COLORADO SPRINGS — The attacker who killed five people in a mass shooting at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub last year was sentenced to five consecutive lifetimes in prison Monday.
Anderson Aldrich, 23, pleaded guilty Monday to five counts of first-degree murder and 46 counts of attempted first-degree murder in the Nov. 19 attack at Club Q in Colorado Springs.
Aldrich also pleaded no contest to two counts of bias-motivated crime, acknowledging that prosecutors likely could prove the attack was motivated at least in part because Club Q was an LGBTQ bar and was patronized by people who identify as LGBTQ.
Immediately after the guilty plea, El Paso County District Court Judge Michael McHenry sentenced Aldrich to five life sentences plus another 2,208 years in prison.
“For taking these five lives, and attempting to take 46 more, you will now spend the rest of your life in prison,” he said. “We grieve this loss of life. And we affirm the value of all members of our community. Justice demands no less.”
Aldrich originally was charged with more than 300 counts in connection with the massacre, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, assault and bias-motivated crimes.
Video surveillance footage played in court showed that Aldrich donned body armor and attacked the club just before midnight, opening fire on patrons and staff with what authorities described as an “AR-15-style rifle.” Aldrich was tackled by two club patrons and disarmed shortly before police arrived.
Those killed were Daniel Davis Aston, 28; Kelly Loving, 40; Ashley Paugh, 35; Derrick Rump, 38; Raymond Green Vance, 22.
“We went to Club Q that night to celebrate, to dance, sing and laugh, only to have our entire futures ripped from us,” Kassandra Fierro, whose boyfriend was killed in the attack, said in court during the sentencing hearing.
She was among a number of survivors and family members who spoke about the impact of the mass shooting. Many expressed their anger directly to Aldrich, turning to address the defendant or pointing in Aldrich’s direction as they spoke.
“You have to live with this shame in your small cell until you die,” said Sabrina Aston, mother to Daniel Aston. “Not for one minute do I believe your words of regret and remorse.”
Aldrich sometimes shook but for the most part sat still and silent as speaker after speaker expressed rage, grief and defiance.
“You did not succeed in destroying this community,” Club Q owner Matthew Haynes said. “Club Q will open, with a memorial to remember those who were killed for generations to come.”
Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen brought hate-crime charges against Aldrich, and prosecutors argued during a preliminary hearing that Aldrich targeted Club Q at least in part because it was an LGBTQ space.
Prosecutors pointed to a photo that Aldrich had shared of a rifle scope aimed at a gay pride parade, and that he was an administrator of a website to which a neo-Nazi, white supremacist propaganda video was posted.
But Aldrich’s public defenders pushed back against those allegations. Aldrich, whose attorneys said identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, had visited Club Q at least six times in the 15 months before the attack as a patron — apparently without incident, the defense attorneys said. In court, they showed a photo of Aldrich smiling in the club in August 2021 with their mother.
Prosecutors suggested at Aldrich’s preliminary hearing that Aldrich’s mother abused them and pushed them to go to gay clubs against their will. On Monday, Aldrich pleaded no contest to a felony count of bias-motivated crime as well as a misdemeanor count of bias-motivated crime.
“Because of the evidence presented, I believe there is a high probability of being convicted at trial to those counts, and so I am pleading no contest,” Aldrich said during the guilty plea.
Aldrich also was prescribed medications for schizophrenia, mood disorders and depression, the attorneys said, and had used illegal drugs before the mass shooting.
In interviews with the Associated Press before the guilty plea, Aldrich said they wanted to take responsibility for the killings and denied that the attack was motivated by hate against the LGBTQ community.
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