A Texan man recently chose to plead guilty this past Wednesday to the murders of over two dozen people while carrying out a mass shooting at a Walmart located in EL Paso, Texas, back in 2019.
The 24-year-old suspect out of Allen, Texas, is looking down the barrel of close to 90 federal-level charges, which includes both firearms and hate crime charges, in relation to the August 3, 2019, massacre. His legal team this past month stated that his intention was to plead guilty in the wake of prosecutors from the federal government stating that they would forgo the death penalty, as reported by the Associated Press.
“I plead guilty,” stated the man while in front of the course out in El Paso. The courtroom was populated with both the family members and friends of those he killed in the insane shooting spree that was carried out three-and-a-half years ago.
Despite the fact that U.S. prosecutors do not intend to pursue the death penalty for the charges, the man could still end up being sentenced to the death penalty. He is still being made to deal with state charges which themselves do carry the possibility of a sentence of capital punishment if he ends up being found guilty. Currently, the defendant has pleaded not guilty to the charges coming from the state.
Despite everything, federal prosecutors plan to put forth the recommendation that the defendant is issued a total of 90 consecutive life sentences in prison. Joe Spencer, the defense attorney, stated that his client wants to actually take responsibility for the shooting and start serving his time.
“We’re glad that it’s finally done,” expressed Spencer, as reported by the El Paso Times. “And he’s glad that it is finally done. There are no winners in this case. He’s going to be serving 90 consecutive life sentences.”
The self-admitted shooter made the drive from Allen, a suburb town just north of Dallas, out to El Paso to carry out the massacre. After ending up in El Paso, he posted on the web about a “Hispanic invasion” taking place in Texas, highlighted prosecutors.
“This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas. They are the instigators, not me. I am simply defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by the invasion,” the man allegedly expressed in a document sporting the title, “The Inconvenient Truth.”
After officially posting the message, he grabbed a rifle and a few hundred rounds of ammunition and opened fire on the people inside a local Walmart and in the parking lot of the store. A total of twenty-three people died in the assault and multiple dozens more ended up wounded. The shooter ended up giving up to local law enforcement fairly quickly after the massacre started.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott put out his own statement back on the two-year anniversary of the tragedy, labeling it as a “heinous and senseless act of violence.”
“Two years ago today, a heinous and senseless act of violence destroyed countless lives in the El Paso community. As we dealt with the aftermath of the horrific violence and overwhelming grief, we also saw the true spirit of what it means to be a Texan,” stated Abbott.
“People from every corner of the Lone Star State banded together to support and uplift El Pasoans during their time of loss. And together as a state, we stepped up to protect our communities and prevent future tragedies,” he concluded.
