Club Q shooter Anderson Aldrich pleads guilty to 50 federal hate crimes
Top line
Anderson Aldrich pleaded guilty on Tuesday to hate crimes and weapons possession charges in connection with a mass shooting that killed five people at an LGBTQ+ club in Colorado Springs in 2022, according to multiple media reports. The 24-year-old added several life sentences to federal prison sentences for the Club Q shooting – and thus avoided the federal death penalty.
The shooter is already serving several life sentences for killing five people and … (+)
Key data
Aldrich reportedly pleaded guilty to 50 federal hate crimes and 24 weapons offenses as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors that would allow Aldrich to avoid the death penalty while accepting multiple life sentences and an additional 190 years in prison.
According to the Associated Press, Judge Charlotte Sweeney will decide whether to accept the sentence agreement after hearing victim testimony.
Aldrich was charged in January after federal investigators said he carried out a “bias-motivated, premeditated” attack after spending more than $9,000 on weapons and visiting the club several times to familiarize himself with its layout.
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Big number
2,212 years. That’s the sentence Aldrich received last year after pleading guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and 46 counts of attempted murder. It’s the second-longest prison sentence ever imposed in Colorado. The second-longest sentence was given to James Eagan Holmes, who killed 12 people and injured 70 others in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, in 2012.
Important background
Aldrich entered Club Q on November 19, 2022 and opened fire, killing five people and injuring 19 others before being subdued by the club’s patrons. The FBI announced an investigation into the shooting shortly after Aldrich was convicted on state charges, suggesting Aldrich could face the death penalty. Aldrich told the Associated Press they were “very heavily addicted to drugs” and “did not know” why the shooting occurred.
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