Club Q shooting killer sentenced to more than 2000 years in prison

Anderson Lee Aldrich, who killed five people in the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs in November last year, has been sentenced to a very lengthy prison term.

Aldrich, who identifies as non-binary, pled guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and 46 counts of attempted murder on Monday.

Judge Michael McHenry sentenced the killer to five life sentences without the possibility of parole for murder, and an additional 2,208 years for attempted murder, to run consecutively. This is believed to be the longest ever sentence handed down in the state of Colorado.

The 23-year-old also pled no contest to two counts of bias-motivated crimes for their attack on the LGBTQ+ nightclub, which added a further three years to their sentence.

“Your actions reflect the deepest malice of the human heart, and malice is almost always born out of ignorance and fear,” said Judge McHenry.

“The sentence of this court is the judgment of the people of the state of Colorado that such hate will not be tolerated and that the LGBTQ+ community is as much a part of the family of humanity as you are,” he added.

By pleading guilty to the crimes, Aldrich hopes to avoid facing possible future federal charges related to the shooting that could lead to the death penalty.

“Today, justice has been served,” tweeted Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade after the sentencing. “And while it has been served in the legal sense, our collective fight for justice and healing must continue… Today, and every day, we think of all the victims of Club Q…”

On Saturday, November 19, 2022, Aldrich walked into Club Q in Colorado Springs and opened fire on the patrons with a semi-automatic rifle and a handgun.

They killed Ashley Paugh, Daniel Davis Aston, Derrick Rump, Kelly Loving, and Raymond Green Vance, and injured 25 others.

Aldrich, who wore camouflage and a bulletproof vest, was tackled and held down by Thomas James and Richard Fierro, who were lauded as heroes for ensuring that no more people were shot.

Aldrich’s defense cited their mental health and history of drug use as the main factors behind their crimes.