Colorado nonbinary mass shooter pleads guilty, accepts five life sentences

The nonbinary shooter who killed five people and injured 25 others at an LGBTQ-themed club in Colorado Springs, Colorado, pleaded guilty on charges of first-degree murder, according to a report.

Anderson Lee Aldrich, 23, who is a biological man, told Judge Michael McHenry of Colorado’s Fourth Judicial District Court that he would plead guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and accept consecutive life sentences for each charge without the possibility of parole, according to CNN. Aldrich also said that he would plead guilty to 46 counts of attempted murder and would not contest charges of hate crimes against the LGBTQ community, per testimony he delivered in court this morning at his arraignment hearing.

On Nov. 19, 2022, Aldrich entered Club Q, an LGBTQ-focused bar in Colorado Springs, and fired upon patrons with AR-15-style rifle. Aldrich also possessed a handgun and multiple magazines and was wearing body armor.

During the shooting, Aldrich was tackled by U.S. Army veteran Richard M. Fierro and other patrons, who removed his weapons and restrained him until police arrived.

In a court filing, Aldrich’s attorneys wrote that he identifies as “non-binary” and uses the personal pronouns of “they” and “them.” Aldrich’s identification as nonbinary was met with skepticism, with LGBTQ advocates and personal acquaintances claiming that his identification as non-binary was false.

After Aldrich said that he would accept the state’s plea deal, victims began to deliver “impact statements” to the court, with sentencing scheduled to occur after the statements. Colorado repealed the death penalty in 2020, with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole being the highest punishment that Aldrich could face under state law.

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