El Paso Walmart gunman offered plea deal to avoid death penalty | LiveNOW from FOX

The gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack at an El Paso Walmart in 2019 in one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history has been offered a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, a Texas prosecutor said Tuesday. The announcement by El Paso County District Attorney James Montoya is a significant turn in the criminal case of Patrick Crusius, 26, who was already sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty in 2023 to federal hate crime charges. Under the Biden administration, federal prosecutors also took the death penalty off the table but did not explain why. In addition to the federal case, Crusius was also charged in state court with capital murder. Crusius, who is white, was 21 years old and had dropped out of community college when police say he drove more than 700 miles from his home near Dallas to target Hispanics in El Paso. Moments after posting a racist screed online that warned of a Hispanic “invasion“ of the state, he opened fire with an AK-style rifle inside and outside the store. Subscribe to LiveNOW from FOX! Where to watch LiveNOW from FOX: Follow us @LiveNOWFOX on Twitter: Raw and unfiltered. Watch a non-stop stream of breaking news, live events and stories across the nation. Limited commentary. No opinion. Experience LiveNOW from FOX.