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Accused Club Q Shooter Pleads Guilty in Court Accused Club Q Shooter Pleads Guilty in Court
(about 3 hours later)
The 23-year-old charged with carrying out a deadly shooting rampage at Club Q in Colorado Springs pleaded guilty on Monday to dozens of charges of murder and attempted murder, avoiding a prolonged trial over a deadly attack on members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community. The 23-year-old person charged with carrying out a deadly shooting rampage at Club Q in Colorado Springs pleaded guilty on Monday to dozens of charges of murder and attempted murder, avoiding a prolonged trial over a deadly attack on members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community.
Under the terms of a plea agreement reached with prosecutors, the defendant, Anderson Lee Aldrich, separately pleaded “no contest” to two hate-crime charges. Under the terms of a plea agreement reached with prosecutors, after intense the defendant, Anderson Lee Aldrich, separately pleaded “no contest” to two state hate-crime charges.
The defendant will receive multiple life sentences, adding up to hundreds of years in prison, and will also give up any right to appeal. The defendant was given multiple life sentences — meant to ensure that the defendant will never be released — and is waiving any right to appeal.
The defendant, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, stood on Monday in a courtroom packed with victims and relatives of the dead, and tersely answered a litany of questions from Judge Michael McHenry about whether the defendant understood the terms of the plea. The defendant, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, stood on Monday in a courtroom packed with victims of the attack and relatives of the dead, and tersely answered a series of questions from Judge Michael McHenry about whether the defendant understood the terms of the plea.
Judge McHenry then read a list of dozens of names — the five people who were killed and others who were wounded or targeted — and then asked: “How do you plead?” Judge McHenry then read a list of dozens of names — those of the five people who were killed and others who were wounded or targeted — and asked: “How do you plead?”
“Guilty.”“Guilty.”
The agreement was reached after months of agonizing private discussions among prosecutors, survivors and victims’ families over how to reach justice in the Club Q shooting. After that, survivors and relatives walked one by one to a microphone to share tearful memories of the people who had been killed: Daniel Aston’s “burning blue eyes.” Derrick Rump’s smile. Raymond Green Vance’s gentle spirit. How Kelly Loving wanted others to be “unapologetically ourselves,” and how Ashley Paugh’s young children begged for someone to bring their mother back.
Some victims initially wanted a public trial, in the hope of learning precisely how and why the shooter had attacked the club, and what warning signs had been missed. Others said they did not want to suffer the pain of a drawn-out trial, and were relieved that the criminal case was ending. They also condemned the defendant as a “bigot,” “coward” and “animal.” Many of the survivors and relatives referred to the defendant using male pronouns, dismissing thenonbinary identification as a sham and what one survivor’s mother called a “repugnant attempt” to win leniency.
Several survivors of the attack said it was important that the shooter acknowledge an anti-L. G.B.T.Q. bias behind the rampage. They wanted formal recognition that Club Q and its patrons were attacked because of their identities, in a massacre deliberately calculated to shatter a sanctuary for the L.G.B.T.Q. community in Colorado Springs. “He has destroyed a safe haven,” said Michael Anderson, a Club Q employee who survived the attack. “He has broken this community into pieces that may never be repaired.”
But in pleading guilty on Monday, Mx. Aldrich offered no details about why they carried out the shooting, and little explanation beyond a bare-bones admission using legal language. They did not directly admit to committing hate crimes in targeting Club Q, but instead said they were pleading “no contest” because it was likely that they would be convicted at trial. Mx. Aldrich showed little emotion as the speakers gave accounts of watching their friends lie dead on Club Q’s floor, or hiding for cover underneath bodies. Occasionally, the defendant tapped a foot or glanced at a screen showing photographs of victims.
The five people killed that night were Daniel Aston and Derrick Rump, who were employees of Club Q, and Kelly Loving, Raymond Green Vance and Ashley Paugh, who were Club Q patrons. In the public gallery, crumpled tissues piled up on the floor.
For months, some survivors and relatives of victims have made a point of attending each hearing as the case moved forward. Some said it was difficult to keep their anger and grief in check as they sat in the courtroom, listening to graphic details of the rampage. In court, the defendant’s lawyer said the defendant was “deeply sorry for all the people they killed, the lives they impacted.”
Legal experts said the shooter’s gender identity alone did not preclude hate-crimes charges in the case. Prosecutors said that the defendant had a “particular disdain” for the L.G.B.T.Q. community. The plea agreement was reached after months of agonizing private discussions among prosecutors, survivors and victims’ families over how to reach justice in the Club Q shooting. The defendant initially faced more than 300 criminal counts, including charges of assault and other crimes of violence, but most of them did nit figure in the final plea agreement. Instead, the defendant pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and 46 counts of attempted murder.
