Patrick Crusius, the Walmart shooter responsible for the death of 23 people and injury of 22 others in El Paso, Texas, has been sentenced to 90 consecutive life terms on federal hate crime charges. During the sentencing hearing, defense attorney Joe Spencer detailed Crusius' alleged severe mental illness, Schizoaffective disorder, as the cause of the horrific act. Spencer stated that Crusius suffered from delusional thinking and had lost touch with reality. Crusius, who pleaded guilty to federal charges earlier this year, did not react when the sentence was read.

The shooting, which occurred in August 2019, targeted Hispanic people at a Walmart store near the U.S.-Mexico border. It was characterized as an act of domestic terrorism. While the federal sentencing has been completed, Crusius still faces additional state charges and could potentially face the death penalty if convicted. El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks intends to pursue the death penalty in the state trial.

The sentencing hearing provided an opportunity for survivors and victims' families to confront Crusius, expressing their grief, anger, and anguish. Despite the federal sentence, many relatives had hoped for a death penalty verdict. Crusius' defense attorney emphasized his client's mental illness as a mitigating factor. The case has sparked further debates about the intersection of mental illness and criminal responsibility.