El Paso Walmart shooting suspect to plead guilty to federal charges

FILE - El Paso Walmart taking pictures suspect Patrick Crusius pleads not responsible throughout his arraignment on Oct. 10, 2019, in El Paso, Texas. Crusius accused of killing almost two dozen folks in a racist assault at a Texas Walmart plans to plead responsible to federal fees within the case. That is in line with court docket information filed days after the federal authorities stated it wouldn’t search the loss of life penalty within the case. In a court docket submitting Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, protection attorneys requested for a listening to to be set so Crusius might plead responsible to federal fees.(Briana Sanchez / El Paso Occasions by way of AP, Pool, File)

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The person accused of killing nearly two dozen folks in a racist assault at an El Paso Walmart plans to plead responsible to federal fees within the case, in line with court docket information filed days after the federal authorities stated it wouldn’t search the loss of life penalty within the case.

Patrick Crusius remains to be charged in state court docket with capital homicide and will nonetheless face the loss of life penalty in Texas if convicted within the 2019 mass taking pictures that killed 23 folks.

In a court docket submitting Saturday, protection attorneys requested for a listening to to be set so Crusius might plead responsible to federal fees. He was charged with federal hate crimes and firearms violations.

U.S. District Decide David Guaderrama, in an order Monday, set the listening to for Feb. 8 in El Paso.

Crusius surrendered to police after the assault, saying, “I’m the shooter,” and that he was concentrating on Mexicans, in line with an arrest warrant. Prosecutors have stated he printed a screed on-line shortly earlier than the taking pictures that stated it was “in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.”

The Aug. 3, 2019, taking pictures occurred on a busy weekend day at a Walmart that's sometimes widespread with buyers from Mexico and the U.S. Along with those that died, greater than two dozen had been injured. Many had been residents of Mexico.

El Paso is a largely Hispanic metropolis that types a world metro space with Ciudad Juarez with greater than 2 million folks. On the U.S. aspect, suburbs stretch into New Mexico.

Though the federal and state instances have progressed alongside parallel tracks, it’s unclear when Crusius would possibly face trial on state fees. A standing listening to within the state case was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, in line with court docket information.

The district lawyer who had been main the state case, Yvonne Rosales, resigned in November over accusations of incompetence involving tons of of instances in El Paso and slowing down the case towards Crusius. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott final month appointed a brand new district lawyer to “restore confidence” within the native legal justice system.