling him his racist pursuits failed.
Thomas Hoffman lost his father, Alexander Hoffman, during the massacre, CBS Texas reported.
"You killed my father in such a cowardly way," Thomas Hoffman said. "He was not a racist like you."
Alexander Hoffman was an engineer who migrated to Mexico from Germany in the 1980s and enjoyed listening to The Beatles and watching James Bond movies, his daughter Elis said in a statement through an attorney. She described her father as a "gentle giant with a big heart."
"You're an ignorant coward and you deserve to suffer in jail and then burn in hell," Thomas Hoffman said, according to CBS Texas. "You are an evil parasite that is nothing without a weapon."
Hoffman held a photo of his father and looked directly at Crusius and said, "See it. See it."
It was unclear whether Crusius looked at the photo, but he could be seen swallowing while Hoffman said, "You can see it."
Francisco Rodriguez, the father of the youngest victim of the Walmart mass shooting — his 15-year-old son, Javier Amir Rodriguez — also addressed the gunman, El Paso CBS affiliate KDBC-TV reported. Rodriguez pulled out a necklace from around his neck holding his son's ashes, the station reported.
"I carry his ashes everywhere I go," he said, crying. "That's all I have left."
- In:
- Walmart
- El Paso
- Mass Shooting
veryGood! (8712)
Related
- Blake Shelton Announces New Singing Competition Show After Leaving The Voice
- Mike Tyson set to resume preparations for Jake Paul fight after layoff for ulcer flareup
- Gymnast Gabby Douglas Weighs In On MyKayla Skinner’s Team USA Comments
- Video shows Wisconsin police dramatically chase suspects attempting to flee in a U-Haul
- 1 million migrants in the US rely on temporary protections that Trump could target
- Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Didn’t Acknowledge Their Anniversary—Here’s What They Did Instead
- Summer heat is causing soda cans to burst on Southwest Airlines flights, injuring flight attendants
- U.S sanctions accountants, firms linked to notorious Mexico cartel for timeshare scams that target Americans
- How many dog breeds are there? A guide to groups recognized in the US
- U.S sanctions accountants, firms linked to notorious Mexico cartel for timeshare scams that target Americans
Ranking
- Here's what 3 toys were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame this year
- Kourtney Kardashian Reacts To Mason Disick Skipping Family Trip to Australia
- Triple decapitation: Man accused of killing parents, family dog in California
- Gymnast Gabby Douglas Weighs In On MyKayla Skinner’s Team USA Comments
- Should Georgia bench Carson Beck with CFP at stake against Tennessee? That's not happening
- Britney Spears Tells Osbourne Family to “F--k Off” After They Criticize Her Dance Videos
- How to know if you were affected by the AT&T data breach and what to do next
- Fireball streaking across sky at 38,000 mph caused loud boom that shook NY, NJ, NASA says
Recommendation
-
Eminem, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow, N.W.A. and Janet Jackson get Songwriters Hall of Fame nods
-
Heavily armed security boats patrol winding Milwaukee River during GOP convention
-
JD Vance's abortion stance attacked by Biden campaign
-
Angelina Jolie Asks Brad Pitt to End the Fighting in Legal Battle
-
A $1 billion proposal is the latest plan to refurbish and save the iconic Houston Astrodome
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Tri-Tip
-
Alaska judge who resigned in disgrace didn’t disclose conflicts in 23 cases, investigation finds
-
Movie armorer seeks dismissal of her conviction or new trial in fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin