Three years after 23 people were killed and dozens more were injured in a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, the accused gunman will plead guilty to federal charges.
Attorneys representing Patrick Crusius filed a motion on Saturday calling for a new arraignment hearing. It followed a decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to not seek the death penalty against the 24-year-old.
"Defendant notifies the Court of his intention to enter a plea of guilty to the pending Indictment," the filing stated.
The court made no other announcements. A jury trial date is scheduled a year from now.
Crusius, the accused gunman, faces 23 counts of hate crimes resulting in death, 23 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder in a crime of violence, 22 counts of hate crimes in an attempt to kill, and 22 counts of use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to law enforcement, Crusius allegedly drove more than nine hours from Allen to El Paso to "stop the Hispanic invasion" of Texas. The event on Aug. 3, 2019, was the largest massacre targeting Hispanics in recent
history.
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