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A gunman who killed 23 people near the U.S.-Mexico border in 2019 has pleaded guilty. KTEP's Aaron Montes reports the shooter will now serve a life sentence in prison.
AARON MONTES, BYLINE: Yvonne Gonzalez sat across the room from her parents' killer. She did not look at him during her statement, sometimes peering at her notes.
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YVONNE GONZALEZ: It is not up to me to make you answer for your sins. I may never hear from you, but no one walks away from answering to God.
MONTES: Outside the courtroom, she said she at first wanted prosecutors to pursue the death penalty, but like a majority of other families and victims, wanted the district attorney to bring the case to an end.
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GONZALEZ: I have no more room for hate in my heart.
MONTES: District Court Judge Sam Medrano sentenced the gunman, Patrick Crusius, to 23 consecutive life sentences in prison. Right before the attack, Crusius published an online screed saying his intent was to stop the Hispanic invasion of Texas. In 2023, a federal judge sentenced the shooter to 90 consecutive life sentences after he pleaded guilty to hate crimes and firearm violations. After his sentencing, Medrano said the shooter failed in his mission to terrorize El Paso, a border city across from Mexico. He said the community became a symbol of resilience, overcoming hate.
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SAM MEDRANO: Your name and your hate will be forgotten.
MONTES: The district attorney's office offered a plea agreement for a life sentence without a possibility of parole after a majority of victims and families wanted the case to end, rather than pursue capital punishment for years. Translators read out loud a statement originally written in Spanish from Olivia Rodriguez, who survived the attack that day.
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OLIVIA RODRIGUEZ: (Through interpreter) He is a monster who must pay here on Earth.
MONTES: Crusius offered no apologies for his admitted actions nearly six years ago, but his attorney offered his condolences to the victims and families who lost loved ones. The district attorney's office said nearly 50 people signed up to offer impact statements.
For NPR News, I'm Aaron Montes in El Paso.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOUX'S "GAZE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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