Club Q Shooter Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crimes

The Colorado gay nightclub shooter enters a guilty plea to federal hate crimes and weapons offenses.

Colorado Nightclub Shooter Anderson Aldrich Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crimes and Weapons Offenses, Avoiding Death Penalty. Five People Killed, 19 Injured in 2022 Attack.

The mass shooter Anderson Aldrich, who murdered five people at an LGBT nightclub in Colorado in 2022, entered a guilty plea to 50 federal hate crimes and 24 gun offenses.

As part of an agreement with federal prosecutors to escape the death penalty, he entered the plea on Tuesday, June 18.

The 24-year-old's activities during the nightclub shooting might result in a 190-year sentence.

Aldrich is presently serving five life terms after having previously entered a guilty plea to state crimes.

Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the US District Court must still approve the arrangement.

She indicated that she would wait to hear statements from the victims during Tuesday June 18 hearing before making her decision.

The attacker pleaded no contest to hate crimes in that case.

According to their attorneys, Aldrich, a nonbinary person who identifies as they, frequently visited LGBT Club before to the incident. She also uses the pronouns they and them.

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Aldrich, according to the prosecution, had previously voiced hatred toward minorities, LGBT people, and law enforcement.

Prosecutors characterized Aldrich's assault on the LGBT Club in January as “a willful, deliberate, malicious, and premeditated attack.”

Daniel Aston, age 28, Kelly Loving, age 40, Ashley Paugh, age 35, Derrick Rump, age 38, and Raymond Green Vance, age 22, were the victims who died in the shooting.

US prosecutors claim that 19 persons were hurt during the shooting.

The assailant was detained by the nightclub attendees until police arrived, ending the shooting spree.

Aldrich had used “computers, internet service providers, web-based retail platforms, web-based financial payment process platforms, and interstate commercial mail carriers, to acquire firearm components, ammunition, and tactical gear” to prepare for the attack.” US attorney's office said.