The man accused of murdering 23 people and injuring about 20 in a shooting at a Walmart shopping center in El Paso, Texas, in 2019 plans to plead guilty to the federal charges against him, according to documents filed days after he the federal government will announce that it will not seek the death penalty.
Patrick Crusius is accused of racist hate crimes at the federal level, but also faces state charges for the murders for which he could face the death penalty if convicted.
In a document filed Saturday, his lawyers called for a new hearing, to be held on February 8, for him to change his plea and accept his guilt on the federal charges, which also include possession of illegal weapons.
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Crusius, in court on October 10, 2019 in El Paso. Briana Sanchez / AP
Crusius turned himself in to police after the shooting, admitting to being the shooter and explaining that he was looking to shoot Mexicans, according to his arrest warrant.
Prosecutors say he posted a manifesto online before the shooting in which he denounced "the Hispanic invasion of Texas."
The August 3, 2019 shooting occurred on a busy weekend day at a Walmart that is popular with shoppers from Mexico and the United States.
In addition, two dozen people were injured.
Many of the victims were Mexican.
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El Paso is a majority Hispanic city that forms an international metropolitan area with Ciudad Juárez with more than two million inhabitants.
On the American side, the suburbs stretch as far as New Mexico.
Although the federal and state cases have progressed on parallel tracks, it is unclear when the state trial will take place;
a hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, according to court records.
The district attorney who had been in charge of the state case, Yvonne Rosales, resigned in November over allegations of incompetence that involved hundreds of cases in El Paso and delayed the trial against Crusius.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott last month appointed a new district attorney to "restore confidence" in the local criminal justice system.
The trial is expected to take place next year.
