A Texas man pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal hate crime and weapons charges in the racist attack at an El Paso Walmart in 2019, which prosecutors say was preceded by the gunman posting an online screed that warned of a "Hispanic invasion."
Patrick Crusius, 24, showed little emotion while shackled in an El Paso courtroom just a few miles from the store where he was accused of killing 23 people, including citizens of Mexico, in what remains one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history.
Sentencing is not scheduled until later this year, but the U.S. government had previously announced it wouldn't seek the death penalty. Crusius waived most of his rights to appeal on a total of 90 federal charges, which U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama said would each carry a life sentence.
"I plead guilty," he said.
Crusius had originally pleaded not guilty before federal prosecutors took the death penalty off the table. He could still receive the death penalty, however, under separate state capital murder charges in Texas, although it remains unclear when that case might go to trial.
Albert Hernandez, whose sister and brother-in-law were killed in the attack, was one of about 40 people with close ties to the victims in the court gallery. He called Crusius a coward who was trying to "save his own skin" by pleading guilty in federal court.
"This guy knew what he was doing. It was premeditated," Hernandez said of the shooting. "He came here to take care of business."
Crusius surrendered to police after the massacre, saying, "I'm the shooter, " and that he was targeting Mexicans, according to court records. Prosecutors have said he drove more than 10 hours from his hometown near Dallas to the largely Latino border city and published a document online shortly before the shooting that said it was "in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas."
The Aug. 3, 2019, shooting happened on a busy weekend at a Walmart that is typically popular with shoppers from Mexico and the U.S. In addition to those killed, more than two dozen were injured and hundreds more were scarred by being present or having a loved-one hurt.
Prosecutors presented a detailed narrative of the attack during Wednesday's plea hearing, describing how it began with a pedestrian gunned down in the parking lot before Crusius, wearing earmuffs that mute the sound of gunfire, opened fire at people at a fundraiser for a soccer team.
As Crusius moved inside the store, prosecutors said, nine people were cornered and shot to death at a bank near the entrance. Among them were husband and wife Jordan and Andre Anchondo, whose infant son survived with broken bones in a hand.
It's also where gunfire cut down Margie Reckard, whose August 2019 funeral drew thousands of sympathizers from as far away as California and across the border in Mexico -- after her husband announced that he was alone with almost no family left and invited the world to attend.
The killing continued as Crusius fired his assault rifle down multiple aisles, according to prosecutors. Exiting Walmart, he fired on a passing car, killing and elderly man and wounding his wife.
Former El Paso Mayor Dee Margo attended the plea hearing and called it a "gut-wrencher."
"We have an evil white supremacist who showed up and attacked us for who we are," he said.
After the hearing, defense attorney Joe Spencer said Crusius wanted to accept responsibility. "There are no winners in this case," he said.
Prosecutors say Crusius consented after surrendering to two videotaped interviews with detectives and the FBI on Aug. 3 and providing two thumb drives that containing his racist writings and other records.
Crusius' writings before the shooting echoed both the anti-immigration rhetoric of American politics and racist screeds put out by other mass shooters in the U.S. and abroad.
More than three years after the shooting, the description of an "invasion" on the U.S.-Mexico border has continued in American politics. Critics have condemned the characterization as anti-immigrant and dangerous in the aftermath of El Paso and other racially motivated attacks.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has recently embraced using the word "invasion" while authorizing a series of hardline immigration measures. In November, Abbott sent a letter to state police and the Texas National Guard with the subject line "Defend Texas Against Invasion."
Abbott has defended his statements by saying he is invoking language included in the U.S. Constitution. Some legal scholars have called it a misreading of the clause.
"If this is not an invasion, what is it?" Abbott asked CNN's Jake Tapper during an interview last month. "Think about the volume of people coming across the border."
America's Voice, an immigration reform group, said it tracked more than 80 Republican candidates during last year's midterm elections who amplified what they called "invasion" and "replacement" conspiracies.
"I think it's been creeping over the years," said Zachary Mueller, political director of America's Voice. "What I would say is that in 2021, there was a marked shift where it went from the fringes of the Republican Party into the mainstream of the Republican Party."
A database of mass killings in the U.S. since 2006 compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University shows that the number of deadly mass shootings linked to hate crimes has increased in recent years. Among 13 prominent instances, the 2019 Walmart shooting was the deadliest. The database tracks every mass killing -- defined as four dead, not including the offender -- in the U.S. since 2006.
------
Weber reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writers Acacia Coronado and Jake Bleiberg in Dallas contributed to this report.
