Shooter in Colorado LGBTQ+ club massacre intends to plead guilty to federal hate crimes

The shooter in the fatal 2022 attack at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado is expected to plead guilty to federal hate crime and firearms charges under an agreement that would allow the defendant to avoid the death penalty, according to court documents released Tuesday.

Anderson Lee Aldrich, 23, made a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to 50 hate crime charges and 24 firearm violations, the documents show. Aldrich would get multiple life sentences in addition to a 190-year sentence under the proposed agreement, which needs a judge’s approval.

The Jan. 9 plea agreement was unsealed by the court after Aldrich had pleaded not guilty in court during an initial appearance on Tuesday afternoon. The gun charges can carry a maximum penalty of death, according to the agreement.

"The parties further informed the court that there is a plea agreement in this matter, and it is anticipated that the defendant has agreed to plead guilty to all charges in the information," the Justice Department said in a news release Tuesday. "The time for the entry of the guilty plea has not yet been set."

The new charges follow Aldrich's guilty plea to five counts of first-degree murder and 46 counts of attempted first-degree murder last June in state court. Aldrich had also pleaded no contest to two counts of bias-motivated crimes, one a felony and the other a misdemeanor.

Aldrich was initially charged with more than 300 crimes in connection to the Nov. 19, 2022, mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs.

Aldrich is currently serving five consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole on the state murder charges and 46 consecutive 48-year sentences on the attempted murder charges. Last year, Aldrich was moved to the Wyoming State Penitentiary due to safety concerns about the high-profile case, according to the Colorado Department of Corrections.

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Club Q shooting was 'deliberate,' DOJ says

The attack at Club Q, which killed five people and injured 17 others, devastated the LGBTQ+ community and their loved ones in Colorado Springs, Colorado, who considered the nightclub as a safe space.

Aldrich had entered Club Q armed with a loaded assault weapon and began the deadly shooting before it was stopped by two patrons, according to authorities. A Navy officer had grabbed the barrel of the suspect's rifle and an Army veteran helped subdue Aldrich until police arrived.

The Justice Department on Tuesday called the shooting a "willful, deliberate, malicious and premeditated attack at Club Q." The department also alleged that Aldrich committed the attack "because of the actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity of any person."

Trans woman hosted those who were alone.Days later, she was killed.

Aldrich had a history of making threats

Prior to the shooting, Aldrich was arrested in June 2021 after being accused of making a bomb threat that led to a lengthy armed standoff with SWAT teams, according to court documents. Their grandparents told police Aldrich held them hostage in their home, told them of bomb-making materials in the basement, and shared plans to be the next mass killer. 

Aldrich also livestreamed the standoff on Facebook, and authorities seized weapons, ammunition and more than 100 pounds of explosive materials. Aldrich was charged with five felonies, including first-degree kidnapping, but those charges were eventually dismissed after Aldrich's family refused to cooperate.

And during hearings in the state case in February, prosecutors said Aldrich had managed a website that posted a "neo-Nazi white supremacist" shooting training video. A police detective also testified online gaming friends said Aldrich expressed hatred for the police, LBGTQ+ people and minorities, and used racist and homophobic slurs.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Christine Fernando, USA TODAY; Justin Reutter, The Pueblo Chieftain; The Associated Press