In August 2019, Maribel Hernandez and her spouse, Leonardo Campos, were shopping at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, when a gunman opened fire, killing them along with 21 others. The shooter, motivated by the belief of a “Hispanic invasion,” was identified as Patrick Crusius. During a court hearing on Monday, Hernandez’s daughter, Yvonne Loya Gonzalez, addressed Crusius directly after he pleaded guilty to charges of capital murder. Gonzalez shared her feelings of loss, stating, “Their absence in my life has left a deep void in my heart.”
The courtroom proceedings featured heartfelt statements from victims’ families and survivors, a process that was expected to stretch through Wednesday. Some victims’ relatives, including Gonzalez, conveyed forgiveness to Crusius. “I have no more room for hate in my heart,” she added.
Crusius, a 26-year-old former community college student, remained composed as he listened. Despite the emotional testimonials, Crusius did not make any direct comments to the families during the hearing. His plea agreement was part of a deal where local prosecutors agreed to forgo the death penalty. Previously, Crusius was sentenced to 90 consecutive life terms for federal hate crime charges.
The attack left lasting scars on survivors like Liliana Munoz from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Munoz was shopping for goods to resell across the border when the ordeal unfolded. Her life was drastically altered physically, economically, and emotionally. A statement read on her behalf described how she once was a “happy, dancing person,” but now lives in fear, requiring a cane and a leg brace to walk. Nonetheless, she expressed forgiveness because, as she put it, “what would be the point of forgiving what was easy to forgive?”
Crusius drove over 700 miles from Dallas to carry out the attack on August 3, 2019. Judge Sam Medrano addressed Crusius, emphasizing the impact of his actions. “You came to inflict terror, to take innocent lives… You slaughtered fathers, mothers, sons and daughters,” Medrano declared. Despite the assault, he noted that Crusius’s intended mission failed. Instead of causing division, the community was unified and strengthened.
Sentenced to life without parole, Crusius also faced additional life sentences for 22 counts of aggravated assault involving those injured but who survived. His attorney, Joe Spencer, expressed condolences, mentioning that Crusius will remain incarcerated “only in a coffin on God’s time.”
Racial hatred was the driving force behind the attack, as evidenced by Crusius’s online manifesto prior to the shootings. He described his actions as a response to a “Hispanic invasion,” alluding to fears about Hispanic influence over governance and the economy. Online, he showed support for stringent immigration policies, including a border wall praised by then-President Donald Trump. Evidence showed Crusius targeted Mexicans specifically.
His defense disclosed that Crusius had a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, characterized by hallucinations and detached thinking, which may have influenced his actions. Although presented as a partial explanation, his attorney emphasized that it was not an excuse.
The lives lost spanned diverse age groups and backgrounds, from young athletes to elderly grandparents, including immigrants and people on routine border shopping trips. Adriana Zandri mourned her husband, Ivan Manzano, who was killed during the attack. Reflecting on the loss, she spoke about the unfulfilled roles Manzano would have played in his children’s lives. “When all this happened, my daughter was 5 and my son was 9,” she expressed, hoping they would not grow up harboring hatred.