One of four Canadian cabinet members who are stepping down said on Friday that he has confidence in Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and he played down polls predicting the Liberals will badly lose in the next election.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Friday compared the people jailed on charges that they stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to the more than 120,000 people of Japanese origin incarcerated on U.S. soil during World War II.
SaskPower was sentenced Friday morning in a Weyburn courtroom, receiving a record fine, after being found guilty of three workplace-safety related violations when two experienced employees were killed on the job in 2020.
An increased risk of fire has prompted the recall of thousands of Honda hybrid vehicles in Canada.
The Canadian Cancer Society says a proposed settlement that may see tobacco companies pay out billions of dollars would do little to prevent future generations from becoming addicted to smoking.
Police were called to a frozen yogurt shop in Richmond, B.C., Wednesday after a man went behind the counter and scooped some of the product with his hand.
According to Google search data, the top Halloween costumes trending in Canada include everything from Taylor Swift for kids to the Joker and Harley Quinn for couples.
Cuba's national electrical grid shut down on Friday after one of the island's major power plants failed, Cuba's energy ministry said, plunging the entire country into a blackout.
National Defence Minister Bill Blair says Canada is sending $64.8 million in military aid to Ukraine.
SaskPower was sentenced Friday morning in a Weyburn courtroom, receiving a record fine, after being found guilty of three workplace-safety related violations when two experienced employees were killed on the job in 2020.
A 29-year-old Saskatoon woman faces assault and mischief charges after allegedly throwing a cup of bodily fluids on two bus passengers and breaking a window on Thursday.
The Canadian Cancer Society says a proposed settlement that may see tobacco companies pay out billions of dollars would do little to prevent future generations from becoming addicted to smoking.
With a crowded field of 16 candidates vying to be Halifax's next mayor, candidates have not always found it easy to stand out. But one thing sets Andrew Goodsell apart and makes him uniquely positioned to comment on a central campaign issue: he is living rough in a tent in the city's south end.
Police were called to a frozen yogurt shop in Richmond, B.C., Wednesday after a man went behind the counter and scooped some of the product with his hand.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.
Cuba's national electrical grid shut down on Friday after one of the island's major power plants failed, Cuba's energy ministry said, plunging the entire country into a blackout.
A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution printed 237 years ago and sent to the states to be ratified was sold for US$9 million at an auction Thursday evening in North Carolina.
South Korea's spy agency said Friday that North Korea has dispatched troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine, a development that could bring a third country into the war and intensify a standoff between North Korea and the West.
Russia's lower house of parliament on Thursday gave quick initial approval to a bill outlawing 'propaganda' that discourages people from having children, the latest in a slew of restrictive laws as the Kremlin tightens control over the society amid the fighting in Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden said it's important for Ukraine's western allies to 'sustain our resolve' in supporting the country as he met Friday with European partners, with the upcoming U.S. presidential election casting a long shadow over his visit to Germany.
Christian nationalist leaders are telling followers that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is under the influence of a 'Jezebel spirit,' using a term with deeply racist and misogynistic roots that is setting off alarm bells for religious and political scholars.
One of four Canadian cabinet members who are stepping down said on Friday that he has confidence in Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and he played down polls predicting the Liberals will badly lose in the next election.
The head of the RCMP and Canada's ministers of foreign affairs and public safety will be summoned to testify at a House of Commons committee about the bombshell allegations made this week about Indian state-sponsored interference in Canada.
The federal and Manitoba governments have signed a deal to expand food programs.
More details are expected today on a proposed deal that would see the three major companies pay out billions of dollars to provinces and territories as well as smokers and their loved ones.
The Canadian Cancer Society says a proposed settlement that may see tobacco companies pay out billions of dollars would do little to prevent future generations from becoming addicted to smoking.
Already multitool smart devices, Apple Watches added another buzzworthy feature last month: an app to detect sleep apnea.
One of the most widely spoken Indigenous languages in this country is now available through Google's translation service, the first time the tech giant has included a First Nations, Metis or Inuit language spoken in Canada on its platform.
Meta has launched a new campaign to protect teens and children from social media sextortion scams. It鈥檚 designed to help teenagers and their parents easily spot online scammers, who trick young people into sending intimate photos and use financial blackmail, threatening exposure.
Just weeks before the U.S. presidential election, TikTok approved advertisements that contained election disinformation even though it has a ban on political ads, according to a report published Thursday by the nonprofit Global Witness.
How One Direction became the internet's first boy band.
Mitzi Gaynor, the effervescent dancer and actor who starred as Nellie Forbush in the 1958 film of 'South Pacific' and appeared in other musicals with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, has died. She was 93.
