The man who pleaded guilty last year to killing five people and wounding 17 others at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs has entered not guilty pleas to more than 70 federal charges, 50 of them hate crimes.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, 23, entered Club Q on November 19, 2022, and started shooting until patrons tackled him to the ground, holding him down until police arrived, as CrimeOnline reported. Killed in the mass shootiner were Daniel Aston, Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, and Dereck Rump.
Aldrich pleaded guilty to five counts of first degree murder and 46 counts of attempted murder last summer, according to KMGH. He was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences for the murders and 46 consecutive 48 year sentences — 2,208 years — on the attempted murder charges.
US District Court Judge Scott Varholak read out the 74 federal charges in court in Denver on Tuesday:
- Charges 1-5: Hate crime acts, use of a firearm to cause death
- Charges 6-24: Hate crime acts, use of a firearm to willfully cause bodily injury and attempt to kill
- Charges 25-50: Hate crime acts, use of a firearm to attempt to cause bodily injury and attempt to kill
- Charges 51-55: Use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence to commit murder
- Charges 56-74: Use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
According to KMGH, the hate crime charges carry sentences of up to life in prison, and the judge carry sentences ranging from 10 years to death. Prosecutors have said they will not be seeking the death penalty in the case.
Aldrich has been moved to an out of state prison for safety concerns. He appeared at the arraignment on Tuesday virtually.
The trial is set to begin February 15.
Late last year, Club Q management announced that it planned to reopen in a new location inside the Satellite Hotel, about four miles from the old location, under the new name The Q.
“We will never be able to make those impacted by the shooting at Club Q whole, but we hope this new space can provide community healing,” management said in a press release. “We all have changed in so many ways, but we sincerely hope that the new venue can be a small part of rebuilding the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ community.”
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[Featured image: FILE – Noah Reich, left, and David Maldonado, the Los Angeles co-founders of Classroom of Compassion, set up a memorial near Club Q in Colorado Springs with photographs of the five victims of a mass shooting at the gay nightclub. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)]
