Club Q shooter sentenced to 55 life terms for mass murder in Colorado

The courtroom in Denver was filled with friends and family members of the victims like US Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney, the first openly gay federal judge in Colorado, decided whether to accept it. She waited until she had heard from everyone who wanted to speak and told the hearing participants they could take as much time as they needed and “we can continue until tomorrow if you want.”

Some family members angrily called for the death penalty and said Aldrich should learn to live in fear. Others spoke with shaking and faltering voices and tears about how much they missed their sons, daughters, brothers and sisters.

“Please, Your Honor, I beg you. Put this animal in the depths of hell,” said Cheryl Norton, whose daughter Ashtin Gamblin was shot nine times but survived. She said Gamblin was covered in the blood of Daniel Aston, another victim. Aston did not survive.

Aston’s parents said no sentence was enough. His father described feeling “empty.”

“That’s not enough closure,” said Jeff Aston. “Not even close.”

The judge said it was important that Aldrich admit that he acted out of hatred and intent. “You attacked this community where it lives and breathes,” she said, addressing the person in front of her. “You went into this community space and committed mass murder. This sentence serves as a deterrent to others who are filled with hatred.”

Aldrich, who identifies as nonbinary and uses “they”/”them” pronouns, declined to comment but hinted at the possibility in the future.

Federal prosecutors had presented new evidence to show that the attack at Club Q was premeditated and motivated by hate that had come to light weeks before the shooting. Aldrich coordinated a spam email campaign against a former supervisor who is gay and distributed another person’s racist and anti-Semitic manifesto claiming that being transgender was a mental illness, according to recent court documents.

According to evidence presented by prosecutors, Aldrich spent more than $9,000 on gun purchases between September 2020 and the November 19, 2022 attack.

Almost a year ago, Aldrich pleaded guilty to 51 charges for the deaths and injuries at the nightclub and no plea agreement to “Aldrich received five life sentences, one for each count of first-degree murder, and 2,208 years in prison for each count of attempted first-degree murder. The total sentence was one of the longest ever imposed in Colorado.

Defense attorneys in the state’s prosecution argued that Aldrich was under the influence of cocaine and drugs at the time of the shooting.

The shooting shook the sense of security at Club Q, a haven for the LGBTQ+ community in traditionally conservative Colorado Springs.

Club Q, hidden in an industrial area behind a Subway sandwich shop in a suburban strip, was treasured by many. For more than two decades, it was not only a place for music and dancing, but also a welcoming and safe space that some victims said stood up against hate, saved their lives and helped them feel part of a community.

On the night of the attack, Aldrich entered the club armed with a pistol and an AR-15-style assault rifle and began shooting, court records show. Authorities praised club patrons for subduing the attacker and stopping the rampage.

Among the dead were Aston (28) and his colleague Derrick Rump (38) as well as guests Raymond Green Vance (22), Kelly Loving (40) and Ashley Paugh (35).

Aldrich is already serving the state’s first consecutive life sentence.

Colorado has a disproportionately high rate of mass murders. According to the research group Gun Violence Archives, the state recorded 16 murders last year, the highest number in a decade.

The state has a so-called “red flag law,” which allows authorities to take away the guns of potentially dangerous people. Aldrich was arrested in 2021 for an alleged bomb threat that prompted a partial evacuation of the Colorado Springs neighborhood where Aldrich and Aldrich’s mother lived. Aldrich was charged with kidnapping and aggravated menacing. However, for reasons that remain unclear, Aldrich was never prosecuted. No bomb was found.