Every Christmas growing up in Minnesota, Jimmy Darts' parents gave him US$200 in cash: US$100 for himself and US$100 for a stranger. Now, with over 12 million followers on TikTok and several million more on other platforms, philanthropy is his full-time job.
Credit card fees for small and medium-sized businesses are starting to dip lower as a deal reached between the federal government and the two major card companies is set to take effect.
Federal limits on the number of international students permitted to study in Canada could cost Ontario schools close to $1 billion in lost revenue, the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) says.
A Massachusetts judge rejected Meta Platforms' bid to dismiss a lawsuit by the state alleging the social media company purposely deployed features on its Instagram platform to addict young users and deceived the public about the dangers its product posed to the mental health of teenagers.
The origin of modern humans' long-standing love affair with carbs may predate our existence as a species, according to a new study.
A British travel documentarian's YouTube video announcing his move to Winnipeg, Man. has gone viral, with Manitobans praising the transplant's kind words about his new Prairie home.
A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the European Open tennis tournament with a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) loss to Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut on Friday.
A representative for Kylian Mbappe has denounced reporting in the Swedish press about the French soccer star as 'totally false and irresponsible.'
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) has released a statement in response to a recent CTV W5 investigation into an alleged sexual assault in 2014.
An increased risk of fire has prompted the recall of thousands of Honda hybrid vehicles in Canada.
The U.S. government's road safety agency is again investigating Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' system, this time after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian.
Canada鈥檚 border guards have seized more than 1,900 stolen cars so far this year at railyards and ports, which is over a hundred more than in 2023.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.
A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.
A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥
John Cantin vividly remembers opening day for his Victoria diner. Stress levels were high, tables were full, and one of the most popular menu items couldn鈥檛 be freed from the unyielding grip of the waffle maker.
A Manitoba professor is warning the public after a book on regional mushrooms that he suspects is AI-generated was delisted from Amazon.
A B.C. judge has issued a decision in a years-long dispute between neighbours that began with a noise complaint over barking dogs, crowing roosters and quacking ducks 鈥 awarding $15,000 in damages to the plaintiffs in the case.
An Ottawa man was arrested after taking a shower in a stranger's house, Ottawa police say.
S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh 脷xwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chef Paul Natrall, the man behind Indigenous food truck Mr. Bannock, is bringing cooking classes on First Nations fare to schools and offices throughout Metro Vancouver.
The Celtic Colours Festival is taking place at venues around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia from Oct. 11 to 19.
A British Columbia family is pleading for information about the disappearance of their son, who was 22 years old when he vanished from Kelowna 18 years ago.
Another unmoored vessel has capsized beside the Vancouver seawall 鈥 this time a tiki-themed party boat that launched just last year.
An atmospheric river weather system has hit much of coastal British Columbia, bringing heavy rain, high winds and the risk of flooding.
One man and a male youth are facing multiple charges after allegedly firing gunshots at a Jewish girls school last weekend.
Toronto Fire will be investigating the cause of a 鈥渟tubborn鈥 three-alarm fire that gutted a Beaches home early Friday morning.
Police say five suspects from Hamilton are facing charges in connection with the sexual assault of a female youth in Vaughan earlier this month.
The Calgary Public Library said its technology services are still out at all its locations, but officials have placed blame for the problem on a recent ransomware attack.
An Alberta court has found a Langdon man who attacked and fatally injured his mother in 2023 was not criminally responsible in her death.
Calgary police are asking for public assistance to help them identify a suspect they believe was involved in a series of drug store thefts.
The national capital region will be basking in the fall sun over the coming days, with near summer-like temperatures in the forecast.
Ottawa Public Health is urging all residents to protect themselves against the flu and COVID this fall and winter. Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist Jordan Clark spoke with CTV Morning Live about what you need to know about the COVID shot, flu shot and RSV protection this fall.
The Ottawa Police Service says a driver on a sexual assault warrant was stopped Wednesday in the city's south end following an alert from the cruiser's Auto Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) camera.
Quebec鈥檚 parks management agency (SEPAQ) plans to shoot 287 deer in parks south of Montreal as part of its plan to control animal populations and protect biodivesity.
Montreal should soon house some 900 households in new off-market housing units after the federal, provincial and municipal governments dished out a total of $340 million to support the development of 893 social and affordable housing units through nine community organizations.
Montreal police arrested five suspects following two separate investigations involving crimes targeting a Verdun bar and a downtown restaurant.
One person is in custody after a standoff in Camrose, Alta. that lasted nearly 18 hours.
Alberta municipalities are getting their first look at new rules around local political parties and how they will be funded.
