In a moment that reverberated far beyond the courtroom, two women affected by the 2019 El Paso Walmart mass shooting offered a powerful and unexpected gesture to the man responsible for their loss: forgiveness. The gesture occurred during the final moments of sentencing for Patrick Crusius, who carried out a racially motivated attack that left 23 people dead. On April 22, 2025, at the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse, Judge Sam Medrano granted a rare request—allowing two victims’ relatives to physically embrace Crusius after delivering their impact statements.
Yolanda Tinajero, whose brother Arturo Benavides was killed in the shooting, expressed a desire to hug Crusius, telling the court her motivation was deeply rooted in faith, as first reported by El Paso Matters. Judge Medrano, visibly moved by her sincerity, asked if the action would bring her peace. After her affirmation, he gave the permission for the embrace. Judge Medrano later shared that the moment reminded him of his mother, saying, “My mom would do the same thing.”
Inspired by Tinajero’s gesture, Adriana Zandri of Ciudad Juárez—whose husband Iván Filiberto Manzano also died in the attack—returned to the courtroom after already giving her statement. She asked for and received the court’s approval to hug Crusius as well. These quiet but profound moments came just after Crusius, now 26, was sentenced to 23 life terms in Texas state prison. He had previously received 90 life sentences at the federal level after pleading guilty to hate crimes and weapons charges in 2023.
Over two days of proceedings, 35 individuals addressed the impact in statements describing their pain, pride, and hopes for healing. Many condemned the racist ideology behind the attack, while others, often guided by their faith, chose forgiveness. Robert Enright, a professor at the University of Wisconsin and a pioneer in the psychology of forgiveness, described Tinajero and Zandri’s actions as “heroic.” He said their decision to see Crusius as more than a murderer challenges others to consider humanity even in those who do harm. The courtroom moments have since gained international attention and sparked a broader reflection on grief, justice, and the possibility of healing.Enright outlines steps such as truly understanding what forgiveness means, becoming “forgivingly fit,” tending to our emotional wounds, cultivating empathy, finding meaning in our suffering, and drawing upon our inner resources when forgiveness feels out of reach. Through this process, he says we move toward a life grounded in compassion and empowerment.