“Those are my friends’ lives,” said Ashtin Gamblin, who was hit with nine shots as she worked the door of Club Q on the night of the attack. “They were targeted. We were targeted because we are a part of the L.G.B.T.Q. community. There’s absolutely no doubt why he chose Club Q.” District Attorney Michael J. Allen said on Monday that the attack was calculated and driven by hate. In court, Mr. Allen said Mx. Aldrich deliberately tried to avoid undergoing firearms background checks by obtaining a rifle assembled from parts.
Because Colorado no longer imposes the death penalty, life in prison without the possibility of parole is the harshest punishment the defendant could receive under state law.
Some victims and family members initially wanted a public trial, rather than a plea agreement, in the hope of learning precisely how and why the shooter had attacked the club, and what warning signs had been missed. Others said they did not want to suffer the pain of seeing graphic video footage of the attack played in court.
Several survivors of the attack said it was important that the shooter acknowledge bias, and wanted recognition that Club Q patrons were attacked because of their identities, in a massacre deliberately calculated to shatter a sanctuary for the L.G.B.T.Q. community in Colorado Springs.
“The ‘why’ matters,” Mr. Allen said on Monday.
But in pleading guilty on Monday, Mx. Aldrich offered no details about why they carried out the shooting, and little explanation beyond a bare-bones admission using legal language. They did not directly admit to committing hate crimes in targeting Club Q, and instead said they were pleading “no contest” to those charges because it was likely that they would be convicted at trial.
Legal experts said the shooter’s gender identity alone did not preclude hate-crimes charges in the case. Prosecutors said that the defendant had a “particular disdain” for the L.G.B.T.Q. community.
“This plea deal is weakness to me,” said Ashtin Gamblin, who was hit with nine shots as she worked the door of Club Q on the night of the attack. She said the end of the criminal case would not bring any true closure for the victims. “It’s never going away for us,” she said.
In May, some victims took the first legal step toward filing a lawsuit against the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado Springs. In a notice of intent to file suit, the victims say that under Colorado’s red-flag laws, Mx. Aldrich’s guns should have been seized after Mx. Aldrich made a bomb threat against some relatives in 2021 and expressed an intention to become “the next mass killer.” An investigation was ended when the relatives refused to testify, law enforcement officials have said.In May, some victims took the first legal step toward filing a lawsuit against the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado Springs. In a notice of intent to file suit, the victims say that under Colorado’s red-flag laws, Mx. Aldrich’s guns should have been seized after Mx. Aldrich made a bomb threat against some relatives in 2021 and expressed an intention to become “the next mass killer.” An investigation was ended when the relatives refused to testify, law enforcement officials have said.
Whatever the outcome of the state court hearing on Monday, the United States Attorney’s office in Denver could still pursue federal hate-crime charges against the defendant, which could result in a death sentence. The United States Attorney’s office in Denver could still pursue federal hate-crime charges against the defendant, which could result in a death sentence.
Because Colorado no longer has the death penalty, life in prison is the harshest punishment the defendant could receive under state laws. On Monday, many of the victims’ families mourned the unfinished lives of the five people Mx. Aldrich killed, who were between 22 and 40 years old. Mr. Aston was robbed of his dreams of going back to college and having children, his mother said. Kassandra Fierro, the girlfriend of Raymond Green Vance, 22, said she would not be able to start a family or grow old with him.
Defense lawyers have said that their client was not driven by hatred and have instead pointed to mental illness, saying that their client had been taking medication for schizophrenia, depression and anxiety. The defendant expressed remorse in a recent interview with The Associated Press and indicated they planned to take responsibility for the massacre. “We went to Club Q that night to celebrate — dance, sing and laugh,” she said. “Only to have our entire futures ripped from us.”
Some victims who attended previous hearings said that the defense statements were a maddening rationalization for the unthinkable. Matthew Haynes, Club Q’s owner, pointed out that millions of Americans have dealt with mental illness and taken medication without committing mass murder.
Adriana Vance, whose son Raymond Green Vance was killed in the attack, said that the victims of Club Q had bonded.
“We formed a family,” she said.
As Ms. Vance prepared to head to court on Monday, she said she had been trying to focus on her 9-year-old son and on keeping his life busy with trips to museums, the pool and the Elitch Gardens amusement park in Denver. She said she was not sure how to navigate the loss, the grief, raising her son without his big brother — any of it.
“I’ve never been through anything like this before,” she said. “I’m trying to do the best I can.”