The festival city might be short on actual festivals this weekend, but there's no shortage of other things to do in and around Edmonton.
An investigation is underway after a fatal car crash in Nova Scotia's Hants County on Thursday.
The Fredericton Police Force says three more teenagers have been charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of a man in the city last month.
With a crowded field of 16 candidates vying to be Halifax's next mayor, candidates have not always found it easy to stand out. But one thing sets Andrew Goodsell apart and makes him uniquely positioned to comment on a central campaign issue: he is living rough in a tent in the city's south end.
The federal and Manitoba governments have signed a deal to expand food programs.
Health-care support workers in Manitoba have officially ratified a new deal agreed to earlier this month.
One of four Canadian cabinet members who are stepping down said on Friday that he has confidence in Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and he played down polls predicting the Liberals will badly lose in the next election.
A man from Prince Albert has died following a collision between a semi and an SUV on Highway 2 near Chamberlain, Sask. on Thursday.
SaskPower was sentenced Friday morning in a Weyburn courtroom, receiving a record fine, after being found guilty of three workplace-safety related violations when two experienced employees were killed on the job in 2020.
Cleanup and removal of the locomotive and around 20 cars that derailed following a fatal collision with a tractor near Gerald, Sask. is expected to take weeks, CN Rail says.
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
Two police officers took the stand Thursday to describe what they found on Erick Buhr's clothing after his grandmother, Viola Erb, was attacked.
Guelph Police have arrested a man after a woman said she was sexually assaulted on the University of Guelph campus.
Saskatoon police are asking the public for help tracking down a person of interest in an ongoing aggravated and sexual assault investigation.
Saskatoon mayoral candidate Cary Tarasoff says it's time for the city to get its finances back on track after building a reputation of overspending and mismanaging costly projects.
A man from Prince Albert has died following a collision between a semi and an SUV on Highway 2 near Chamberlain, Sask. on Thursday.
Potential unmarked burials have been detected at a former residential school in northwestern Ontario.
A man from Trout Creek, Ont., has been fined $10,000 for illegally killing a moose in November 2023.
A Quebec-based company that supplies hydro turbines and generators has been fined $80,000 after a millwright was critically injured at a job site last year in Iron Bridge, Ont.
A robbery investigation by London police has resulted in the arrest of a 14-year-old boy.
A new program is hoping to empower sustainability by providing businesses access to a fleet of e-bikes for long-term trials, for free.
After just six months on the job, the city manager for St. Thomas has announced his resignation. Hired in April, Michael Bradley has now accepted a position in his hometown of Brantford as the Chief Administrative Officer.
The City of Barrie relocated its two automated speed enforcement cameras to help deter motorists from poor driving behaviours in school zones.
One person has died following a collision with a train in Bracebridge Thursday evening.
A man found guilty of dangerous driving causing death in 2021 heard from the victim鈥檚 family in a Barrie courtroom on Friday ahead of his sentencing.
A Chatham-Kent doctor is facing several sex-related charges involving a minor.
A second suspect is wanted in connection to a commercial break-and-enter investigation.
Windsor police are warning the public about an increase in break-ins and thefts from vehicles.
A British Columbia family is pleading for information about the disappearance of their son, who was 22 years old when he vanished from Kelowna 18 years ago.
An atmospheric river weather system has hit much of coastal British Columbia, bringing heavy rain, high winds and the risk of flooding.
A 53-year-old man has been arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with a fatal stabbing on Vancouver Island more than two years ago.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
With Halloween just around the corner, the Lethbridge Bulls staff have been hard at work getting Spitz Stadium ready for a different sort of fall classic.
Lethbridge post-secondary schools are trying to navigate recent changes to the cap on international students, announced by the federal government in January.
More than 600 students on the Piikani Nation will soon have a new space to learn after the federal government announced funding Thursday morning.
A man from northwestern Ontario has his fishing licence suspended for three years and faces fines of $15,870 for illegally selling leeches and baitfish.
Members of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service鈥檚 traffic unit are investigating a motor vehicle crash that occurred earlier this week.
Ontario's top court breathed new life into a Charter challenge of the provincial government's emissions target on Thursday, a decision heralded as a major victory for the group of young people -- including 17-year-old Sophia Mathur from Greater Sudbury -- who brought the case and others looking to hold governments to account on climate change.
A five-hour drive from St. John's, N.L., and well off the beaten path, Point Leamington seems an unlikely spot for a one-of-a-kind tourist attraction.
A Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says some small towns in his rural riding are overrun with crime, but police say they haven't received reports to that effect.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆影视. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.
