As sentencing hearing begins, son of man killed in El Paso Walmart shooting calls gunman an ‘evil parasite’

By Rosa Flores, Andi Babineau and Dakin Andone, CNN

(CNN) — Survivors and relatives of victims of the August 2019 Walmart massacre in El Paso, Texas, spent an emotional Wednesday in a federal courtroom speaking directly to the man being sentenced for fatally shooting 23 people and wounding 22 others – one of the deadliest attacks on Latinos in modern US history.

The sentencing hearing for Patrick Crusius – a 24-year-old who pleaded guilty in February to 90 federal charges, including hate crimes – began Wednesday in the US courthouse in El Paso and could last several days, according to court records.

For about two hours Wednesday, victims’ sons, widows, brothers and daughters – some in tears – used words like “coward,” “monster,” “killer,” “enemy,” “parasite,” and “bastard” to describe Crusius.

It was the first time the relatives addressed Crusius in court, nearly four years after his hate-filled rampage. Authorities said Crusius carried out the attack with the sole intent of killing immigrants and Mexicans in the West Texas border city.

“I hope God one day finds the heart to forgive you for what you’ve done,” Raul Loya, who is related to one of the victims, said before crying.

Crusius, who was shackled by hands and feet, showed no emotion during Wednesday’s proceeding, only nodding his head and at times becoming fidgety. Prosecutors seek to have him serve dozens of consecutive life sentences for the shooting.

Crusius answered, “No, sir,” when the judge asked him whether he would like to make a statement.

The victim impact statements, in which survivors and loved ones of those killed testify about the shooting’s lasting fallout, are expected to last two days. A common thread in Wednesday’s statements was the trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder many still battle as a result of the shooting.

“I still remember everything so clearly, even though I have tried to erase it from my memory,” a teenage soccer player identified in court as G.A. recounted.

“You killed my father in such a cowardly way,” Thomas Hoffman said. “He was not a racist like you.”

Hoffman lost his father, Alexander Hoffman, during the massacre. Alexander Hoffman was an engineer who migrated to Mexico from Germany in the 1980s and enjoyed listening to The Beatles and watching James Bond movies, his daughter Elis said in a statement through an attorney. She described her father as a “gentle giant with a big heart.”

The Hoffmans said that on the day of the shooting, they were in disbelief that their father was a victim because he was scheduled to fly to Germany.

“You’re an ignorant coward and you deserve to suffer in jail and then burn in hell,” Thomas Hoffman said. “You are an evil parasite that is nothing without a weapon.”

Hoffman held a photo of his father and looked directly at Crusius and said, “See it. See it.”

It was unclear whether Crusius looked at the photo, but he could be seen swallowing while Hoffman said, “You can see it.”

Thirteen victims made impact statements Wednesday in person or through a representative, including a minor who was wearing an “El Paso Strong” T-shirt and had trouble speaking between sobs as she described the horror she survived inside the Walmart.

“He started shooting,” she said between sobs. “I prayed to God.”

“I used to be a happy, normal teenager, until a coward chose to use violence against the innocent,” she ended her statement saying. “I’m no longer as happy as I used to be.”

Victims directly address gunman

Twice during the hearing, speakers who were just feet from Crusius interrupted their remarks to admonish him for rolling his eyes at them.

Raymond Attaguile, whose brother-in-law David Johnson was killed while back-to-school shopping with his granddaughter, faced Crusius and said, “You can roll your eyes if you want to. It doesn’t bother me.”

And Johnson’s granddaughter, whose mother says her life was saved by Johnson during the shooting, said, “You can roll your eyes; you can smile; you can smirk,” before continuing her emotional recounting of the events that day.

On both occasions Crusius shook his head, seemingly denying the actions.

A statement read by attorneys on behalf of Alfredo Hernandez, the brother of victim Maribel Loya Hernandez, also referenced Crusius smirking in court, pointing to a pattern of him saying more with body language than with words.

Johnson’s granddaughter, referred to in court as K.M. because she is a minor, was accompanied during her statement by a therapy dog, brought into the courtroom to comfort the victims.

Johnson’s daughter, Stephanie Melendez, also addressed Crusius in court Wednesday.

“I want you to remember my voice. I speak for all the daughters who lost their fathers,” Melendez said. “In your act of hatred, you stole a good man from this world… he will be remembered but you will not.”

One father says he has nothing to tell the gunman

Emotions ran high even before the hearing, with Paul Jamrowski, the father of victim Jordan Anchondo, telling reporters, “There’s nothing to tell a person like that,” referring to Crusius.

“What’s done is done,” he said, adding that the matter is in God’s hands.

Jordan Anchondo, who was 24, and her husband Andre Anchondo, who was 23, died while shielding their 2-month-old son, Paul, from the gunfire.

“It’s very, very hard,” Jamrowski said. “I mean, you sit there and you think, ‘Man, if you didn’t do what you did, I’d have my child to hug and hold right now.’”

The lives lost that day “will never be brought back,” Jamrowski said. “So how is that justice? And who’s to say what justice is?”

Jamrowski said he has custody of Paul, who is now 4, along with Paul’s older sister, Skylin, who will soon turn 9. Jordan and Andre Anchondo also had another young child.

“He’s too young to understand,” Jamrowski said.

Most seats in the gallery were taken by the families of the victims.

Plea agreement recommends 90 life sentences

The charges include 23 counts of hate crimes resulting in death, 23 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder during and in relation to a crime of violence, 22 counts of hate crimes involving attempt to kill, and 22 counts of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

The shooter initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea in February after federal prosecutors indicated they would not seek the death penalty. Instead, he will likely be sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences according to his plea agreement with the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

Sentencing would take place the morning after victim impact statements are completed, or on the Monday following if they conclude on a Friday, per court filings.

The gunman still faces charges from state prosecutors who have said they plan to seek the death penalty. He has pleaded not guilty to a state capital murder charge, but a trial has yet to be scheduled.

In January, El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks said a trial date will not be set until after sentencing in the federal case, CNN affiliate KFOX reported. The state trial could start in 2024 or 2025, but the schedule will be up to the district court judge, Hicks added.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Ashley Killough, Ray Sanchez and Holly Yan contributed to this report.