In a shocking moment in court, a family member hugged the Texas gunman who killed her brother in the El Paso Walmart shooting that killed over 20 people.
As Patrick Crusius, 26, pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated assault charges for the 2019 massacre, he was faced with anger and grief from family members of the victims.
But two women, in an unexpected moment, hugged the shooter, who admitted to specifically targeting Hispanic people in the attack that killed 23 and injured 22.
Yolanda Tinajero, who lost her brother Arturo Benavides, was the first of the two to ask Judge Sam Medrano for permission to hug the killer.
‘Ma’am, would it truly bring you peace and comfort and healing to hug him?’ Medrano asked her.
‘Yes,’ Tinajero answered.
After being granted permission, the victim’s sister wrapped her arms around the gunman as she sobbed, KTSM reported.
Adriana Zandri, who lost her husband Ivan Eliberto Manzano, was the second to hug Crusius as he kept his gaze to the floor.
As Patrick Crusius, 26, pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated assault charges for the 2019 massacre, he was faced with anger and grief from family members of the victims. But two women, in an unexpected moment, hugged the shooter
As Zandri embraced her husband’s killer, cries were heard throughout the courtroom and the handcuffed killer sat awkwardly in orange and white striped prison garb
Crusius was 21 when he committed the despicable act and drove more than ten hours from his home in suburban Dallas to El Paso. He wore earmuffs as he opened fire with an AK-style rifle on the Walmart parking lot before moving inside the store on August 3
As Zandri embraced her husband’s killer, cries were heard throughout the courtroom and the handcuffed killer sat awkwardly in orange and white striped prison garb.
‘My children have lost their hero, their prince, their column, their support and their father,’ she said on Monday.
‘He’s not going to be there to teach my daughter how to play basketball. He is not going to be present to give my daughter’s hand in her wedding ceremony.
‘The only thing that I wanted was for them to not grow up with hatred in their hearts because the day they begin feeling hatred toward you is when their life will be over.’
Crusius was 21 when he committed the despicable act and drove more than ten hours from his home in suburban Dallas to El Paso.
He wore earmuffs as he opened fire with an AK-style rifle on the Walmart parking lot before moving inside the store on August 3.
Crusius cornered shoppers at a bank near the entrance before shooting at the checkout area and people in aisles.
When he exited the store, he fired at a passing car and killed an elderly man while wounding his wife.
The gunman posted on an online message board prior to the deadly shooting that he was inspired to commit the act ‘in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.’ He claimed Hispanics were going to take over the government and economy
After the shooting, Crusius admitted to officers he had targeted Mexican people. The individuals who were killed ranged in age from teenagers to grandparents
Crusius was apparently consumed by the nation’s immigration debate, tweeting #BuildtheWall and posts praising border policies of President Donald Trump, who was in his first term at the time
He was apprehended shortly after and confessed to officers who stopped him at an intersection, according to police.
The gunman posted on an online message board prior to the deadly shooting that he was inspired to commit the act ‘in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.’
He claimed Hispanics were going to take over the government and economy.
Crusius was apparently consumed by the nation’s immigration debate, tweeting #BuildtheWall and posts praising border policies of President Donald Trump, who was in his first term at the time.
After the shooting, Crusius admitted to officers he had targeted Mexican people. The individuals who were killed ranged in age from teenagers to grandparents.
They included immigrants and Mexican nationals who had crossed the U.S. border on routine shopping trips.
The victims who were killed were identified as: Andre and Jordan Anchondo, Arturo Benavides, Leonardo Campos, Angie Englisbee, Maria and Raul Flores, Guillermo Garcia, Jorge Calvillo García, Adolfo Cerros Hernández, Alexander Gerhard Hoffman, and David Johnson.
Luis Alfonzo Juarez, Maria Eugenia Legarreta Rothe, Maribel Loya, Ivan Filiberto Manzano, Ivan Filiberto Manzano, Gloria Irma Márquez, Margie Reckard, Sara Esther Regalado Moriel, Javier Rodriguez, Teresa Sanchez, and Juan Velazquez also lost their lives.
Crusius’s defense lawyer, Joe Spencer, claimed that Crusius has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which can be marked by hallucinations, delusions and mood swings
The victims who were killed were identified as: Andre and Jordan Anchondo, Arturo Benavides, Leonardo Campos, Angie Englisbee, Maria and Raul Flores, Guillermo Garcia, Jorge Calvillo García, Adolfo Cerros Hernández, Alexander Gerhard Hoffman, and David Johnson
Luis Alfonzo Juarez, Maria Eugenia Legarreta Rothe, Maribel Loya, Ivan Filiberto Manzano, Ivan Filiberto Manzano, Gloria Irma Márquez, Margie Reckard, Sara Esther Regalado Moriel, Javier Rodriguez, Teresa Sanchez, and Juan Velazquez also lost their lives
His defense lawyer, Joe Spencer, claimed that Crusius has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which can be marked by hallucinations, delusions and mood swings.
‘This explanation of a severe mental illness and toxic political environment does not, in any way, justify or excuse the horrific violence that Patrick committed,’ Spencer clarified.
‘He bears responsibility for the choices he made and the devastation that he caused.’
But the mental health defense claims were rebutted by the family members of victims.
Dean Reckard, son of Margie Reckard, said to the gunman on Monday: ‘I noticed your family isn’t here. They’ll probably have to hide for the rest of their lives because of the evil you brought upon their name. I’m not buying into this mental illness issue that your lawyers want us to believe.
‘To me, you’re just a copycat killer who wanted some attention. My hope is you wake up each morning wishing you were dead.’
Misty Jamrowski, mother of Jordan Anchodo, said: ‘You remind me of a man who had mental illness as well, and was racist as well. His name was Adolf Hitler. His objective was Jewish people. Your objective was Mexican people.’
Other family members stood up to face the killer. Raul Melendez, family member of David Johnson, said: ‘What he did was cowardly. You know, I never thought I’d see the day that I’d see a clown in handcuffs.’
Yolanda Tinajero, who lost her brother Arturo Benavides (pictured), hugged the killer and was seen wiping tears from her eyes in court on Monday
Last month, El Paso County District Attorney James Montoya offered him a plea deal that took the death penalty off the table. ‘This is about allowing the families of the 23 victims who lost their lives on that horrific day – and the 22 wounded – to finally have resolution in our court system,’ Montoya said
Before Crusius pleaded guilty to capital murder and 22 counts of aggravated assault on Monday, he had already been sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences in federal court after pleading guilty to hate crime and weapons charges in 2023
Francisco Rodriguez, father to the youngest victim in the shooting, Javier Rodriguez, said: ‘My son was 15 years old at the time. He was pretty much a bystander. He just went down there with his uncle to the bank. Look at me. Look at my son.
‘You had the balls to come down here and do what you wanted to do right? Look at him. I’m only asking you two minutes. Two minutes of your time. You had over 10 hours to think about what you were going to do. Now you can’t give me two minutes? Thanks to you, now I go to the cemetery with my family on my son’s birthday.’
Before Crusius pleaded guilty to capital murder and 22 counts of aggravated assault on Monday, he had already been sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences in federal court after pleading guilty to hate crime and weapons charges in 2023.
Last month, El Paso County District Attorney James Montoya offered him a plea deal that took the death penalty off the table.
‘This is about allowing the families of the 23 victims who lost their lives on that horrific day – and the 22 wounded – to finally have resolution in our court system,’ Montoya said last month.
‘Now, no one in this community will ever have to hear the perpetrator’s name ever again. No more hearings. No more appeals. He will die in prison.’
