Colorado gay nightclub shooter sentenced to life in prison

Anderson Lee Aldrich pleaded guilty in Colorado state court to five counts of first-degree murder and 46 counts of attempted murder.

Club Q, where the shooting took place last November. Photo: Reuters

On November 19, 2022, Aldrich, wearing body armor and armed with a rifle and a handgun, opened fire at Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub. In addition to those killed, nearly two dozen others were shot or wounded before he was arrested. Aldrich, then 22, was charged with 323 counts.

During the trial, family members of the victims spoke tearfully about their loved ones and expressed anger at Aldrich. Some survivors described the horror of that chaotic night.

“I will never get to marry the love of my life,” Kassandra Fierro said of her boyfriend, Raymond Green Vance, who was among those killed. Others noted that Club Q was no longer a “safe place” for LGBTQ residents after the shooting.

Aldrich declined to speak during sentencing, but his defense attorney, Joseph Archambault, said Aldrich wanted the court to know he was "deeply remorseful."

Under a plea agreement, Judge Michael McHenry sentenced Aldrich to five consecutive life sentences for murder, plus more than 2,200 additional years for attempted murder.

“Your actions reflected the deepest malice in the human heart,” the judge said. “And malice is almost always born of ignorance and fear.”

The Club Q shooting was reminiscent of the 2016 massacre when a gunman killed 49 people at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, before being shot dead by police.

Colorado no longer has the death penalty. However, Aldrich could face the death penalty in federal court if prosecutors decide to file charges under U.S. law, which still carries the death penalty for some crimes.

Huy Hoang (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ke-xa-sung-hop-dem-dong-tinh-colorado-linh-an-tu-chung-than-post253322.html