Walmart shooting trial not scheduled to begin until 2026

EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) — The scheduling order for the State of Texas case against the Walmart shooter was released early Monday morning, Sept. 23 by District Judge Sam Medrano, indicating a trial may not begin until the Summer 2026.

The judge’s scheduling order outlines critical dates for the State’s case against Walmart shooter Patrick Crusius. The case is expected to be the largest capital murder trial in the history of the United States.

Jury selection, which could take several months, will start in November 2025.

The jury empaneling, which will require more than 1,000 potential jurors to appear in court for questionnaires, is scheduled for November 12-14, 2025. Following the questionnaires, the defense and prosecutors will meet individually with as many as several hundred potential jurors to determine whether they can be impartial beginning on Jan. 12, 2026.

The voir dire process in a capital death penalty case requires additional juror scrutiny and could last as many as five months before trial can get underway.

Crusius murdered 23 people on Aug. 3, 2019, when he opened fire at the Cielo Vista Walmart store after driving across the State of Texas from his hometown of Allen, Texas, near Dallas. He wounded more than 20 other people in the attack, which he said in an online document was “in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.”

He pleaded guilty to federal charges in July 2023 and was sentenced to 90 consecutive life terms.

The State’s case, which is seeking the death penalty, has long been delayed under three different El Paso district attorneys.

In the most recent court appearances, defense attorneys in the case have alleged “outrageous conduct” by prosecutors — including intimidating potential witnesses, violating a court-imposed gag order, and withholding evidence.

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