A Texas state judge has sentenced Patrick Crusius, a self-proclaimed white nationalist, to life in prison without parole for the 2019 mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, which left 23 people dead and 22 others injured. The attack is considered one of the deadliest assaults on Hispanic Americans in U.S. history.

Judge Sam Medrano Jr. issued the sentence during a court hearing Monday, calling out the gunman’s motivations and the devastation he caused.

“You traveled nine hours to a city that would have welcomed you with open arms,” the judge said. “You brought not peace but hate… You came to inflict terror, to take innocent lives. Your mission failed. You did not divide this city. You strengthened it.”

Crusius, 25, showed no emotion during sentencing, dressed in a prison jumpsuit. He pleaded guilty to capital murder and 22 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Under Texas law, a capital murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence if prosecutors decline to pursue the death penalty — as was the case here.

This sentence follows a previous federal conviction in 2023, where Crusius pleaded guilty to hate crimes and was handed 90 consecutive life sentences.

A Community Still Grieving

The courtroom was filled with survivors and grieving families, some of whom gave emotional victim impact statements. The gunman sat silently as they shared stories of loved ones lost.

Dafne Jazmin Marquez, who lost her 61-year-old grandmother, addressed Crusius directly in Spanish:

“You did not kill a person of a different color. You killed a father, a mother, a son, a brother, uncle, a grandfather, a grandmother.”

Liliana Muñoz, a survivor who was shot in the leg, shared how the trauma still haunts her:

“This incident impacted my life physically, psychologically. When I hear a loud noise, my reaction is one of yelling or screaming out of fear.”

Racial Hatred as a Motive

Crusius admitted to targeting Latinos, telling police he drove over 600 miles from the Dallas area to carry out the attack in a majority-Hispanic city. He selected El Paso because of its cultural and demographic ties to Mexico, according to authorities.

His defense attorney said Crusius was influenced by racist conspiracy theories and inflammatory political rhetoric referring to immigrants as “invaders” — ideas that were referenced in a manifesto he published before the attack.

“He has accepted responsibility for his horrific actions,” said defense attorney Joe Spencer. “He will never again walk free. Patrick will leave prison only in a coffin on God’s time.”

A Long Road to Justice

The case was delayed for years due to a complex legal process and turnover in the district attorney’s office. A plea deal was eventually reached, with El Paso District Attorney James Montoya announcing in March that the death penalty would not be pursued after consulting with the victims’ families.

Montoya said he hopes the focus remains on honoring the lives lost, rather than the political climate that may have fueled the shooter’s ideology.

“There are other public figures and elected officials that espouse and promote this ideology,” he said. “But my sincere hope is that for the rest of this proceeding, the focus can remain on the 23 lives that were taken from us far too soon.”

A Community United

El Paso, often called the “Ellis Island of the Southwest,” has a long history of embracing its binational identity. In the wake of the shooting, residents rallied together in mourning — and in defiance of hate.

As Judge Medrano reminded the courtroom:

“You did not divide this city. You strengthened it.”