US government won’t seek death penalty for accused Walmart shooter
Patrick Crusius at an arraignment in El Paso
By Ashley Killough, CNN
The US government said it would not seek the death penalty in its case against Patrick Crusius, who allegedly killed 23 people and wounded close to two dozen others at a Walmart in El Paso more than three years ago.
In the short, one-line-filing, First Assistant US Attorney Margaret Leachman did not include a reason for declining the death penalty.
In Texas, though, the district attorney’s office filed a notice last summer that it would seek the death penalty in the state’s case against Crusius.
The federal government indicted Crusius on 90 charges, including hate crimes and the use of a firearm to commit murder. The shooting, which took place on August 3, 2019, marked one of the deadliest attacks on Latinos in modern US history.
According to court documents, jury selection in the federal case is set to start in January 2024.
Back in September 2022, the US District Court for the Western District of Texas agreed to a January 17 deadline for the government to file notice on whether it would seek the death penalty.
The Texas case, meanwhile, has been bogged down by drama involving the former district attorney, Yvonne Rosales, who resigned in November. A trial date has not been set in that case.
Crusius has pleaded not guilty to the state capital murder charge and the federal charges.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Theresa Waldrop contributed to this report.
