Prosecutors on Tuesday announced a plea deal that will spare the life of Patrick Crusius, the gunman who shot dead 23 people and injured 22 in an attack targeting Latinos at a Walmart in El Paso in 2019.
Crusius will avoid the death penalty by pleading guilty to capital murder and receiving life in prison without parole, according to El Paso County District Attorney James Montoya.
The decision marks a significant departure from previous efforts by prosecutors to seek the death penalty over the massacre. Montoya explained that the move was driven by a majority of victims’ families who wanted closure and an end to the drawn-out legal process….