Suspect Expected to Plead Guilty in Attack That Claimed 5 Lives at Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Sanctuary

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The individual accused in the tragic mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs is anticipated to enter a guilty plea on Monday. This plea follows an attack last year that resulted in the deaths of five people and left 17 others injured at a long-standing sanctuary for the LGBTQ+ community in the predominantly conservative city.

If the plea is accepted, the suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, may face a life sentence, effectively bringing the court case to a close just seven months after the shooting. This would spare the families of the victims and survivors from a potentially distressing trial that would force them to relive the traumatic incident.

During Monday’s hearing, family members of the victims and survivors are expected to share their experiences and how their lives were forever altered by the terrifying event that unfolded shortly before midnight on November 19. It was at that moment when the suspect entered Club Q and indiscriminately discharged a semiautomatic rifle resembling an AR-15, causing chaos and devastation.

Aldrich, who identifies as nonbinary and prefers they/them pronouns, had previously been arrested over a year before the attack for making threats against their grandparents and expressing an intent to become “the next mass killer.” However, charges in that particular case were ultimately dropped.

Leading up to this court hearing, Aldrich made a series of phone calls from jail to The Big Big News, expressing remorse and a willingness to face the consequences. Survivors, upon being approached about Aldrich’s statements, disclosed that a plea agreement was being discussed. Prosecutors informed them that Aldrich would plead guilty to charges that would result in a life sentence.

While federal and state authorities, as well as defense attorneys, have refrained from commenting on a potential plea agreement for Aldrich, Colorado law mandates that victims be notified of such developments.

Aldrich currently faces over 300 state charges, including murder and hate crimes. The U.S. Justice Department is reportedly considering the pursuit of federal hate crime charges, as per a senior law enforcement official familiar with the case.

There were indications of Aldrich’s plans for violent attacks at least a year before the assault at Club Q. In June 2021, Aldrich’s grandparents reported to authorities that they were cautioned not to obstruct Aldrich’s plan to accumulate guns, ammunition, body armor, and a homemade bomb in order to become a “mass killer.” Aldrich was subsequently arrested following a standoff with SWAT officers, which was livestreamed on Facebook and led to the evacuation of ten nearby homes. During the confrontation, Aldrich stated, “If they breach, I’m going to blow it to holy hell!” Eventually, Aldrich surrendered.

However, the charges against Aldrich were dismissed in July 2022 when Aldrich’s mother and grandparents, who were the victims in that case, refused to cooperate with prosecutors and evaded attempts to serve them with subpoenas for testimony. Court documents unsealed after the shooting revealed that other relatives expressed fear that Aldrich would harm their grandparents if released, painting a portrait of an isolated and violent individual who lacked employment and had used a substantial sum of $30,000 to acquire 3D printers for making guns.

Following their release from jail, Aldrich retained possession of two guns — a ghost gun pistol and an MM15 rifle — that were seized during the earlier arrest. The question of whether authorities should have sought a red flag order to prevent further firearm purchases arose immediately after the shooting. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office stated that it was unable to pursue a court order to prevent Aldrich from buying or possessing guns because the 2021 arrest record had been sealed after the charges were dropped. The sheriff’s office clarified that no new evidence existed to demonstrate that Aldrich posed an imminent threat.

Investigators later revealed that the rifle and handgun used by Aldrich during the attack at Club Q were ghost guns, which are homemade firearms without serial numbers and do not require a background check for ownership.

In one of the interviews conducted from jail, Aldrich disclosed to AP that they were under the influence of various drugs and misusing steroids at the time of the attack. However, they did not directly address the hate crime charges. When questioned about whether hate motivated the attack, Aldrich simply stated that such an assumption was “completely off base.” Aldrich’s attorneys, while not contesting their client’s involvement in the shooting, have also disputed the notion of hate as a motivating factor.

Certain survivors who listened to the recorded phone calls viewed Aldrich’s comments as an effort to avoid the death penalty, which remains applicable under federal law. In Colorado, the death penalty was abolished in 2020, and life imprisonment without parole is now the mandated sentence for first-degree murder. These individuals objected to Aldrich’s refusal to discuss a motive and their use of passive, vague language, such as “I just can’t believe what happened” and “I wish I could turn back time.”