The Allen man accused in the 2019 mass murder at an El Paso Walmart is ready to plead guilty to federal hate crime charges.
Patrick Crusius has been jailed since the day of the shooting that killed 23 Hispanics in what prosecutors call a race-based hate crime.
On Saturday, lawyers for Crusius filed a motion for rearraignment on the federal charges which would pave the way for a guilty plea.
Just last week, federal prosecutors announced they would not seek the death penalty. The maximum Crusius faces now is life behind bars.
This may eliminate the need for a federal trial which is still a year off, January of 2024. However, Crusius is still facing the possibility of trial on state murder charges and the state of Texas has not removed the death penalty from the table.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"
Sign Up and Follow NewsRadio 1080 KRLD