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(Trends Wide) — The US government has said it will not seek the death penalty in its case against Patrick Crusius, who allegedly killed 23 people and injured nearly two dozen more at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, more than three years ago.
In the brief, one-line presentation, the senior assistant to the US Attorney General, Margaret Leachman, did not include a reason for rejecting the death penalty.
In Texas, however, the district attorney’s office filed an appeal last summer saying it would seek the death penalty in the state’s case against Crusius.
Patrick Crusius at an arraignment in El Paso, Texas, in 2019. Mark Lambie/Pool/Reuters
The federal government charged Crusius with 90 counts, including hate crimes and using a firearm to commit murder. The shooting, which occurred on August 3, 2019, was one of the deadliest attacks against Latinos in modern United States history.
According to court documents, jury selection in the federal case will begin in January 2024.
In September 2022, the US District Court for the Western District of Texas agreed to a January 17 deadline for the government to file an appeal seeking the death penalty.
Meanwhile, the Texas case has been bogged down by drama involving former district attorney Yvonne Rosales, who resigned in November. No trial date has been set in that case.
Crusius has pleaded not guilty to the state capital murder charge and the federal charges.
Trends Wide’s Theresa Waldrop contributed to this report.
