Feds won’t seek death penalty against alleged El Paso Walmart gunman

A memorial at the Walmart where a gunman opened fire on shoppers on Aug. 4, 2019, in El Paso. Federal prosecutors won’t pursue the death penalty against the alleged gunman, who could still face a death sentence in a separate state case. (Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune)

The federal government will not seek the death penalty for the man accused of massacring 23 people in a hate crime at an El Paso Walmart in 2019, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.

“The United States of America hereby notifies the Court and Defendant PATRICK WOOD CRUSIUS that the Government will not seek the death penalty in the instant case,” prosecutors said in a one-sentence filing.