Colorado Springs LGBT nightclub shooter Anderson Aldrich was sentenced to 55 life sentences after he pleaded guilty to 74 federal hate crimes and weapons charges.
Aldrich, 24, opened fire with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle inside Club Q while wearing a bulletproof vest in November 2022, killing five people and wounding 19 others before they were detained by “heroic” patrons.
The shooter had previously admitted his guilt five state murder charges and 46 counts of attempted murder for which they are currently serving five consecutive life sentences and an additional 2,212 years.
Despite being told in court that there is no possibility of parole for any of his sentences today, Aldrich refused to apologize or say anything to the victims’ families.
Colorado Springs LGBT nightclub shooter Anderson Aldrich was sentenced to 55 life sentences after pleading guilty to 74 federal hate crimes and weapons charges.
Those killed in the shooting were identified as Kelly Loving, 40; Daniel Aston, 28 years old; Derrick Rump, 38; Ashley Paugh, 34 years old; and Raymond Green Vance, 22
In pleading guilty to federal hate crime charges, the killer also admitted to evidence of hate, showing that the attack was premeditated and fueled by bias.
Those killed in the shooting were identified as Kelly Loving, 40; Daniel Aston, 28 years old; Derrick Rump, 38; Ashley Paugh, 34 years old; and Raymond Green Vance, 22.
District Judge Charlotte Sweeney, the first openly gay federal judge in Colorado, heard heartbreaking testimony from the victims and their families before handing down the sentence, which also includes a total of 190 years for weapons charges.
Several of the survivors and families of the dead victims expressed disappointment in court that Aldrich did not receive the death penalty, but were told that because of a plea agreement signed in January, prosecutors chose not to seek the death penalty. for Aldrich.
Instead, Judge Sweeney assured victims that life sentences will mean there will be no lengthy appeals or hearings in which a hate crime defendant could become a symbol.
Derrick Rump (left) and Daniel Aston (right) were among the five killed at Club Q in the apparently premeditated attack, carried out by a single man armed with an AR-15.
Club Q victim Kelly Loving, 40, a trans woman, was among the five people killed in the shooting.
Raymond Green Vance, 22, was tragically killed during the club massacre.
Ashley Paugh, 35, a married mother, was one of the five victims.
He said Aldrich will never be released from prison and will face “a miserable future, with a miserable ending.”
“This community is stronger than your armor, stronger than your weapons and stronger than your hate,” he told Aldrich nothing of what he was sentencing him during Pride Month, according to cnn.
Prosecutor Alison Connaughty also said of the sentencing: “The admission that these were hate crimes is important for the government and it is important for the Q Club community.”
The Club Q shooting recalled a massacre in 2016 when a gunman killed 49 people at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, before police shot him dead.
Aldrich, then 22 years old, was indicted on December 6, 2022 and charged with 323 criminal counts, but did not enter a plea at the time.
People held a vigil at a makeshift memorial near the Club Q nightclub one night after the horrific shooting.
Prosecutors said Aldrich spent more than $9,000 on weapons-related purchases from dozens of suppliers between September 2020 and the attack.
A hand-drawn map of Club Q with an entry and exit point marked was found inside Aldrich’s apartment, along with a black folder of training material titled “How to Handle an Active Shooter.”
Defense attorneys in the state case said Aldrich is nonbinary, and use they/them pronouns. A state prosecutor called this an effort to avoid liability for hate crimes.
Ashtin Gamblin, who worked the front door of Club Q and was shot nine times, told the AP that a true member of the LGBTQ+ community would know about the discrimination and mental health challenges its members face and would not attack such a sanctuary.
Aldrich visited the club at least eight times before returning wearing a tactical vest and carrying an AR-15-style rifle, first killing one person at the entrance and then shooting bartenders and patrons before turning his gun on people on the dance floor. dance.
A Marine officer grabbed the barrel of the rifle, burning his hand, and an Army veteran helped subdue Aldrich until police arrived.
He had previously been arrested in 2021 for threatening his grandparents and promising to become “the next mass murderer.”