The suspect accused of fatally shooting five people and injuring 19 others last year at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado has pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and agreed to serve five consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole as part of a deal with prosecutors, the defendant told a judge.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, 23, also pleaded guilty Monday morning to 46 counts of attempted murder in the first degree and no-contest to bias-motivated crimes in the November 19 massacre at Club Q in Colorado Springs. Aldrich also faces 46 consecutive 48-year sentences for each attempted murder count, the state judge said.
Shortly after Aldrich confirmed the plea deal, survivors began to give victim impact statements as the court moved directly to the sentencing phase.
Aldrich, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, was charged with more than 300 state counts, including murder, assault, attempted murder and hate crimes. Prosecutors could not seek the death penalty in the case because in 2020, Colorado abolished the death penalty -- becoming the 22nd state to do so.
The massacre at Club Q -- long considered a safe haven for the LGBTQ community in a city with a history of being anti-gay -- evoked memories of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, which left 49 people dead.
Monday's hearing in Colorado unfolded as Pride Month culminates amid increasing tension for those in the LGBTQ+ community. For the first time in its four-decade history, America's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization this month declared a national state of emergency, citing "increased homophobia and transphobia."
