Shooter of LGBT club in Colorado sentenced to 55 life sentences

A gunman who killed five people at a Colorado LGBT nightclub has been sentenced to 55 life terms after pleading guilty to hate crimes.

Anderson Lee Aldrich has already served five life sentences for the 2022 massacre at Club Q in Colorado Springs, which also left 22 people injured.

But a US district judge on Tuesday imposed a further 55 life sentences and an additional 190 years on that sentence after learning that Aldrich had specifically targeted members of the LGBT community with an arsenal of $9,000 (£7,000) amassed over two years.

Judge Charlotte Sweeney said: “You went into the safe place of this community and committed mass murder, but I hope that you have learned today that this community is much stronger than you.” She noted that it was appropriate to sentence Aldrich during Pride Month.

“This community is stronger than your armor, stronger than your weapons, and certainly stronger than your hatred.”

In the United States, federal hate crimes carry heavy penalties and can result in the death penalty. However, in exchange for Aldrich’s 74-time confession, prosecutors have agreed not to pursue that penalty.

The gunman entered Club Q on November 19, 2022 and shot five people with an AR-15 assault rifle.

Two guests of the club eventually wrestled the shooter to the ground and held him until the police arrived.

Online tirade before the massacre

In court documents, federal prosecutors said Aldrich vented his anger online before the crime.

“The defendant used an online platform … to distribute a manifesto allegedly written by someone who had committed mass murder earlier this year,” the documents say.

“This link revealed predominantly racist and anti-Semitic views, but also the following statement: ‘However, transgenderism is a mental illness and should be treated as such.'”

A week before the shooting, Aldrich posted a photo showing a visor over a Pride parade with the comment “lol,” the document says.

“No tolerance for hate crimes”

Matt Kirsch, assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Colorado, told reporters after the verdict that Aldrich had admitted what was behind the gruesome acts.

“As part of his plea today, the defendant admitted to committing hate crimes against members of the LGBTQIA+ community,” Kirsch said.

“I want to make it clear that we do not tolerate hate in this country and we do not tolerate hate crimes in Colorado,” he said.

“I hope that today’s verdict shows the victims and the many others affected by this cruel crime that we will not tolerate hate-driven violence against anyone.”

Defense attorneys said Aldrich, 24, identifies as nonbinary.
Federal prosecutors used gender-neutral terms in their motions, but prosecutors reportedly said there was “no evidence whatsoever” that the attacker identified as nonbinary before the horrific incident.

The Club Q shooting was the latest in a long line of attacks on LGBT venues across the United States, the deadliest of which was a 2016 shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that left 49 people dead.