Federal court sentences Anderson Lee Aldrich to 55 concurrent life terms and an additional 190 years without parole for the 2022 shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, stirring emotions among victims’ families and friends.
A federal court has sentenced Anderson Lee Aldrich to 55 concurrent life terms and an additional 190 years without parole for the 2022 shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, which killed five people and wounded 19 others. The sentencing took place on June 18, 2024, with U.S. Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney, the first openly gay federal judge in Colorado, presiding.
Aldrich, 24, pleaded guilty to 74 federal counts, including 50 hate crimes and several gun crimes. The plea agreement ensures Aldrich escapes the death penalty. Victims’ families and friends filled the courtroom, with many expressing their grief and anger, some demanding harsher punishment.
The attack on November 19, 2022, at Club Q, a significant LGBTQ+ community space, was premeditated, according to federal prosecutors. Aldrich, who identifies as nonbinary, had previously targeted LGBTQ+ individuals through a spam email campaign and distributed a racist and antisemitic manifesto.
Previously, in June 2023, Aldrich had been sentenced in state court to five life terms plus 2,208 years for first-degree murder and attempted murder. The shooting has highlighted Colorado’s ongoing struggle with gun violence despite having red-flag laws intended to prevent such incidents.
